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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald…
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (original 1964; edition 2007)

by Roald Dahl (Author), Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
24,827448134 (4.09)1 / 325
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remains the quintessential Roald Dahl. Perfect for anyone (but maybe best for those between 3rd grade through middle school) it fulfills candy fantasies, is funny, and yet showcases Dahl's dark sense of humor at its best (and darkest!) I can't think of a single kid who wouldn't adore this book! ( )
  PattyHoward | Apr 24, 2018 |
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Showing 1-25 of 416 (next | show all)
A great classic. ( )
  Linyarai | Mar 6, 2024 |
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an excellent story for young readers. It transports them to another world with its use of descriptive language. It helps children to paint mental pictures in their heads. It also offers some outstanding life lessons to young readers. ( )
  Huba.Library | Feb 15, 2024 |
Charlie is a kind hearted and good boy who is rewarded for those very qualities. Of course, contrasted by the other nasty children (and adults) in this story, Charlie doesn't have to do much more than be decent and not greedy. There are a few good adults in this story, and Willie Wonka is just nuts. A fun story for kids. ( )
  tjsjohanna | Jan 23, 2024 |
I couldn't recall reading this book as a child, so I decided to pick this up for a bit of entertainment. Let me start by saying that Dahl is a genius for disguising his morality tale through the veils of dark (yet kid friendly) humor. This book is truly entertaining and at times, quite frightening while also being touching (I love Charlie's relationship with his grandfather).
We all know the story. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a classic children's book about five kids who win a chance to tour Willy Wonka's mysterious candy-making operation. It's a vividly told wild ride with amusing, cartoon-like sketches from Quentin Blake. What is interesting about the story is that various forms of bad behavior are demonstrated -- but the punishments perfectly fit the crimes. Most the kids are addicted to one vice or another such as lust or greed, except for our hero Charlie, who is pure at heart, even though he lives a life of poverty that's portrayed as bleak and depressing. He has love and a wild imagination that isn't focused on owning things, over eating, or watching glops of television. You can tell Charlie is thankful for his circumstances while all the other demanding kids aren't. This is not a sanitized Children's story. It is raw and dark and truthful and it's message of thanksgiving, imagination and the affects of various vices remains quite important for children and adults alike.


( )
  ryantlaferney87 | Dec 8, 2023 |
I grew up with the Gene Wilder movie by the same name, still love it to this day. I remember reading Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator when I was young, but do not recall whether I'd read this first, or read it as a follow-up to the movie. I've seen the re-make, and was really interested to discover that many of the things that were different in that movie, compared to the original, were actually in the book.

Anyway, about the book—I really enjoyed reading it. My eleven-year-old daughter read it before me, and she liked it a lot too. The characters and situations are often over the top, which certainly adds to the fantastic feel that the factory and Wonka's inventions provide. It makes me sad to see how many people claim that Wonks is a slaver, considering that if you actually read the book, it's clear that the Oompa Loompas were living terrible lives when he found them. They are fed and housed and seem to be genuinely happy. Anything past that is something we read into the story, as we have no way of knowing if they even want to leave this massive factory complex, nor what would happen if they did.

That's my take on it, at least—I prefer to enjoy the story for what it is, not think about what kind of OSHA violations Wonka would have to deal with if the story took place in real life. I recommend it to kids who are up for a dark-yet-fun read.
( )
  Kristi_D | Sep 22, 2023 |
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a classic children’s novel by Roald Dahl that tells the story of a poor boy named Charlie who wins a golden ticket to visit the amazing chocolate factory of Willy Wonka, a mysterious and eccentric chocolatiee. ( )
  omarhussain125 | Aug 21, 2023 |
One of my New Years Resolutions was the read more "classics" this year, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of the first I was able to pick up. I was so lucky that I found this book at a local charity book sale! It was screaming my name the minute I saw it on the table and it's been screaming my name while it's been sitting on my bookshelf (well...desk. My bookshelves are rather full. I need to get reading faster and more to clear some room...).

I've seen both of the movies (Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp) so I knew what was coming. It was going to be a book full of shenanigans with some humor and lessons sprinkled throughout. And boy, did it not disappoint! I have to say, Roald Dahl is one amazing author and I really want to read more by him now. This classic is so full of childish nonsense and valuable lessons all at the same time. It's mesmerizing what this man could do with his words.

The book has some deep, dark material that comes off as playful. Charlie and his family weren't well off and Roald make that very, very clear. Yet the prose he puts this narrative in makes it seem... fun? Silly? I can't even pick the right word. As an adult, I am in awe of how this family survived but I could easily see a child laughing their way through. A child would truly have no idea what the horror of starving is like, yet it is described so amazingly in this book...

