Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Title: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”

Author:                Roald Dahl                          

Genre:  Fantasy                                                                

Publisher: Penguin Books            

Copyright Date: 1987

Pages in Book: 189

Reading Level: 2-5 grade

Summary: Charlie Bucket is a young boy who comes from a very poor family who lives with his parents, and both sets of grandparents in one tiny house. One day, it’s announced that Willy Wonka from the Wonka Factory, is finally opening its gates after years of being closed. Inside Wonka bars, there are five Golden Tickets that will be hidden, and the lucky finder gets to spend the entire day inside the Wonka factory, with someone of their choosing. The first four tickets are found quickly by Varuca, Violet, Mike and Augustus. Charlie finds money on the ground, and decides to take his chances at a local candy store. He buys two candy bars, the first a fail. But the second one, to his astonishment, held the fifth and final Golden Ticket. Charlie takes his Grandpa Joe with him, along on this amazing adventure. Wonka meets them, and begins giving them a tour of the factory. Slowly, one by one, the other four contestants are eliminated and asked to leave, leaving Grandpa Joe and Charlie. Wonka declares Charlie as the new heir to his factory, claiming that he won! As they board the glass elevator, and blast out of the factory to Charlie’s home (to pick up his parents, and grandparents) they see the eliminated four children who misbehaved during the tour.

Reaction: I thought this book was written quite well. The author did a good job describing the details in the book, and actually made the book quite comical. (Turning Violet blue, Mike into a skinny tall boy, etc.) I think that it brought the message of obeying your parents and peers across quite well, because it showed the reader the consequences of not listening/behaving.

Recommendation: I would definitely recommend this book to children of all ages, even children younger than the required reading levels. It’s one that the children can have read to them, without having trouble of following allong.

Potential Problems/Conflicts: The only thing that I see really wrong with this book, is that the consequences of what happens to the misbehaving children can be quite severe to some children, and may frighten the readers.