Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Title: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

Author: Roald Dahl

Copyright Date: 1964                    

Genre: Fantasy                                     

Pages of Book: 160 Pages

Publisher: Puffin                                                 

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: Charlie Bucket is a young boy whose family is very poor. They barely have any food to eat at all. He lives in a tiny house with his 4 grandparents and his mother and father. His grandparents are so old that they just stay in bed all day. Every day when Charlie goes to school he walks past the Willy Wonka chocolate factory he stops to smell the chocolate. He thinks it is weird that he never sees anyone outside the factory. He asks his grandpa about the factory. He tells charlie that Willy Wonka locked it up because people were sending spies in to get his secrets. No one knows who works in the factory anymore. The next day they see in the paper that golden tickets will be hidden in 5 bars of chocolate. Whoever gets those tickets will be allowed into the factory. This excites Charlie because his birthday is coming up and he gets a bar of chocolate. He hopes that he gets a golden ticket. His birthday comes and he opens up his chocolate bar and there is no ticket. 4 golden tickets had been found and Charlie had hit the reality that he wasn't going to get one. That night he is walking home when he catches a glimpse of a dollar in the gutter. He picks it up and goes and buys a chocolate bar. Again there isn't a ticket in it. He decides to buy another and this time he finds a golden ticket. He runs all the way home and is so excited because he gets to go tomorrow. Grandpa Joe goes with Charlie to the factory. They see many wonderful things in the factory but the children are dropping like flies because they don't listen to Willy Wonka. One falls into the chocolate river and is sucked up a tube, one turns into a blueberry, another is turned into a miniature figurine, and one is sent down the garbage chute. It is only Charlie left and Wonka takes them on the elevator. They fly out of the factory and above the town when Wonka tells Charlie the factory is all his when he is big enough. They go pick up the rest of the family and they  move into the factory. 

Reaction: I had never read the book and only watched the movie. I was surprised at how different the book was. I liked the differences however. I think the movie doesn't do this book justice. 

Problem: Charlie's family is poor and starving. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this book. It is so imaginative and I'm sure children would love it. It shows children's consequences to their actions and I think that is really good. It makes kids not want to be like the other kids that go to go into the factory.