Seriously, I'm in awe. I am in complete and utter awe over this man's writing. He's a literary genius, to say the least.

There are parts as an adult that I can pick apart, but I don't think this book was intended to be some literary work that needs to be examined like Shakespeare. This book shows the good and the bad of being a kid - don't be stubborn, don't be a brat, don't watch television all day, don't go ahead without listening - stuff that we all learn as a kid. Charlie is the "perfect" child who listens and does what he is supposed to, and in the end he wins. Is this how life works? Nope. Is it still important to teach? Heck yes!

Wonka is such a wild and interesting character too. He's a very old adult but doesn't act like it who employs Oompa Loompa and pays them in cacoa beans. He has a giant workshop but no workers and wants to give a child his only life's work. Yes, that makes so much sense... Not. But it's believable in this book, because he's so wild and zany... I'd love to see a perfect adaption of this book - word for word, picture for picture, etc.

The language, dark humour and sarcasm in this book also make it absolutely hilarious. Snozzberries gets me every time! And Wonka's absolutely amazing sarcasm against the children... Well, it's mean but it's funny. So funny. I found myself giggling at how ridiculous some of the comments were, yet I still loved it all the same.

Either way, this book is amazing! I wish I would have read it as a kid but reading it as an adult was so much funnier! Amazingly enough, this book only took me two days to finish.

Five out of five stars!

I need some more Roald Dahl in my life! ( )
  Briars_Reviews | Aug 4, 2023 |
More of an adult type story......oomoa loompas were harsh lol ( )
  SRQlover | Jul 18, 2023 |
This is definitely my least favourite Dahl book. It's so outside of reality, it's absurd. There's no way some rich old man would give all his assets away to a poor child and his family.
  fleshed | Jul 16, 2023 |
I really enjoyed this children's classic. I have watched the movie with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka many times and was seeing the movie while reading the book - it was closer to the book than I expected. I love the writing of Roald Dahl and I love his darker side. Willy Wonka is quite a villain, actually. ( )
  dacejav | May 3, 2023 |
Reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory made me wince. Seems Dahl is trying to warn us of the proliferation of patronizing, misogynistic, judgmental, egomaniacal, narcisstic, and manipulative corporate CEO types. How Willy Wonker ended up in a children's book as a good guy is bizarre and.... wrong.

He has a serious problem interacting with adults and children. Gets away with his awful behavior because he's outrageously wealthy. Producing candy doesn't make him a hero.

Charlie and his family deserve better.
  Bookish59 | Apr 14, 2023 |
YES! I love this book! ( )
  EmmyCurie | Apr 2, 2023 |
This is one of my favourite books by Roald Dahl simply because it is based around (nearly) every child's fantasy a chocolate factory and at the end of the day decensy wins out. ( )
  Susan-Pearson | Feb 23, 2023 |
Young Charlie Bucket is one of five lucky children who win a Golden Ticket to the top secret Chocolate Factory owned and run by the mysterious Willy Wonka. Amazing sights await and it soon becomes evident that there is more to this tour than appears at first glance.

Not having been a Roald Dahl fan as a child, I was looking forward to read his novels aloud to my girls. My initial enthusiasm (see my review of [b:The Giraffe And The Pelly And Me|6694|The Giraffe And The Pelly And Me|Roald Dahl|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1165604309s/6694.jpg|419514] soon started to wear off. And this must count as my most disappointing Dahl read so far. Widely lauded as one of the best children's books ever, it just didn't work for me. For a start, I found Willy Wonka to be probably the most irritating and sanctimonious literary character I ever had the misfortune to meet. Given a choice, I'd prefer to join Count Dracula or Lady Macbeth for tea rather than spend another five minutes with Mr Wonka. He is, after all, an autocratic master who exploits the expendable "Oompa Loompas" at his factory and spends the novel goading kids into breaking the rules only to dispense sadistic punishments when they do so.

Secondly, for all its undoubted flights of fancy, the novel is underpinned by a surprisingly repetitive and not particularly beguiling narrative structure. As one by one the children end up in (literally) sticky situations, one starts to feel that the plot is not as fantastically imaginative as appears on the surface and, in its own way, is not much more complicated than a Dora the Explorer episode. To opt for a more flattering analogy, it is like a Mozart or Haydn rondo, where the same theme keeps returning with variants. Except that Mozart is way more fun.

