charlie and the chocolate factory story book review

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Charlie and the chocolate factory, common sense media reviewers.

Classic morality tale is wildly entertaining.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Spoiled, greedy children will get their just desse

Sweet, well-behaved Charlie possesses strength of

While citizens around the world frantically search

When Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Fa

Mr. Wonka's factory contains a room meant for crea

Positive Messages

Spoiled, greedy children will get their just desserts, but dreams will come true for the honest and pure-hearted.

Positive Role Models

Sweet, well-behaved Charlie possesses strength of character that the other children lack. Born and raised in poverty, Charlie truly appreciates every gift life gives him, and he remains honest despite the temptation to betray his hero.

Violence & Scariness

While citizens around the world frantically search for golden tickets, a gangster robs a bank and uses the stolen money to buy a large amount of candy bars. Mike Teavee watches western movies in which cowboys shoot at each other. Wonka makes "exploding sweets for your enemies." Children who disobey Willy Wonka's rules are punished in ways that might be a little alarming but don't seem to cause any pain.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

When Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka chocolate bars and other candies only existed in the fictional world of this wonderful novel. Today, Wonka bars, Gobstoppers, and many other Wonka-branded candies are manufactured by Nestle.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Mr. Wonka's factory contains a room meant for creating what he refers to as Butterscotch and Buttergin, and when the Oompa Loompas drink those concoctions, they become "drunk as lords." Charlie stops into a shop that sells "everything, including sweets and cigars."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Roald Dahl 's 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 that will keep kids excited and laughing. Various forms of bad behavior are demonstrated, and are punished in ways that perfectly fit the crimes. Charlie lives a life of poverty that's portrayed as bleak and depressing, although the love between him and his family makes their day-to-day struggles more bearable. The book was adapted for a film titled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 1971, and made into a movie titled Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , starring Johnny Depp , in 2005. That same year, it was released as an audiobook read by Monty Python member Eric Idle , which is loads of fun.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

Parents say (26)
Kids say (63)

Based on 26 parent reviews

Perfect Family Read-Aloud

Offbeat fun, what's the story.

In Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, poor Charlie Bucket is practically starving. However, he is rich in love, living with his devoted parents and grandparents so old and sick they never get out of bed. Charlie is captivated by his Grandpa Joe's stories about Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory and his efforts to keep his amazing recipes from leaking to other candy-makers. Charlie is excited when Wonka holds a contest, placing a golden ticket in five chocolate bars; each person who finds a ticket will get to bring a special guest along and visit the factory, and receive a lifetime supply of sweets! Charlie is too poor to buy more than one candy bar a year, so when he wins a ticket, his whole family celebrates. Charlie visits the chocolate factory along with four bratty children: greedy Augustus Gloop, chewing gum addict Violet Beauregarde, spoiled Veruca Salt, and television-obsessed Mike Teavee. What lies in store for the children depends on how they behave on their tour.

Is It Any Good?

Rarely, if ever, has a morality tale been dressed up in such an entertaining story. Roald Dahl clearly has a point to make here, but never does the reader feel he is preaching; he's just reveling in giving spoiled kids their most perfectly just comeuppance. Dahl has peopled these pages with some highly memorable bad children, and readers everywhere love to laugh with glee at their crazy behavior -- and its consequences.

In the best fairy tale tradition, Dahl doesn't hide the fact that the world can be a grim and unfair place. Charlie's depressing life of poverty at the beginning of the novel reflects this bleak view, but Dahl also appeals to the strong sense of natural justice in children, and invites them to revel in a marvelously imagined world where people, both good and bad, get exactly what they deserve. It's also a place where a genius candy-maker invents "eatable marshmallow pillows," "hot ice cream for cold days," "fizzy lifting drinks" that make you float, and "rainbow drops" that let you "spit in six different colours." And, in the end, it's just the place for Charlie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the various children who win the right to tour the chocolate factory and how their flaws ultimately seal their fates.

What are your first impressions of Willy Wonka? Do you change your opinion about him over the course of the book?

Even though Charlie wasn't completely innocent, why was he chosen to run the factory in the end?

If you were given the opportunity to see your favorite candy maker's factory headquarters, how would you behave? Who would you take with you as your special guest?

Have you tried Wonka candies? Does reading this book make them more or less appealing to you?

Book Details

Author : Roald Dahl
Illustrator : Joseph Schindelman
Genre : Fantasy
Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Great Boy Role Models
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date : January 17, 1964
Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
Number of pages : 176
Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated : November 15, 2019

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The Literary Edit

Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl

As with all Roald Dahl’s books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a quaint and charming tale with a strong moral undertone. The book tells the story of Charlie Bucket, a young boy who lives in a cramped house with his parents and both his paternal and maternal grandparents. The family is a poor one; the four grandparents share a bed and they all live on a diet of boiled potatoes and cabbage. The town in which they live is famous for the landmark chocolate factory, maker of tantalising treats a-plenty, and the tale was inspired by Dahl’s experience of chocolate companies during his school days.

When the owner, the elusive Willy Wonka, decides to invite five children inside the majestic gates of his chocolate factory, children far and wide are desperate to find one of the golden tickets hidden inside the wrappers of Wonka chocolate bars. And thus the winners are announced; Augustus Gloop – a greedy young boy who eats constantly, Veruca Salt – a horribly spoilt girl whose father buys her everything she asks for, Violet Beauregrade who chews gum all day and Mike Teavee, a boy whose favourite pastime is to watch TV.

With just one remaining Charlie can’t believe his luck when he finds a ticket; knowing that the life-time supply of chocolate he’ll be given at the factory will see an end to his family’s poverty. And so, the five children’s adventure begins as Willy Wonka leads them through his magical factory, with chocolate rivers, caramel lakes and a never-ending supply of the sweetest of treats. The day, however, doesn’t run smoothly as each of the children’s faults sees an early demise to their day. Augustus Gloop, consumed with greed starts drinking from the chocolate river and falls in; Violet Beauregrade tries some gum despite being warned of potential side effects and swells up like a blueberry, Veruca Salt attempts to steal a sorting squirrel and is thrown down the garbage chute and Mike Teavee is shrunken to six inches after trying to use the Television Chocolate Machine.

Consequently only Charlie remains and Wonka then makes an announcement; Charlie is to inherit the Chocolate Factory. And thus becomes apparent that the golden ticket really was the key to the door of happiness.

Darkly sarcastic and hugely entertaining, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory deals with themes of sin and temptation and sees a triumphant and moral conclusion that spells the end of a life of poverty for Charlie and his family.

About Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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!

About Roald Dahl

The son of Norwegian parents, Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 and educated at Repton. He was a fighter pilot for the RAF during World War Two, and it was while writing about his experiences during this time that he started his career as an author.

His fabulously popular children’s books are read by children all over the world. Some of his better-known works include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG.

He died in November 1990.

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2 comments on “Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl”

Excellent choice for one of the books to read for the challenge. But i would have recommended the Witches or the Twits over Charlie, Not that Charlie and the chocolate factory isn’t amazing, but The Witches and The Twits seem to be slightly lesser known, but are equal in their brilliance.

Saying that, almost every Roald Dahl books are unique and wonderful (Not to mention weird). For people who haven’t read many of his books, look-up lists like this one – Roald Dahl books list – for recommendations!

Hi Kelly, thanks for stopping by! I’m actually planning on reading either The Twits or Witches for my August book challenge so check back soon for my review 🙂

greenish bookshelf

reader lives of a bookish reader

[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]: A Review

Hi y’all!

I’m excited to share a review today of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. While I have read this book several times and seen the movie adaptations over the years, this is the first time I read this book aloud.

Such a fun read aloud with my kids! This was our first successful chapter book that we read start to finish together and it was such a joy to read it!

Initial Thoughts:

It was so fun to return to a favorite childhood author as an adult and as a mother. I loved seeing my kids excitement about what would happen next. And I couldn’t resist when they asked for one more chapter 🙂
There is just something magical about Roald Dahl’s stories paired with Quentin Blake’s illustrations. My kids loved seeing all the silly pictures of the characters doing crazy things.
We are still talking about this book! I love that some of the scenes and characters have stuck with my kids over the past few weeks. It’s so fun to hear them ask “mom, do you remember that girl that turned into a blueberry?” or “mom, do you remember when that boy fell in the chocolate river?” or “mom, do you remember when Charlie won the factory?” I am so happy to be raising little bookworms like their mom 🙂

According to Goodreads, “ Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this Gold Ticket from Mr Willy Wonka! I shake you warmly by the hand! Tremendous things are in store for you!

One miraculous moment changes Charlie Bucket’s life forever. A boy who only gets to eat cabbage soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner finds a Golden Ticket that will take him into Willy Wonka’s magical chocolate factory.

Joining him on the tour are four horrible blighters: Augustus Gloop – a great big greedy nincompoop, Veruca Salt – a spoiled brat, Violet Beauregarde – a repulsive little gum-chewer and Mike Teavee – a TV addict.

