Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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Synopsis

Reclusive candy-maker Willy Wonka is opening his factory for a tour, but only five lucky children will be allowed inside. The winners of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be those who find the five golden tickets hidden inside Wonka's chocolate bars. Young Charlie Bucket who lives in a ramshackle cottage near the factory and experiences the wondrous smells coming from it every day would dearly love to win, but his family are so poor they can barely survive. As luck would have it, though, Charlie manages to acquire some chocolate and does indeed find a golden ticket. With his beloved Grandpa Joe by his side, Charlie eagerly goes for the tour along with four other rather beastly and ill-behaved children. It turns out to be a magical adventure like nothing they've ever experienced before. But only one will win the all-important grand prize that will be awarded at the end.

Review

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the first book in Roald Dahl's Charlie Bucket, fantasy, adventure, children's book series. Charlie lives in a ramshackle house on the edge of town with his parents and both sets of grandparents. They're so poor they can only afford one bed, which all four grandparents share, while Charlie and his parents sleep on mattresses on the floor. After Charlie's dad loses his job, the family struggles just to put food on the table. Every day, on his way to school, Charlie passes the famed chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka, a mysterious man who never allows anyone inside the factory. Charlie savors the smell of chocolate every time he passes by, but the only time he gets any to eat is on his birthday. Then a big announcement comes out in the newspapers that Willy Wonka has hidden five golden tickets inside his chocolate bars, and the five children who find them will be invited to come tour his candy factory and win a lifetime supply of confections. It just so happens to be Charlie's birthday, and his gift is a single bar of chocolate. He tries not to get his hopes up, which is for the best since the bar doesn't contain a ticket. But weeks later, the day before the tour is scheduled, Charlie gets a second chance and this time, he finds the last golden ticket. Alongside four other, rather beastly children, the gluttonous Augustus Gloop, obsessive gum-chewer Violet Beauregard, television addict Mike Teavee, and the wealthy, spoiled Veruca Salt, Charlie and his Grandpa Joe go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure through the magical candy factory that's unlike anything they've ever seen before.

I recall reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when I was a child, probably more than once, and enjoying it immensely, but I don't think I've reread it since. Now that I have, I can honestly say that it was every bit as fun and magical today as it was back then. Both child and adult me related very well to Charlie. He and his family are poor in material wealth but they're rich in love for one another. They're always kind and considerate and they've brought Charlie up well. I remember as a kid being annoyed by the other kids who find the golden tickets (still was ;-)) and thinking how rude, entitled, and obnoxious they (and even their parents) are, which I think is the point. They're supposed to stand out in contrast to Charlie who is respectful of Mr. Wonka, follows the rules, and is genuinely enthralled by the wonders of the chocolate factory. In the end, this works to his advantage as he discovers the real reason Willy Wonka held his contest. Willy Wonka is rather wild and a bit dotty at times, but good-hearted and amusing. I also recall as a kid liking when the other children got their comeuppances. Overall, I had a great deal of fun taking this walk down memory lane. The story is a wild, fantasy adventure that I'm sure kids of all ages will enjoy. I very much look forward to sharing it with my grandkids when they're a bit older, as well as rewatching the movie versions and rereading the sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, soon.

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Roald Dahl