The same can be said for the novel's world view. The wackiness and dark humour of the book make it seem subversive, but "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is ultimately quite a traditional (and, frankly, patronising) cautionary tale where (surprise, surprise) disobedient spoilt brats who eat too much and watch too much tv are punished whilst the long-suffering "good boy" gets a reward. I have no problem with that - but perhaps the frequent portrayal of Dahl as an impish, iconoclastic author is at odds with the underlying message of this novel.

Naturally, I might be missing some subtle ironic interpretation. I wish it were the case.

To be fair, my kids did enjoy the book, although my younger daughter (6 years old) was quite distressed at the fate of the naughty children. Evidently she has a greater sense of compassion than Wonka. ( )
  JosephCamilleri | Feb 21, 2023 |
Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
  wichitafriendsschool | Feb 17, 2023 |
Its Realy funny And Cool I realy recomend ( )
  webster_Family | Feb 10, 2023 |
Why not call it poetry?

Here we have an excellent book for those who love children stories with a dark appeal. Fortunately, it also carries a moral: Silly children are not able to control their urges after being introduced to the Magic of the Chocolate Factory. So they are punished by the factory itself, an archetype of the 'real world' punishing people who are ignorant to their own sins. And the Oompa Loompas are the ones who deliver the lessons, and they do so in the most exquisite fashion:

These are Veruca’s new found friends
That she will meet as she descends,
And this is the price she has to pay
For going so very far astray.
But now, my dears, we think you might
Be wondering–is it really right
That every single bit of blame
And all the scolding and the shame
Should fall upon Veruca Salt?
Is she the only one at fault?
For though she’s spoiled, and dreadfully so,
A girl can’t spoil herself, you know.
Who spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed?
Who pandered to her every need?
Who turned her into such a brat?
Who are the culprits? Who did that?
Alas! You needen’t look so far
To find out who these sinners are.
They are (and this is very sad)
Her loving parents, MUM and DAD.
And that is why we’re glad they fell
Into the garbage chute as well.”
( )
  Rodrigo-Ruscheinski | Jan 26, 2023 |
I hadn't read this book in at least 35 years. Simply charming. No real need for a full review, just know that no home should be without a copy ( )
  hhornblower | Jan 24, 2023 |
This is such a fun story with great morals for kids to learn. I saw the movie but never read this book until now and I am happy I did because it opened up my imagination more.
  Erindignam03 | Dec 12, 2022 |
This is the delightful story of a poor boy, Charlie Bucket, who lives with his parents and grandparents in ramshackle house with very little food. Charlie receives a golden ticket which entitles him to to tour the candy factory of Willie Wonka, whom his grandfather told him much about. He also will receive a lifetime supply of items made at the factory. During the tour Willie shows them various rooms with different kinds of candy, gum, chocolate and nuts. Charlie also gets to ride in a glass elevator. This is wonderful book to share with children. ( )
  dara85 | Nov 15, 2022 |
A book full of comedy and great story line ( )
  Sherry_Ahmed | Sep 12, 2022 |
Student work ( )
  Nadia678 | Aug 29, 2022 |
Je kan je zo lekker inleven in de levensomstandigheden van Sjakie. Sjakie heeft het thuis namelijk niet breed. Er wordt in het boek ook gebruik gemaakt van woorden die we nu niet gebruiken. Het leest lekker weg! Sjakie en de chocoladefabriek bevat enkele illustraties in het grijs. Het zou wat mij betreft een meerwaarde zijn wanneer er meer illustraties waren en deze in kleur zouden zijn. Je leest vaak over bepaalde kleuren en dit is nu niet terug te zien in de illustraties. Misschien dat hiervoor een nieuwe druk kan uitkomen in kleur! ( )
  MelanieSchrieken | Feb 6, 2022 |
Sjakie en de chocoladefabriek is een fantasierijk boek. Je kan in je hoofd een plaatje maken.
Het boek bevat een duidelijk verhaal en er worden weinig moeilijke woorden gebruikt, waardoor het verhaal makkelijk en snel leest.
In dit boek komt veel humor voor, vooral de kinderen die een gouden kaartje hadden waren erg grappig en heel typerend. Dat maakt het verhaal leuk om te lezen maar ook om voor te lezen.

Ook is het niet storend dat de hoofdpersonage een jongen is. Het boek is zowel voor jongens als voor meisjes geschikt. ( )
  noribouwens | Feb 6, 2022 |
Grappig boek.
Verschillend van de film, maakt het boek extra leuk. Veel leuke extra's. Makkelijk te volgen. ( )
  Sharon.van.Strien | Feb 2, 2022 |
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