With a chocolate river, crafty squirrels and mysterious Oompa Loompas, Mr Wonka’s chocolate factory is the strangest, most magnificent place Charlie has ever seen. What other surprises are in store for the lucky ticket winners? ”

Why this is a great read aloud: I think it best to start with why this book is a great read aloud for young kids. I wasn’t sure how this would go but Roald Dahl’s stories are timeless and perfect for younger listeners with shorter attention spans.

Short chapters easy to read in one sitting : this was an important plus for me. When you know it won’t take too much time to read a chapter, I find I’m more willing to read especially right before bedtime. We’ve enjoyed a few of the Mrs Piggle Wiggle chapters but they are SO long that I start to feel like they are too long. I suppose the takeaway there is to break longer chapters into multiple parts.
Great pictures – at least one per chapter : my kids loved seeing the pictures as we went along. I think that’s a big reason why this book is great for younger listeners. It keeps them engaged because they’re excited about seeing the pictures.
Silly characters that are fun to do different voices for : I love reading in different voices and this book is perfect for it! From Augustus Gloop who is always eating to Mike TeaVee who talks at all the wrong times to Mr Willy Wonka himself who is hilarious, this book is a fun one to voice aloud.
Unique setting with places/objects/experiences new to my kids : The magic of the chocolate factory really drew my kids in. They loved hearing about the chocolate river, how to make the meal gum, the chocolate TV, Oompa Loompas, the picky squirrels, and of course the great glass elevator. It was fun to explain what some new words meant and also fun to introduce them to magic –some things we can’t always explain. And magic is part of life.
Easy to follow story : Roald Dahl is a master storyteller. And this story is perfect for young listeners because it’s not complex and not too long. It is just a great story and it’s fun to go with Charlie on his adventure.

Basically every character has such big personalities. It’s fun to compare them to each other and talk about why they act certain ways and how we would act differently. Mr Wonka was constantly making me laugh because he is so ridiculous and says the silliest things. I love Charlie because he is so good and truly childlike. Grandpa Joe is a great adult character because he still believes in the magic of Wonka and also in the magic of childhood. I enjoyed hearing how my kids reacted to each character as well.

Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory is a fantastic setting. There is something so magical and inviting about our tour of his factory with Charlie. As a kid, I always loved the chocolate room with the chocolate waterfall. My kids loved the pink candy boat they ride on and the great glass elevator. As an adult, I loved the logic behind Wonka TV this time. If only it was really that easy! It’s fun to discover each chapter and each new room of the factory. This book could be twice as long and still offer more surprises about what is inside Wonka’s factory.

The story is delightful and simple but the movie is more complex. We watched the classic Gene Wilder movie afterwards and while it’s certainly true to the essence of the book, it also complicates things. The subplot about the Slugworth stealing Wonka’s ideas and bribing kids and Charlie/Grandpa drinking the fizzy lifting drinks were both added to the movie. My kids didn’t quite get that. I think the book is great for a younger audience because the story is so simple. Charlie is simply the last kid on the tour (and by far the kindest and best behaved) so he wins!

What a fantastic novel to read aloud to my kids! We enjoyed our adventure with Charlie in Mr Wonka’s chocolate factory. I would like to read book two to my kids. But I don’t remember the details of it very well (except that the grandparents all turn into babies at one point) so I may need to read that again before we do that.

Since finishing this novel, we have also read aloud Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White and loved it as well. I highly recommend both as read alouds for young audiences. Regardless of your kids ages, I can’t speak highly enough of reading aloud to them! Find books that your family loves and start reading together.

What is your favorite Roald Dahl book? What are some of your favorite read alouds with the kids in your life?

Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“as charlie finds the magic ticket and disappears into the world of dahl, you get to join in the adventure too.”, contains major spoilers.

Roald Dahls 1964 classic is as relevant for children and parents today as it was when it first came out.

The story follows Charlie Bucket, a poor boy who lives with his parents and all four grandparents in a small and broken down house outside of town. Charlie, like so many other children, loves candy, but can rarely afford the treats.

When the chocolatier Willy Wonka announces a world wide lottery, where he has placed 5 Golden Tickets in five chocolate bars, Charlie hardly even dreams of being a winner. And yet, the final Golden Ticket comes to Charlie in a pure miracle, when he finds a coin on the street and decides to buy a small chocolate bar for him self and give the change to his mother, so she can buy food for the family.

Now that we have met the children, lets take a look at their host and tourguide Willy Wonka. It is safe to say, that the man is mad, in an absolutely bonkers kind of way. But he is fun, friendly, inventive and a very successful businessman.

On his factory he has no human employees, but a whole army of small human like “Oompa Loompas”, who receive their payment in chocolate.

I will not review the tour of the factory, for the inventions of Roald Dahl and Willy Wonka are a ‘must read’, but I will have a look at the destiny that befalls the children. As the tour progresses and the wonders of the factory unfolds before them, their worst personality traits become their downfall. Augustus Gloop falls into a river of chocolate and is pumped up and out by the pipes, Veruca Salt (and her parents) are pushed down the garbage shoot by a group of nut cracking squirrels, Violet Beuregarde is turned into a juicy berry by chewing a prototype gum and Mike Tehveh gets televised and becomes toy sized.

Being the only child with no bad personality traits to overcome him, Willy Wonka announces that Charlie Bucket has won the competition and becomes the heir to the Chocolate Factory.

The morale of the story is clear: people get what they deserve. All children were warned by Willy Wonka before they met their misfortunes and their troubles could have been avoided, if they had listened to him done as they were told.

While Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt are brats with a strong lack of discipline in their lives, neither Violet Beuregarde nor Mike Tehveh are victims of bad parenting in the same way. They just have bad habits. The voice of reason in the story is actually Mike Tehveh, but whenever he points out, that Willy Wonka says something which is highly untrue, Willy Wonka is actually a bit rude and claims that Mike mumbles and can’t be heard. Rather than learning lessons and bettering their ways, all four children and their respective parents are merely punished. This is not new in good vs evil stories, for instance, in the classic fairytale Cinderella, the stepsisters both get their eyes ripped out by birds and the stepmother is forced to dance in burning hot metal shoes. There are no grey areas when a point needs to get across.

And the four unfortunate children all get to go home with a lifetime supply of chocolate by the end of the day. Thanks to Willy Wonkas inventions, they are all returned and almost to their natural state. Augustus has been sucked thin, Veruca and her parents are covered in garbage, Violet has a permanent skincolor of violet and Mike has been stretched to an elastic version of his former self.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is a fantastic story to read alone as a child (of all ages) or reading it out loud to ones children. It is funny, adventurous and has a morale despite the madness and overindulgence of sugar.

It is also noteworthy, that the book has been adapted into a movie twice. And in both versions, the filmmakers has added their own twists to the story, in order to make another point of morale.

In the 1971 version, Charlie is not as innocent as in the book, and ends up floating under the ceiling from an elevating soft drink. The drink is mentioned in the book, but in the film a point is made, that even Charlie the good child, can’t resist going against the rules.

In the 2005 version, a backstory is given to Willy Wonka, to explain some of his madness and his obsession over chocolate in the form of a father, who is a candy disapproving dentist. And where the book-Wonka invites the entire Bucket family to come live at the factory and help Charlie run it, the 2005 movie-Wonka wants Charlie to leave his family and move in with him. Charlie declines, as he would rather have his family than a billion dollar chocolate factory. In the end, they compromise and Charlie reunites Wonka with his father.

Both movies are brilliant and should also be seen of children of all ages. Regardless of how much Roald Dahl wanted children to read books rather than watch television… The poor man would role over in his grave if he knew how many channels are availble to Mike Tehveh now…

Biggest morale of the story? Parents should make sure, that children have quality over quantity!

Reviewed by:

Added 12th April 2015

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Book Review

Charlie and the chocolate factory.

Adventure , Humor

Readability Age Range

Puffin, a division of Penguin Books
Millennium Childrens' Book Award, 2000

Year Published

This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Charlie Bucket is a poor boy whose family can barely afford to buy food. Charlie is fond of chocolate, but he only receives one chocolate bar every year on his birthday. He lives within sight of a chocolate factory owned by the famous chocolate maker Willy Wonka, but Wonka has closed off his factory to the world for the past 10 years. No workers enter or leave the buildings.

A newspaper announcement from Wonka reveals that he will open his factory for a private tour, though he will only allow five children to enter. The five children will be admitted if they have invitations called Golden Tickets, but these Golden Tickets are hidden inside Wonka chocolate bars, and no one knows which bars contain the tickets. As an added incentive, the children who find Golden Tickets will receive a lifetime supply of chocolates and candy after their tour is finished. Charlie has little hope of finding a Golden Ticket because he only receives one bar of chocolate per year.

