Book info

• Title Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Author Roald Dahl
• Year 1964
• Genre Childrens

Charlie Bucket's life is about to change forever, thanks to one miraculous moment! Willy Wonka, chocolate maker extraordinaire, has hidden five golden tickets in five ordinary bars of chocolate, and any child who finds one will get the chance to visit his incredible factory. And Charlie has found one... But so have... Augustus Gloop - a glutton for chocolate. Veruca Salt - a spoiled and selfish brat. Violet Beauregarde - a repulsive gum-chewer. Mike Teavee - a television fiend. With a chocolate river, delectable confectionery and mysterious Oompa Loompas, Mr Wonka's factory is the most wondrous place Charlie has ever seen.

Thoughts

I don’t know if it’s because I have read this so many times before, or if it is the quality of the writing (or maybe both), but it feels so effortless to read this book. Almost as if the words are floating off the page directly into my head. It’s so easy to picture everything, and that’s not just because of the on-screen versions that have planted imagery there.

Even after all this time I am still finding new things out, though. For instance, either I never really noticed, or I had forgotten, but Mr Wonka has a goatee! Who knew? And the boat they travel down the chocolate river on is a pink sweet. I knew it was a hollowed out boiled sweet but I’d forgotten it was bright pink.

I love the story, I love the imagination that has gone into it, and I love all the amazing tastes and ideas that it crams into it. For a relatively short book, there is a lot to take in and savour. I could read this over and over again and never get bored.

Rating: 5 / 5