Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2001)

By Roald Dahl.  Illustrated by Quentin Blake.

ISBN-13: 978-0-375-81526-3

Charlie Bucket lives with his family, Grandpa

Joe and Grandma Josephine, Grandpa

George and Grandma Georgina and his

mother and father. They live in a little house

and are very poor. His grandparents are

elderly and stay in bed all day long.  Charlie's

father works hard in a toothpaste factory 

but no matter how hard he works he never

makes enough money to feed his family. 

They live on cabbage and cabbage soup, and

Charlie is always hungry.

                 

Charlie loves chocolate and gets one  

chocolate bar for his birthday every year. The

great Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory is close

to where Charlie lives. Mr. Wonka shut

himself off from the public years before

because his workers were selling his new

ideas to rival companies. He makes an

announcement that he is opening his factory 

to the five lucky people who find a golden 

ticket in his chocolate bars.  Charlie, our hero,

is the last remaining child and wins the

prize. 

This story is a vividly told wild ride with 
amusing, cartoon-like sketches that will keep kids excited and laughing. Various forms of bad behavior are demonstrated -- but the punishments perfectly fit the crimes. The main character also 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. Dahl 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.