In the days following Wonka’s big announcement, Charlie reads a series of newspaper articles that introduce the children who find Golden Tickets. The first ticket belongs to Augustus Gloop, an obese boy with a chronic overeating problem. The second ticket goes to Veruca Salt, a spoiled, angry girl. Charlie still has a hope of finding a Golden Ticket until he opens his special birthday chocolate bar and finds nothing but chocolate inside. Violet Beauregarde finds the third ticket. She is a rude girl who chews gum constantly. Mike Teavee, a child obsessed with watching television, finds the fourth ticket.

Charlie finds a dollar bill on the sidewalk and uses it to purchase two chocolate bars. The second bar contains the fifth and final Golden Ticket, which says the children may bring either one or two members of their family to look after them as they tour the factory. The next morning, Charlie and his Grandpa Joe go to Wonka’s factory and are welcomed inside along with the other four ticket holders. Wonka leads his guests to an underground portion of the factory called the Chocolate Room. The room is designed to look like an outdoor landscape complete with trees, flowers and a waterfall, but Wonka has made the entire scene out of candy and chocolate. Charlie and the other children see some doll-sized human beings in the Chocolate Room, and Wonka explains they are Oompa-Loompas whom he saved from the dangerous country of Loompaland. The Oompa-Loompas agreed to work for Wonka and live in his factory in exchange for a safe home and an endless supply of their favorite food, cacao beans.

As Wonka is speaking, Augustus Gloop begins to drink from the chocolate river, despite warnings not to do so. Augustus falls into the river, where the current pulls him through a series of glass pipes. Wonka assures everyone that Augustus will not be harmed by the experience, and an Oompa-Loompa leads Mr. and Mrs. Gloop to the Fudge Room, where their son will soon arrive. The tour proceeds without the Gloop family. The guests board a yacht made of pink candy and sail down the chocolate river.

Everyone disembarks at the Inventing Room. Wonka shows the children several of his new candy creations. Against Wonka’s advice, Violet Beauregarde grabs a piece of experimental gum and chews it. Violet turns blue and swells up until she resembles a giant blueberry. Some Oompa-Loompas roll Violet to the Juicing Room, where she will be squeezed until she returns to her normal size. The Beauregardes follow the Oompa-Loompas to the Juicing Room as the other guests continue the tour.

At the Nut Room, the guests see 100 squirrels at work shelling walnuts. Veruca Salt demands that her parents buy her a trained squirrel. When Wonka refuses to sell any squirrels, Veruca rushes forward to grab one. Instead, the squirrels grab Veruca, tap her head to determine whether she is a bad nut and throw her down a garbage chute. The squirrels also push Mr. and Mrs. Salt down the garbage chute. The tour continues without the Salts.

The remaining guests ride a glass elevator to the Television-Chocolate Room. Mike Teavee disobeys Wonka and sends himself through a television machine that vaporizes and re-assembles large objects. Mike is transformed into a 1″-tall version of himself. Wonka sends the Teavee family to a place where Mike can be stretched back to his original size.

Charlie and Grandpa Joe are the only remaining guests. Charlie, Grandpa Joe and Wonka step into the great glass elevator and fly out of the factory by crashing through the roof. The elevator flies over the entrance to the factory, where Charlie sees the other children leaving. They are all unharmed, but the obese Augustus Gloop has been squeezed until he is thin. Violet Beauregarde has purple skin. Veruca Salt is covered in garbage, and Mike Teavee has been stretched until he is shockingly tall.

As the glass elevator flies over Charlie’s town, Wonka says he is glad that Charlie loves the chocolate factory. Wonka plans to give the factory to Charlie, who will be expected to run the business when he becomes an adult. Wonka says that Charlie must bring his whole family to live at the chocolate factory. At Charlie’s house, Wonka ushers the whole family into the glass elevator, and they fly off toward their new home.

Christian Beliefs

Grandpa Joe shouts, “Hallelujah” and “Praise the Lord!” when he learns he will be taking Charlie to tour the chocolate factory. The Oompa-Loompas sing a song that mentions a woman chewing gum while in church. Wonka tells Mrs. Teavee to pray that her son will be unharmed after being sent through the television machine.

Other Belief Systems

Charlie and his family repeatedly mention that finding a Golden Ticket is a matter of luck. Charlie observes that Wonka’s Inventing Room is like a witch’s kitchen.

Authority Roles

Charlie Bucket lives in a home with six adult family members. Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine are Mr. Bucket’s parents, and Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina are Mrs. Bucket’s parents. All four of Charlie’s grandparents take delight in his company, and he is pleased to sit and listen to them tell stories in the evenings. When Charlie offers a bite of his birthday candy bar to all the members of his family, they refuse because they do not want to deprive him of the special chocolate he only receives once every year. Grandpa Joe uses his hidden stash of money (a silver 10-cent piece), to buy Charlie one extra bar of chocolate.

Mr. Bucket works hard to support his family, though they are still impoverished. When he loses his job at the toothpaste factory, he goes to work shoveling snow, which brings in even less income. The adults are all willing to do without food in order to keep Charlie well fed, but Charlie refuses to accept portions of their meals. The entire family is concerned about Charlie’s lack of proper nutrition.

Wonka’s authority and advice are continually ignored and overlooked. Wonka joyfully welcomes the five children and their parents into his factory, but he isn’t concerned about their welfare when they violate his warnings.

Augustus Gloop’s mother insists that her son’s severe obesity is not problematic because he would not eat so much unless he were truly hungry. Mrs. Gloop believes that compulsive eating is a safe hobby for her son and insists that chocolate is full of vitamins. Augustus does not obey his mother’s and Wonka’s requests that he stop drinking from the indoor chocolate river. Mr. Gloop refuses to dive into the chocolate river to rescue his son, because it would ruin his best suit. Mr. and Mrs. Gloop seem concerned about their son’s safety after he is pulled into the glass pipes above the chocolate river.

Veruca Salt’s father fulfills his daughter’s every wish and buys thousands of Wonka bars so she will find the Golden Ticket she has demanded. Veruca throws tantrums by falling to the floor, kicking and screaming, but her father only sees her tantrums as a sign of her unhappiness. He does not discipline his daughter in any way. Mrs. Salt also tries to soothe Veruca with presents whenever she makes a demand.

Violet Beauregarde’s mother tries in vain to keep her daughter from insulting her in front of a room full of reporters. Mrs. Beauregarde is ineffective at changing her daughter’s gum-chewing habits. Violet grabs a piece of special gum in Wonka’s Inventing Room, although Mrs. Beauregarde and Wonka caution her against taking it. When Violet chews the gum, Mrs. Beauregarde quickly changes her mind and praises her daughter for being clever enough to try something so unusual. Mr. Beauregarde tells his daughter to keep chewing because he believes that his family will be famous if their child eats the world’s first meal made from chewing gum. Violet tells her mother to be quiet. When Violet turns blue and swells up, her parents are concerned for her, though they blame Wonka for the problem.

Mike Teavee is fond of violent television programs, and his parents do not mention their view of his taste in entertainment. Mike ignores warnings from his mother because he wants to be beamed through the television machine in the Television-Chocolate room. Mike’s parents are worried about his well-being when he is vaporized. Mrs. Teavee finally says that when their family returns home, Mike will not be allowed to watch television again since his obsession with television has led to his current predicament. The 1-inch-tall Mike tries to bite his mother’s hand. Mr. Teavee puts Mike in the pocket of his jacket for safekeeping.

Wonka has invented a candy called Stickjaw, which is designed to keep talkative parents from speaking.

Profanity & Violence

Characters say heck and cripes . A– is used to mean a foolish person.

Although Augustus, Veruca, Violet and Mike behave selfishly, other characters in the book refer to them in unkind terms. The Oompa-Loompas’ songs about the children include a variety of insults. They call Augustus a great big greedy nincompoop, pig, revolting boy, greedy brut e and a louse’s ear . The Oompa-Loompas call Violet a repulsive little bum . The song about Veruca calls her a little brute and a brat . Grandpa Joe says Veruca needs to be kicked in the pants. Wonka calls Mrs. Salt a dear old fish and tells her to go boil her head .

Mike is fond of violent television programs featuring fights between gangsters. Mike says he wishes he were a gangster so he could take part in gunfights, knife fights and fistfights.

Wonka says that monsters often ate the Oompa-Loompas when they lived in their original country of Loompaland.

Augustus’ pressurized journey through the glass pipes above the chocolate river seems violent, but Wonka assures Augustus’ parents that the boy will not be harmed. However, the Oompa-Loompas jokingly sing about Augustus being sliced up, boiled and mixed into pieces of fudge.

Wonka uses Oompa-Loompas as test subjects for his candy experiments, and he says that many of them have swelled into giant blueberry-shaped people.

The Oompa-Loompas sing a song about a woman who chews gum for so long that she eventually chews her own tongue in half. They also briefly sing about a group of cannibals who have cooked someone.

Sexual Content

Discussion topics.

