Extremely interesting plot. ( )

Seven out of ten.A young boy wins the chance to visit the local chocolate factory but gets more than he bargained for. ( )

Roald Dahl creates a world in which children aren’t safe, which I think appeals to kids because they DON’T feel safe. In their particular position, they’re subject to the whims and fancies of the adults around them and have very little control over their lives. Readers, particularly young readers, see these over-indulged children who get everything they want which, at first blush, is something most kids would love. However, as the book progresses, we watch as each child suffers an accident which their own self-centeredness is a direct cause. Violet rips the meal-in-a-gum from the drawer and chews it, ignoring Wonka’s warnings, and ends up a giant blueberry. Veruca Salt refuses to take NO for an answer, in fact is inflamed by being told she can’t have one of Wonka’s squirrels, and goes in the nut room to claim one anyone, ending up tossed into the garbage chute by leader of the squirrels who judges her to be a “bad nut”. In the end it is the considerate and well-behaved Charlie who is rewarded. Even when Dahl shows the children leaving the factory in one piece, they are still not escaping unscathed, but instead will retain some scarring for the rest of their lives. Violet, for instance, is still purple, while Mike Teavee has been over-stretched and is now very tall and thin, about whom Wonka makes an almost-callous remark that every basketball team in the country will want him. I think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory could fit in the fable category, as it is a cautionary tale with a lesson.

full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/20... ( )

I'm catching up on classic kid fic I never read as a kid. This one was just as familiar as I thought it would be, having read James and the Giant Peach a million times as a kid and seeing both movies multiple times. The long(er) build up to the time the kids actually entered the factory made for interesting pacing with the rush through the factory. The oompa-loompas' songs were just as creepy as I would expect. I quite enjoyed it and look forward to reading it with my nephew in a few years. ( )

Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation his own way.