Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 
by Roald Dahl

Publisher: Puffin (2004)

155 pages, Paperback (Purchased Myself for $6.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory has been closed to the public for a long time, but now five tickets are being offered for a tour inside, and the children lucky enough to find them will win the honor. Charlie Bucket, a sweet, poor boy who lives with his parents and both sets of grandparents in near starving conditions, is hoping he will be one of the lucky few to get a ticket.

My Thoughts:

This book was a little darker than I remembered, not shying away from talking about people starving or other unpleasant facts of life. I chose this as the first real chapter book to read aloud to my boys at bedtime, and the length of the chapters was perfect for it (most chapters only being 3 pages or so). We finished it in a month (30 chapters in total), and my boys (5 and 7) really enjoyed it once they got used to settling down to listen. The Oompa-Loompa’s little preachy songs were great (I didn’t sing them, I just read them like a poem), and Mr. Wonka himself is a little crazy, but I liked the funny way he had of ignoring or talking over anyone who tried to disagree with him. Great read-aloud book for bedtime!

Edition Notes:

This Puffin Modern Classics edition included illustrations by Quentin Blake.

Quotes:

“But there was one other thing that the grownups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance was there.” -Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“Sometimes, he would stand motionless outside the gates for several minutes on end, taking deep swallowing breaths as though he were trying to eat the smell itself.” -Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“Whipped cream isn’t whipped cream at all unless it’s been whipped with whips. Just as a poached egg isn’t a poached egg unless it’s been stolen from the woods in the dead of night! Row on, please!” -Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Movie Adaptations:

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum, Jack Albertson

TV Rating: G

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

To me this is the original, classic adaption. Gene Wilder is just creepy enough and plenty strange to suit me. I love the Oompa-Loompas and their little songs. This movie is a musical and has quite a few tunes in it, many of them memorable. My kids loved it, enjoying all the silly sort of slap-stick comedy it has. Great movie!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly

Movie Rating: PG

My Rating: 3 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

It is possible my impression of this movie was colored by growing up with the 1971 version, but I thought this was a little too trippy and, as you would expect from Tim Burton, rather dark. Johnny Depp is just a little too frightening for me in this. This film also adds a backstory to the Wonka character, featuring a dentist father.