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Obsession: When Wonka announces his contest with the Golden Tickets, people begin to panic and behave badly in pursuit of the tickets. A gangster robs a bank and spends all the money on candy bars. A woman tries to win the contest by creating a fake Ticket. A machine supposedly calibrated to find gold tickets tries to yank a gold tooth from a woman’s mouth.

Alcohol: Wonka has a room for creating Butterscotch and Buttergin, which have alcoholic content. Wonka says the Oompa-Loompas love these beverages because they make them drunk as lords .

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Charlie and the chocolate factory, by roald dahl, recommendations from our site.

“I don’t know what made Charlie so much more special or enduring than many of his others. It’s one of his first books. It came just after James and Giant Peach , so he was a new, upcoming but very prominent author, so his novelty factor was at its peak. So, I guess it’s one that people really jumped on, but the story is so inventive. His character names are amazing—Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, even Willy Wonka—they all have these fabulous, incredible, ridiculous names that are great to say and very funny. And again, you’ve got this darkness, where the nasty children just disappear. They fall away in various different ways or shapes or forms and you’re rooting for poor little Charlie Bucket. “ Read more...

The Best Roald Dahl Books

Tilly Burn , Children's Author

Other books by Roald Dahl

Roald dahl boxset by roald dahl, matilda by roald dahl, danny champion of the world by roald dahl, fantastic mr fox by roald dahl, the giraffe and the pelly and me by roald dahl, our most recommended books, the lord of the rings by j r r tolkien, jane eyre by charlotte brontë, reckless: the petrified flesh cornelia funke, translated by oliver latsch, fourteen wolves: a rewilding story by catherine barr & jenni desmond (illustrator), i am a book. i am a portal to the universe. by stefanie posavec & miriam quick (illustrator), harry potter: the complete series by j.k. rowling.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Introduction

Charlie and the chocolate factory: plot summary, charlie and the chocolate factory: detailed summary & analysis, charlie and the chocolate factory: themes, charlie and the chocolate factory: quotes, charlie and the chocolate factory: characters, charlie and the chocolate factory: symbols, charlie and the chocolate factory: theme wheel, brief biography of roald dahl.

Historical Context of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Other books related to charlie and the chocolate factory.

Full Title: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
When Written: 1963
Where Written: England
When Published: 1964
Literary Period: Postmodernism
Genre: Children’s Novel; Fantasy
Setting: An unnamed city in England
Climax: Mr. Wonka tells Charlie that he’s leaving him the Wonka chocolate factory.
Antagonist: The Salts; the Gloops; the Beauregardes; the Teavees; Greed; Selfishness
Point of View: Third Person

Extra Credit for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Problems with Product Placement. The 1971 film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a sore spot for Dahl, who wrote the original screenplay. Other writers made a number of changes to the screenplay that Dahl didn’t like, and he was particularly upset about the film’s title change to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory . The title change was made in part because the Quaker Oats Company sponsored the film to promote its launch of Wonka Bars.

Too Much of a Good Thing. Cacao beans (and the processed chocolate that the beans are made into) contains a substance called theobromine, which in small doses acts as a mild stimulant in humans. However, in extremely large quantities, theobromine is toxic. A person would have to eat over 7,000 Hershey’s kisses to reach a toxic level.

Roald Dahl Fans

Fan site for author Roald Dahl (1916-1990)

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Review

This review was printed in the November 7, 1964 edition of The Saturday Review .

The factory is run by undersized pygmies called Oompa-Loompas (slaves of the machine?). One of their work songs is about a gum-chewer who came to a bad end. Just before this we meet “the great gum-chewing machine,” which produces a little flat stick of gum that is a three course meal. Let’s hope no machine ever makes one!

This is one of those books listed “for all ages,” which means families can read it aloud, and its humor is on two levels. The pictures are lively.

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Book Review: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl (1964)

It’s been an interesting month for us, mixing the end of school and beginning of summer with this, our fourth Roald Dahl book in less than 30 days. I wouldn’t quite say that his magical stories have made the catalyst for making our lives super scrumdiddlyumptious, but they sure add a flavor to our days that we might otherwise not have.

The journey began with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More that I picked up for myself, though I also read a few stories aloud to the kids. We had been in the midst of The Fellowship of the Ring at the time as a family, so when I gave them the choice of more Tolkien or more Dahl, my kids (9 and 11) both joyously asked for Dahl!

We followed Henry Sugar with James and the Giant Peach while I read the more adult-focused Someone Like You on my own time, and we’ve loved just about everything we’ve read so far. It’s a wonderful habit for our family to have a good 30 minutes reading together each night ( or in the morning , and if you haven’t started that yourself, there’s no time like the present, and there’s no author quite like Roald Dahl to get you started.

Like most Americans, my first experience with Charlie Bucket or the famous Willy Wonka came via the 1971 Gene Wilder film , which my family watched in the immediate wake of finishing this book. Man, that thing holds up! But this is supposed to be a review of the book not the film.

Still. That scene in the boat. Gene Wilder was a genius.

The book was very little changed when taken to the big screen, which made me quite happy. Lacking the intrigue of the everlasting gobstopper thievery and containing much longer (and much better) songs from the Oompa Loompas, the book otherwise formed specific images in my mind as I read—images both based on the film and not. And let me tell you, this book is made for reading aloud.

Veruca Salt was the easiest character to imitate (“I want it now!”), with Mike Teavee and Violet Beuregarde being pretty close seconds. I wasn’t confident in trying to imitate Gene Wilder (though I’m sure if “Help. Police. Murder.” were a line in the book, I’d have attempted it). The parents all got muddled in my voicing. Way too many on that initial tour!

This book is such an enjoyable trip that gleefully punishes the brats we all know (and the parents who’ve helped create them to be what they are): the screen addicts, the carelessly obese, the selfish screamers, and the greedy egoists. Only Charlie Bucket is a kind and loveable soul, and in that there exists the nut of the book’s lesson. It doesn’t matter your station in life: be kind to others and good things might very well happen.

I don’t know Roald Dahl’s religious affiliations, and there’s nothing in his writing to suggest he had any (many of his adult stories are quite dark). Still, as wildly silly as his plots might be, or as irreverent as his books can get about authority (killing James’ aunts for example, or the way Matilda reacts to her parents), there remain those nuggets of Truth that make for good discussions with the little ones. I’m happy for the wildness of it all and for how my kids respond and the conversations the stories spark. We’ll take a break from him sometime soon, I’m sure, but for now we’re truly enjoying our venture into the mind of Roald Dahl.

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Charlie and The Chocolate Factory – Book Summary and Review

If you are a young parent and struggling to teach your kid basic life ethics and manners; then Charlie and the chocolate factory is the perfect book to gift them.

“So shines a good deed in a weary world.” Roald Dahl (Charlie and the chocolate factory)

Being an aunt of two little munchkins and my family not being much of a reader; I have always seen my siblings struggling to find the best way to give those little kids basic life lessons! I have always been a book reader, and Charlie and the chocolate factory is the perfect book to do so!

Charlie and the chocolate factory is Roald Dahl’s classic kids’ novel written in 1964. This novel revolves around various themes of life which I’ll discuss later in the section.

Trust me on this, once you read this novel you will definitely love it. It is one of those books whose movie is also worth a watch. With Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, and all the characters so perfect both the movie and the novel are a perfect blend for your kids to watch and see.

Not making you wait further let’s dive into the themes of Charlie and the chocolate factory. Btw it’s no secret that even though I have walked into adulthood, Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory is my biggest fantasy and I’ll do whatever it takes to be there.

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Review

Charlie and the chocolate factory is a novel based on the story of a young boy named Charlie. He happens to live a poor life with his parents and 4 grandparents. His Grandpa Joe tells him the story of Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory; where shortly Willy Wonka introduces a contest where five lucky people who find a golden ticket in their chocolate bar will get a chance to visit his factory. They all will go home with a free lifetime supply of chocolate.

There are only 5 golden tickets. Hence, it makes it a pure game of luck for everyone buying the chocolate. However, the richer class bought thousands of chocolate. Eventually, golden tickets have already been won, where Augustus Gloop is a self-centered obese child, Mike Teavee is obsessed with television, Veruca Salt is a spoiled brat, and Violet Beauregarde holds a record for chewing gum for the longest time.

The announcement of four winners further decreases the probability of Charlie winning the ticket. However, luck is not for the rich alone. Charlie finds one ticket in his chocolate bar. So, along with the other four kids, he is invited to the chocolate factory. Well, how he gets the golden ticket is pure luck. You will know once you read it!

“However small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance was there.” Roald Dahl

One winner was to be selected as the special winner. The one winner successfully completes the chocolate factory visit without indulging in the grand and interesting environment of the factory.

Every character in the novel ends up with punishment as a result of their never-ending temptation and greed except for Charlie.

Charlie has strong willpower, which other characters in one way or another other lack. The Oompa Loompas take all those kids, who were lost in the factory just because of their temptation!

I won’t mention the individual temptation of each kid because then what’s left for you to read? 😉

In the end, only Charlie remains; but how he remains is what you’ll know when you read the novel!

But what I can tell you is that Charlie and the chocolate factory is a novel that has multiple themes; where the most important theme is not going into the hands of greed and having strong self-control.

It tells the power of dreaming big and knowing that it will happen. It makes you be patient in the pursuit of what you want.

Dreams do come true and this is what Grandpa Joe tells us in this novel,

I’ve heard tell that what you imagine sometimes comes true. Grandpa Joe

Themes of the Novel

There are multiple themes in the book Charlie and the chocolate factory namely, greed, bad parenting, wealth vs. poverty, humility, and kindness, deceiving appearances, and most importantly what goes around comes around!

We all have grown up with one lesson that our elders quote, which is avarice is the root of all evil. The book shows the outcome of extreme greed. The four kids in the book show how greed consumes them and how their lives are changed forever.

I won’t go much deep into how they are transformed because of “spoilers”. Veruca a spoiled brat, Augustus a glutton, Violet’s greed for gum, and Mike’s greed for television are what changed their lives forever.

On the other hand, our main character Charlie is shown as an epitome of a well-behaved and sensible child who knows how not to be consumed with such evils.

His Grandpa Joe is the one who accompanies him at the factory is one of the other reasons why Charlie keeps himself composed throughout.

2. Bad Parenting

Honestly, even if this novel was written in the 1960s the story of the novel is more applicable to the current world scenario. I clearly remember how I and other kids of my age had boundaries in their childhood. Even if we asked our parents for something, they will always make sure we get it at the right time!

But what we see today is that young parents are so quick at fulfilling the wishes of their kids; that the kids nearly can wait for a new thing to get their hands on.

Kids today have become impatient and this is what Roald Dahl has shown in his novel a decade ago! The greed in kids is an outcome of bad parenting.

The songs sung by Oompa Loompas (the cutest yet wisest character in the novel) show how bad parenting has corrupted the kids.

3. Humility and Kindness

The most notable thing in this novel is that no matter how hard their circumstances are; they never left being kind to each other. They remained compassionate for each other and how it held them as a family.

The family has 4 bed-ridden grandparents; but still, they all share their food and every joy and sorrow of their lives.

Grandpa Joe, my favorite character, shows how belief and kindness towards each other in a family can turn their lives upside down. Growing up in such a home slowly and gradually, Charlie distances himself from other kids; as the novel has to show a clear difference of how kindness can make a better human being. This is what makes Charlie win in the place!

4. Wealth and Poverty

There is nothing wrong with having wealth. Similarly, there is nothing wrong with being poor either. However, the real wealth is to be an honest, and patient human being.

There is a clear difference in the novel between two types of kids and in fact families; where one has all the wealth in the world; whereas the other has all the love and kindness of the world.

By no means the novel dictates having wealth is bad. But it surely dictates that if your wealth makes you greedy, and makes you take wrong decisions; then surely that wealth is bad.

Wonka created a fairyland that no child in the world can get over. However, he wanted someone who is not tempted by external wealth. On the one hand, other children lacked self-control and purity of heart. Since Charlie had both, it made him win the factory.

5. Appearances are Deceiving

Appearance is what we all see first. To be honest, it’s our very first judgment call.

Sometimes we judge people by their appearances; not giving them a chance to their character to play a role.

This is exactly what this novel shows us. Charlie, although by the looks of his and his family, is poor. They have all the issues of the world. But in reality, they are kind-hearted and pure people.

Similarly, Oompa Loompas are about the size of pygmies, but they play an important role in all the processes of the factory.

The other kids are shown as classy and wealthy, but they lack basic ethics.

This novel instills the consciousness of the readers to perform a reality check at least once; whether they are deceiving themselves and others through their appearances or not.

6. What Goes Around Comes Around

Every action and every word in this world returns to you. It’s up to you to decide what you want from this world.

Each character in the novel is awarded based on personality.

The four bad-raised children Violet, Veruca, Augustus, and Mike face painful punishments in the factory because of their nature and personality.

Whereas Charlie has a kind nature. He understands the importance of self-control. So, he gets a reward.

You can buy “CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY” from AMAZON

Final Thoughts on the Novel

I loved it and I would rate it 5/5 for the best child’s fiction book.

Why? Because it has lessons, we all need to learn. We have become so materialistic and driven with the energy of getting everything fast, that we have lost the essence of our lives and the importance of kindness.

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is a book you not only want to gift to your kids, but you want to read yourself as well.

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Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

5 life lessons from charlie and the chocolate factory.

July 23, 2014 Stacy Book Review , reviews 12

Five Life Lessons We Can Learn From Charlie

There’s No Room for Envy. Although Charlie has every right to be jealous of all the other children around him according to modern-day standards, we don’t see him comparing himself to those more fortunate nor do we get the sense that he does so. Charlie is a good, sweet, loving boy. Jealousy would simply muck that up and makes a good person become all icky. Instead, Charlie focuses on himself and his family. That’s one lesson I keep reminding myself to live by, especially in the blogosphere when someone always has more ____ {stats, reviews, followers, clout and Klout, more, more, more}. As long as I focus on myself then I don’t get caught up in the envy cycle.

Love One Another . Charlie is the absolute delight of his family. He shares his annual birthday chocolate and always spends evenings soaking up the stories from his grandparents.

But as soon as they heard the door opening, and heard Charlie’s voice saying “Good evening, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine and Grandpa George and Grandma Georgiana,” then all four of them would suddenly sit up, and their wrinkled old faces would light up with smiles of pleasure. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Spend Quality Time With Family. In this crazy busy world we get so caught up in it is way too easy to forget there are those in our lives who want and need our undivided attention. Just as our children need a parent’s attention, parents also need attention from their children. Although I am an adult with grown children of my own, I am reminded that I need to spend more time with my mom, just one-on-one.

Keep that Child’s Sense of Wonder. Watching my grandson get so excited about holding a fuzzy caterpillar reminds me to see the joy and beauty with awe-like fascination. Being a grown-up means bills, responsibility, bills, jobs, bills. . .did I mention bills? It’s so easy to forget or lose that sense of wonder. Spend time with a toddler in nature for an hour and you’ll get a sense of that awe once again. Every week when I keep The Little Monkey I’m reminded.

Gratitude is a Most Beautiful Thing. Charlie is grateful. He cherishes the birthday chocolate he receives yet still tries to share with his family. When Willy Wonka gives Charlie a bar of chocolate his gratitude is palpable. Gratitude goes such a long way. Look at Charlie – he was so grateful for one bar of chocolate that he ended up with a whole entire chocolate factory!

Have I missed any lessons Charlie taught us?

Share with me in the comments your favorite Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Lesson!

This post was inspired by the classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. To celebrate, Penguin Young Readers Group , in partnership with Dylan’s Candy Bar , the world-famous candy emporium, and First Book , a nonprofit social enterprise that provides books for children from low-income families, is launching a year-long international celebration.

Head on over to From Left to Write to learn how you and your child have a chance to win the Golden Ticket Sweepstakes where the grand prize is a magical trip to New York City plus much more! For every entry submitted , Penguin Young Readers Group will make a donation to First Book . Then join From Left to Write on July 24th as we discuss all things Willy Wonka! As a book club member, I received a copy for review purposes.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake

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Movie Reviews

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Now this is strange. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" succeeds in spite of Johnny Depp 's performance, which should have been the high point of the movie. Depp, an actor of considerable gifts, has never been afraid to take a chance, but this time he takes the wrong one. His Willy Wonka is an enigma in an otherwise mostly delightful movie from Tim Burton , where the visual invention is a wonderment.

The movie is correctly titled. Unlike " Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory " (1971), which depends on Gene Wilder's twinkling air of mystery, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is mostly about -- Charlie. Young Charlie Bucket ( Freddie Highmore ) is so plucky and likable, and comes from such an eccentric and marvelous household, that the wonders inside the chocolate factory are no more amusing than everyday life at the Bucket residence.

The Buckets live in a house that leans crazily in all directions, and seems to have been designed by Dr. Caligari along the lines of his cabinet. The family is very poor. Charlie sleeps in a garret that is open to the weather, and his four grandparents all sleep (and live, apparently) in the same bed, two at one end, two at the other. His mother (Helena Bonham Carter) maintains the serenity of the home, while his father ( Noah Taylor ) seeks employment. Grandpa Joe ( David Kelly ) remembers the happy decades when he and everyone else in the neighborhood worked in the chocolate factory.

Alas, 15 years before the story begins, Willy Wonka dismissed his employees and locked his factory gates. Yet the world still enjoys Wonka products; how does Willy produce them? One day, astonishingly, Wonka announces a contest: For the five lucky children who find golden tickets in their Wonka Bars, the long-locked factory gates will open, and Willy will personally escort them through the factory. A special surprise is promised for one of them. Of course Charlie wins one of the tickets, not without suspense.

This stretch of the film has a charm not unlike " Babe " or the undervalued " Babe: Pig in the City ." A metropolis is remade to the requirements of fantasy. Tim Burton is cheerfully inventive in imagining the city and the factory, and the film's production design, by Alex McDowell, is a wonder. David Kelly, as Grandpa Joe, is a lovable geezer who agrees to accompany Charlie to the factory; you may remember him racing off naked on a motorcycle in " Waking Ned Devine " (1998). And young Freddie Highmore, who was so good opposite Depp in " Finding Neverland ," is hopeful and brave and always convincing as Charlie.

The problem is that this time, he finds Neverland. Johnny Depp may deny that he had Michael Jackson in mind when he created the look and feel of Willy Wonka, but moviegoers trust their eyes, and when they see Willy opening the doors of the factory to welcome the five little winners, they will be relieved that the kids brought along adult guardians. Depp's Wonka -- his dandy's clothes, his unnaturally pale face, his makeup and lipstick, his hat, his manner -- reminds me inescapably of Jackson (and, oddly, in a certain use of the teeth, chin and bobbed hairstyle, of Carol Burnett ).

The problem is not simply that Willy Wonka looks like Michael Jackson; it's that in a creepy way we're not sure of his motives. The story of Willy and his factory has had disturbing undertones ever since it first appeared in Roald Dahl's 1964 book (also named after Charlie, not Willy). Nasty and frightening things happen to the children inside the factory in the book and both movies; perhaps Willy is using the tour to punish the behavior of little brats, while rewarding the good, poor and decent Charlie. (How does it happen that each of the other four winners illustrates a naughty childhood trait? Just Willy's good luck, I guess.)

We see the wondrous workings of the factory in the opening titles, a CGI assembly-line sequence that swoops like a roller-coaster. When the five kids and their adult guardians finally get inside, their first sight is a marvel of imagination: A sugary landscape of chocolate rivers, gumdrop trees and (no doubt) rock candy mountains. Behind his locked doors, Willy has created this fantastical playground for -- himself, apparently. As the tour continues, we learn the secret of his work force: He uses Oompa Loompas, earnest and dedicated workers all looking exactly the same and all played, through a digital miracle, by the vaguely ominous Deep Roy . We're reminded of Santa's identical helpers in " The Polar Express ."

It is essential to the story that the bad children be punished. Their sins are various; Veruca Salt ( Julia Winter ) is a spoiled brat; Violet Beauregarde (Annasophia Robb) is a competitive perfectionist; Mike Teavee ( Jordan Fry ) approaches the world with the skills and tastes he has learned through video games, and Augustus Gloop ( Philip Wiegratz ) likes to make a little pig out of himself.

All of these children meet fates appropriate to their misdemeanors. I might be tempted to wonder if smaller children will find the movie too scary, but I know from long experience with the first film that kids for some reason instinctively know this is a cautionary tale, and that even when a character is suctioned up by a chocolate conduit, all is not lost.

Charlie and his grandfather join wide-eyed in the tour, and there are subplots, especially involving Violet Beauregarde, before the happy ending. What is especially delightful are the musical numbers involving the Oompa Loompas, who seem to have spent a lot of time studying Hollywood musicals. The kids, their adventures and the song and dance numbers are so entertaining that Depp's strange Willy Wonka is not fatal to the movie, although it's at right angles to it.

What was he thinking of? In "Pirates of the Caribbean" Depp was famously channeling Keith Richards , which may have primed us to look for possible inspirations for this performance. But leaving " Pirates " aside, can anyone look at Willy Wonka and not think of Michael Jackson? Consider the reclusive lifestyle, the fetishes of wardrobe and accessories, the elaborate playground built by an adult for the child inside. What's going on here? Bad luck that the movie comes out just as the Jackson trial has finally struggled to a conclusion.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie poster

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Rated PG for quirky situations, action and mild language

115 minutes

Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka

Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket

David Kelly as Grandpa Joe

Helena Bonham-Carter as Mrs. Bucket

Noah Taylor as Mr. Bucket

Missi Pyle as Mrs. Beauregarde

James Fox as Mr. Salt

Deep Roy as Oompa Loompa

Julia Winter as Veruca Salt

AnnaSophia Robb as Violet

Jordan Fry as Mike Teavee

Philip Wiegratz as Augustus Gloop

Christopher Lee as Dr. Wonka

Directed by

Based on the book by, latest blog posts.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – review

C hocs away! At last, we get to see the much touted stage musical based on Roald Dahl's children's classic . Although there's been much talk of the technical challenges involved in bringing the book to the stage, the real difficulty lies in preserving the story's humanity amid a welter of special effects.

The success of Sam Mendes's production lies in its reminder that, for all the razzle-dazzle of Mark Thompson's sets and costumes, Dahl's story is essentially a moral fable.

David Greig's book goes to great pains to keep the narrative clear while shrewdly tweaking the original . Greig heightens the suspense so that Charlie's hopes of discovering the golden ticket that will give him a tour of the chocolate factory are dashed earlier than in Dahl.

This version also builds up the character of Charlie's Grandpa Joe (the angularly funny Nigel Planer), who here becomes a bed-bound Billy Liar. Even the character of Willy Wonka, the eccentric capitalist who seeks to monopolise the world's chocolate supply, is given a darker tone than you find in the 1964 book.

The show also depends on delayed gratification. Most of the first half is taken up with the story of Charlie's impoverished family, relieved by inserts of a garish TV spectacle showing the winners of the golden tickets. The only problem is that Marc Shaiman's score never achieves liftoff until Charlie himself becomes the lucky fifth recipient.

In what seems like a concession to the global market, the four children who get to accompany Charlie on the tour are also of mixed nationalities: the greedy Augustus Gloop is Bavarian, the spoilt Veruca Salt defiantly English, the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde Californian and the computer game-obsessed Mike Teavee a product of American suburbia.

It doesn't matter much except that the lyrics, co-written by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, initially get swallowed up in the parody of national musical styles.

But once we reach the factory, the show never looks back. In creating a sumptuous visual feast, Thompson's achievement is to adopt a number of different devices while creating a harmonious whole. The subterranean caverns of the Wonka factory are evoked through projections (by Jon Driscoll) that have the dark intricacy of Piranesi drawings.

Each chamber also has its distinctive character. The Chocolate Room, where the Germanic Gloop gets his comeuppance, has the sylvan seductiveness of Klingsor's magic castle in Wagner's Parsifal . Pursuing the Wagnerian parallel, when we get to the Nut Room we are confronted by puppet-squirrels beavering away like so many furry Nibelungen . Meanwhile, the diminutive, equally hard-working Oompa-Loompas are evoked through a trick which, although quickly detected by my eight-year-old grandson, is nonetheless highly effective.

What stops the show being overwhelmed by spectacle is the performances: above all, Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka . Kitted out in plum-coloured tailcoat, bottle-green trousers and black top hat – exactly as Dahl prescribes – Hodge has the great gift of being engaging and sinister at the same time.

Hodge flashes warm smiles at the children and even the audience when, at one point, he rises up from the orchestra pit.

He also puts across the show's best number, Pure Imagination (originally written by Newley and Bricusse for the 1971 movie) , with a sincerity that conceals its paradoxical nature in a production that pre-empts our own fantasies.

Charlie from the new stage adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Yet Hodge's Wonka, calmly watching four of the children get their just deserts – or perhaps be turned into desserts – and fiercely rounding on Grandpa Joe when accused of offering Charlie a "measly" reward, shows a dangerous edge. Less whimsical than Gene Wilder in the movie, Hodge gloriously reminds us that inside the beneficent Wonka lurks a testy authoritarian.

Of the four children playing Charlie, I saw Jack Costello, who displayed a sprightly assurance. Among the supports, it's worth singling out Alex Clatworthy and Jack Shalloo, who lend Charlie's parents a genuine sense of protective kindness.

All this is testament to Mendes's skill in masterminding a lavish bonanza of a musical without letting us forget that Dahl's book is a morality play in which vice is punished and virtue gets its edible reward.

Nigel Planer

More on this story

Sam Mendes's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the perils of adaptation

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: the musical - in pictures

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has mixed reviews but announces extension

Sam Mendes: life is sweet

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - quiz

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: a twisted Victorian morality tale

Comments (…), most viewed.

10 Best Movies Based on Books for Kids

F ilm and literature are two worlds that have long been delighting audiences with unique and fulfilling experiences, drawing inspiration from one another to further produce marvelous creations. Filmmakers have found literature to be an enormous source of inspiration to craft their movies, and that's how many of the audience's favorite books made their way to the silver screen. Adapting a book to film is no easy task, especially if the book in question is an audience favorite: expectations are usually sky-high, as it is generally desired for the film to respect the nature of the book and portray the characters as faithfully as possible, which is not always the case.

One genre that has served as a tremendous source of inspiration for film is children's literature. Over the years, some of the most popular books for kids have been adapted to film, and many of them have also turned into classic movies that remain popular to this day. Film adaptations of children's books are particularly rewarding experiences for children, as they not only allow them to watch their favorite characters interact beyond the pages of the book, but also foster their interest in reading.

Of all the films that adapt books to the silver screen, those inspired by children's productions are the ones that fare the best in terms of audience reception. In general, children tend to be a very enthusiastic audience that is not as critical as an adult one. Still, that doesn't mean that every film based on a children's book can become a movie hit. Check out 10 that actually succeeded.

Release Date 1995-12-15

Director Joe Johnston

Cast Bradley Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth, Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Jonathan Hyde, Bonnie Hunt

Main Genre Adventure

1995 marked the release of Jumanji , a fantasy film that quickly became a big hit among children and adults alike. Jumanji stars Robin Williams , Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, and Bonnie Hunt, and follows two siblings who set out to play an old board game, unaware that by doing so they would set free a young boy trapped in it as well as all the perils of the jungle. Jumanji is based on the 1981 picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, who also wrote its 2002 sequel, Zathura . The main difference between this book and its film adaptation is that the book does not feature adult characters nor introduce Alan Parrish's story: the main characters in it are just Judy and Peter Shepherd.

What Makes It Great

This Joe Johnston film was not particularly popular with critics, but it was a box office hit with an overwhelming popularity that prompted a franchise that remains active to this day with installments such as Zathura: A Space Adventure and Jumanji: The Next Level . It is a production with a highly innovative concept that immediately captures the audience's attention, making it an excellent choice for the whole family to enjoy. The cast features some memorable performances, with Williams at the helm in one of his most iconic roles, while the film brilliantly combines traditional and digital techniques to deliver special effects that still look great to this day.

Stream on Max

Release Date 2001-05-18

Director Vicky Jenson, Andrew Adamson

Cast Peter Dennis, Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Vincent Cassel, John Lithgow

Main Genre Animation

Shrek marked Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson's directorial debut, and with its fun characters and obvious spoofs of Disney films and other fairy tales, the story of the lonely and bitter ogre who falls in love with the princess earned worldwide acclaim. The film was inspired by William Steig's book from 1990 and, unlike other productions on this list, it differs quite a bit from the original piece. In the book, Shrek must fend for himself after his parents kick him out because of his ugliness, and upon receiving a witch's prophecy, he meets a princess even uglier than he is, whom he eventually marries. Despite the differences between the book and the adaptation, Steig still expressed his satisfaction with the film.

This 2001 film ranks comfortably among the most influential animated films of the 2000s. On top of that, it is also regarded as the main responsible for turning DreamWorks Animation into a force to be reckoned with, kicking off one of the most successful animated franchises in the history of cinema. This fairy tale parody has a unique and original approach that relies on irreverent humor with its fair share of jokes aimed at an older audience, making it an enjoyable piece for people of all ages.

Rent on Apple TV+

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Release Date 2005-07-13

Director Tim Burton

Cast David Kelly, Noah Taylor, Freddie Highmore, Johnny Depp, Missi Pyle, Helena Bonham Carter

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the second film adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1964 novel of the same name. This 2005 production had Tim Burton directing, with Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore leading the cast, joined by Helena Bonham Carter, David Kelly, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, and Christopher Lee. In the film, Highmore plays Charlie, a young boy that wins a contest to visit the mysterious yet fascinating Wonka Factory, owned by none other than Willy Wonka, unaware that this visit is about to change his life for good.

The story of Charlie and cinema's best-known chocolatier was first brought to the silver screen in 1971 in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory . And, although this production was highly acclaimed, it failed to please the book's author, who voiced his dissatisfaction with the differences in the script and the actors selected for the cast. The second adaptation of the story is much more closely related to Dahl's book, and it also benefits from Burton's unique perspective, which was instrumental in turning the production into a feast for the eyes of the audience.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The fantastic mr. fox.

Release Date 2009-10-23

Director Wes Anderson

Cast Eric Chase Anderson, Wallace Wolodarsky, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, George Clooney

Roald Dahl's books have had an impressive success among children, so it is not surprising that many of his titles have been adapted to the silver screen. Among these adaptations is Fantastic Mr. Fox , a stop-motion animated film by Wes Anderson, released in 2009 and based on Dahl's 1970 book. This production features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, and while it was not a box-office hit, it did become a hugely acclaimed and award-winning film.

Fantastic Mr. Fox follows the titular character who, having abandoned his criminal days to lead a quiet life with his family, decides to steal from a group of local farmers, putting his family's life and his entire community at risk. The story depicted in the movie is quite similar to the one in the book, with a few alterations in the portrayal of the bonds between the characters and the ending.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a masterpiece of stop-motion cinema that, upon its release, earned numerous accolades for its direction, screenplay, performances and even musical score. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, among many other recognitions. The film is unique and distinctive in style, which is further enhanced by the director's attention to detail and the cast's impeccable performances, with Clooney and Streep playing the most popular animated characters of their careers.

How to Train Your Dragon

Release Date 2010-03-10

Director Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

Cast Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera

How to Train Your Dragon is another of DreamWorks' most popular franchises, and like Shrek , it was inspired by a book. It launched in 2010 with the animated film of the same name, directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois with Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, and Gerard Butler leading the cast. The production follows Hiccup, a teenager from the Viking village of Berk, which is known for its dragon slayers. Despite being the son of the chief of the clan, Hiccup is not particularly good at dragon-fighting school, but when he discovers that dragons are not as bad as the villagers believe, he sets out on a mission to uncover the truth, paving the way for a future where both Vikings and dragons can live side by side peacefully.

The film is based on the book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, released in 2003. In the wake of its popularity, Cowell published eleven more books as part of the literary series, which also inspired the films How to Train Your Dragon 2 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World .

How to Train Your Dragon is a film that blends adventure and comedy with just the right dose of drama, delivering a wonderfully engaging narrative that has both children and adults hooked to the screen. It features charismatic characters with whom the audience can easily empathize, who throughout the plot evolve not only as individuals but also in their relationships with others. To top it all off, the film tackles some very interesting themes to discuss with children, such as transcending prejudices and embracing our differences.

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Release Date 2009-02-05

Director Henry Selick

Cast Teri Hatcher, Keith David, Dawn French, John Hodgman, Jennifer Saunders, Dakota Fanning

Coraline is based on Neil Gaiman's book from 2002, and has Dakota Fanning leading the voice cast along with Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Keith David. It follows Coraline, a young girl who has just moved into an old house in Oregon with her parents, who rarely spend time playing with her. One day, Coraline discovers a secret door in her new home that leads her to an alternate universe where everything seems to be so much better, including her parents.

But Coraline's enjoyment will be short-lived, and when her alternate family attempts to keep her in that universe forever, she is left with no other choice but to figure out a way to get back to her reality safe and sound. Although the film is quite faithful to Gaiman's book, there is one major difference between the two productions, and that is the introduction of Coraline's friend Wybie, her new neighbor who ends up becoming her best friend.

This Henry Selick film is one of the most popular stop-motion animated films in the history of cinema, and it launched LAIKA to stardom back in 2009. Selick is a celebrated filmmaker best known for his stop-motion animated films, having helmed productions such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Wendell & Wild . His expertise in the field enabled him to convey the dark and fascinating nature of Gaiman's work to perfection, creating an engaging and complex production that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Related: Danny DeVito and Mara Wilson Are Planning to Reunite for Live Performance of Matilda

The Witches

The Witches is yet another one of Roald Dahl's great stories that was adapted to the silver screen. In this 1990 film directed by Nicolas Roeg, Anjelica Huston brilliantly leads the cast along with Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher and Rowan Atkinson. The Witches is set in a world where witches hate children, and are about to initiate a plan to turn them all into mice. The only hope for the children of the world lies in Luke, a young boy who, aided by his grandmother, will try to confront the witches and thwart their plans.

Roeg's film became a highly acclaimed hit, even though Dahl was at odds with the production for altering his story's ending. The film sets an unnerving and spooky atmosphere with its fair share of comedy, and features Huston as the Grand High Witch, which became one of the most memorable roles of her career. While its special effects are no match for today's, they still hold up very well and proved effective for their time. The Witches was adapted again in 2020 by Robert Zemeckis, and although this second adaptation is closer to Dahl's book, it was poorly reviewed in comparison to the previous film.

Stream on MGM+

Related: Best Family Movies on Netflix to Watch with Your Kids

Release Date 2014-11-24

Director Paul King

Cast Theresa Watson, Geoffrey Palmer, Lottie Steer, Madeleine Worrall, Tim Downie, Imelda Staunton

Main Genre Comedy

Paddington Bear is a character first created by Michael Bond that became something of a classic in children's literature, first appearing in the 1958 book A Bear Called Paddington . His many stories served as inspiration for the 2014 film Paddington , directed by Paul King and starring Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, and Julie Walters.

This movie features Paddington, who travels to London looking for a new home after an earthquake destroys his house in the Peruvian forest. There, he meets the Browns, who quickly make him part of their family. But Paddington's new life will not be as peaceful as he expects: a taxidermist named Millicent Clyde wants to include him in her collection, and she won't stop until she gets him.

Paddington was already a well-loved character by both children and adults even before he hit the silver screen. His portrayal in the 2014 film only endeared him even more to the audience, enhanced by the brilliant performance of Whishaw as his voice actor. Whishaw's voice work is complemented by all the other actors in the cast, which features some of the most talented figures in the industry. These are some of the elements that turned Paddington into an absolute blockbuster, prompting the development of a sequel released in 2017 and another one that has yet to hit theaters .

Stream on Prime Video

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Release Date 2001-11-16

Director Chris Columbus

Cast Saunders Triplets, Richard Harris, Fiona Shaw, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Daniel Radcliffe

When it comes to movies inspired by children's books, it is virtually impossible not to think of Harry Potter , whose books and films became a worldwide phenomenon like no other. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first movie in the saga and was released in 2001, with Chris Columbus serving as director. This production first introduced Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, widely known as "the boy who lived," who begins his journey as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Of course, this film and all that followed are inspired by the kids literary series of the same name, and just like the books, they were met with rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone paved the way for what would become one of the most famous franchises in the history of cinema, adapting the wizarding world to the silver screen for the first time with truly captivating special effects and performances. Moreover, this film is arguably the most faithful adaptation of the writer's work in the entire film series. While the rest of the films remain faithful to the books in many ways, there are many elements of the source material that have been left out, as well as details that disappointed many fans. Still, the Harry Potter saga continues to be one of the best adaptations ever made.

Release Date 1996-08-02

Director Danny DeVito

Cast Pam Ferris, Danny DeVito, Paul Reubens, Mara Wilson, Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz

Wrapping up this list is Matilda , which in 1996 became one of the biggest movie classics for the whole family to enjoy. This Danny DeVito film features Mara Wilson as Matilda Wormwood, a gifted girl from a very unsupportive and neglectful family. Her life takes a turn when she starts attending school, where she discovers she has even greater skills and meets a teacher determined to help her achieve a better future. But not everything is nice at this new school: the headmistress seems to be committed to making her students suffer, and Matilda is her new favorite victim.

Matilda is inspired by Roald Dahl's 1988 novel, and despite not performing well at the box office, it was met with critical and audience acclaim. In 2022, Dahl's story was adapted once again in Matilda the Musical , a film by Matthew Warchus that also enjoyed rave reviews.

Matilda follows a magical girl who loves reading, which greatly fosters a passion for literature among young children. But, on top of that and the fact that it manages to capture the essence of the original piece, the film features some memorable performances, with Wilson leading the cast in the most iconic and recognizable role of her career.

The fact that this 1990s film stars a girl and does not feature any romantic interests during its runtime are some of the reasons why this movie is a very progressive and feminist piece for its time, which is still as relevant as it was back then.

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Spelling Lists - Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

23 May 2024

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Are you reading Charlie & the Chocolate Factory as your class novel? Why not extend your pupils learning by giving them spelling words directly from the book!

Included in this pack are 5 weeks worth of photocopiable spelling lists, taken from the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Each week has 3 sets of words, which will allow you to challenge your more able pupils and differentiate for those who require some support.

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COMMENTS

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Book Review
Parents need to know that Roald Dahl's 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 that will keep kids excited and laughing. Various forms of bad behavior are demonstrated, and are punished in ways that perfectly fit the ...
Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Thus, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was an obvious choice, due to Roald Dahl's wonderfully succinct narratives. As with all Roald Dahl's books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a quaint and charming tale with a strong moral undertone. The book tells the story of Charlie Bucket, a young boy who lives in a cramped house with his ...
A Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl has got to be one of my favourite reads ever! The story's main character is a young boy called Charlie who wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world's most unusual candy maker, Willy Wonka. When Willy Wonka decides to let five children into his ...
[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]: A Review
I think the book is great for a younger audience because the story is so simple. Charlie is simply the last kid on the tour (and by far the kindest and best behaved) so he wins! What a fantastic novel to read aloud to my kids! We enjoyed our adventure with Charlie in Mr Wonka's chocolate factory. I would like to read book two to my kids.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The book has been adapted into two major motion pictures: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in 1971, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005. The book's sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, was written by Roald Dahl in 1971 and published in 1972. Dahl had also planned to write a third book in the series but never finished it.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: Study Guide & Literary
Introduction. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a sweet 🍫 journey into the imaginative world of Roald Dahl, a British novelist renowned for his captivating children's stories. First published in 1964, this book has become a cherished classic, enthralling generations of young readers and adults alike.
Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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 ...
Roald Dahl
The story follows Charlie Bucket, a poor boy who lives with his parents and all four grandparents in a small and broken down house outside of town. Charlie, like so many other children, loves candy, but can rarely afford the treats. When the chocolatier Willy Wonka announces a world wide lottery, where he has placed 5 Golden Tickets in five ...
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie Bucket is a poor boy whose family can barely afford to buy food. Charlie is fond of chocolate, but he only receives one chocolate bar every year on his birthday. He lives within sight of a chocolate factory owned by the famous chocolate maker Willy Wonka, but Wonka has closed off his factory to the world for the past 10 years.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Recommendations from our site "I don't know what made Charlie so much more special or enduring than many of his others. It's one of his first books. It came just after James and Giant Peach, so he was a new, upcoming but very prominent author, so his novelty factor was at its peak. So, I ...
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Study Guide
Published in the 1960s, it's possible to see the influence of mid-20th-century culture and media on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In particular, the way that Dahl portrays Mike Teavee reads as a condemnation of television—which, by the 1960s, had become a staple in many upper-middle-class people's homes.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl.The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.. The story was originally inspired by Roald Dahl's experience of chocolate companies during his schooldays at Repton School in Derbyshire. ...
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, children's book by Roald Dahl, first published in 1964. It was perhaps the most popular of his irreverent, darkly comic novels written for young people and tells the story of a destitute young boy who wins a golden ticket to tour the mysterious and magical chocolate factory of Willy Wonka. Summary
Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been turned into a movies twice already. In 1971 there was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory the name, which I still find very odd since the story is about Charlie and not Wonka. Gene Wilder played Willy Wonka and this is the version I grew up with and it was next to very disturbing, cute and inspiring.
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Review
This review was printed in the November 7, 1964 edition of The Saturday Review. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. By Roald Dahl. Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. Knopf. 162 pp. $3.95. An offbeat fantasy that may be many things to many readers. On the surface it recounts a fascinating visit by Charlie and "four nasty children" to a ...
Book Review: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl (1964)
This book is such an enjoyable trip that gleefully punishes the brats we all know (and the parents who've helped create them to be what they are): the screen addicts, the carelessly obese, the selfish screamers, and the greedy egoists. Only Charlie Bucket is a kind and loveable soul, and in that there exists the nut of the book's lesson.
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Review. Charlie and the chocolate factory is a novel based on the story of a young boy named Charlie. He happens to live a poor life with his parents and 4 grandparents. ... There are multiple themes in the book Charlie and the chocolate factory namely, greed, bad parenting, wealth vs. poverty, humility, and ...
Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Published by Puffin Genres: Children Pages: 155 Source: complimentary review copy Amazon Goodreads Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of those timeless classics that teaches life lessons through the unique set characters, especially our protagonist Charlie. Charlie has every problem in the world it seems like between not enough food ...
Reviews
3.0. I have no memory of reading this as a kid although I do remember reading other Dahl books. This is my second read of it as an adult, this time aloud with my son. His school participated in a One Book Blitz where all the elementary schools in the county read the same book. He said, after we finished it, "Well, that was a really fun book!".
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie review (2005)
Based on the book by. Roald Dahl. Now this is strange. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" succeeds in spite of Johnny Depp's performance, which should have been the high point of the movie. Depp, an actor of considerable gifts, has never been afraid to take a chance, but this time he takes the wrong one. His Willy Wonka is an enigma in an ...
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - review. C hocs away! At last, we get to see the much touted stage musical based on Roald Dahl's children's classic. Although there's been much talk of the ...
10 Best Movies Based on Books for Kids
The story of Charlie and cinema's best-known chocolatier was first brought to the silver screen in 1971 in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. And, although this production was highly acclaimed ...
Spelling Lists
Included in this pack are 5 weeks worth of photocopiable spelling lists, taken from the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Each week has 3 sets of words, which will allow you to challenge your more able pupils and differentiate for those who require some support. Tes paid licence How can I reuse this? To ensure quality for ...

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Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl

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[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]: A Review

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Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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Book Review: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl (1964)

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