Tagged: roald dahl

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl

(Cover picture courtesy of Tumblr.)

Now that he’s won the chocolate factory, what’s next for Charlie?  Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie Bucket’s back for another adventure.  When the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time.  Visiting the world’s first space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, inter-galactic joyride.

Only Roald Dahl could write a book like this and pull it off so well.  It’s hilarious and over-the-top, but also has some nice messages for kids at the end because Charlie Bucket is a great character.  Willy Wonka himself is most definitely a memorable character; you can never forget the eccentric chocolate factory owner, even if you try.

My fourth grade teacher read this book aloud to my class and I never, ever forgot it.  The Vermicious Knids, Miss Tibbs, Grandpa Joe, the Oompa-Loompas…how could anyone ever forget creatures and characters like that?  Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator has an interesting plot and fantastic world-building on Roald Dahl’s part.  I have no idea where he came up with half of this stuff, but I can say that everyone who reads his books will appreciate his creativity.

This is one of those books I re-read about once every year and I find something new to enjoy about it every single time!  It’s a classic that will never really be outdated and because of that, it’s a great book to pass on to your kids.  The writing style is simple enough for younger kids to understand, but it doesn’t feel as if Roald Dahl is talking down to you, even for older readers.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

(Cover picture courtesy of What’s new @ CDPL?)

Charlie Bucket’s wonderful adventure begins when he finds one of Mr. Willy Wonka’s precious Golden Tickets and wins a whole day inside the mysterious chocolate factory.  Little does he know the surprises that are in store for him!

This is no doubt a classic children’s novel and both of the movie adaptations (the first one starring Gene Wilder and the awful modern one starring Johnny Depp) hardly do it justice.  They don’t capture how creative the songs of the Oompa-Loompas were, the story of the chocolate factory and Willy Wonka or the hilarious caricature personalities of the children and adults.

What sets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory apart from many children’s novels is that Roald Dahl didn’t talk down to his readers.  There are a lot of things children will catch onto, but there are also a lot of elements adults reading the novel will enjoy as well.  How do I know?  Because I read it aloud to my little sister as part of my plan to get her to love reading.  She didn’t catch all of the subtleties of Roald Dahl’s writing, but we both had a good time, which is the mark of an excellent children’s book.

Charlie Bucket is an excellent character for children.  He’s sympathetic and is truly good at heart, in stark contrast to the other children who win the golden tickets.  The adventures he and his grandfather go on are fantastic and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory is a very vivid world, brought to life by Quentin Blake’s wonderful illustrations (at least, in my edition) and Roald Dahl’s incomparable writing.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a popular children’s novel for a reason and I believe it will stand the test of time to go down as one of the greatest children’s novels of all time.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Matilda by Roald Dahl

(Cover picture courtesy of Melville House Books.)

Who put superglue in Dad’s hat?  Was it really a ghost that made Mom tear out of the house?  Matilda is a genius with idiot parents—and she’s having a great time driving them crazy.  But at school things are different.  At school there’s Miss Trunchbull, two hundred menacing pounds of kid-hating headmistress.  Get rid of the Trunchbull and Matilda would be a hero.  But that would take a superhuman genius, wouldn’t it?

This is probably one of my favourite children’s books of all time and I still re-read it once a year or so.  It was one of the books I read aloud to my little sister to get her interested in reading and will always hold a special place in my heart, like many of Roald Dahl’s books.

Matilda is the embodiment of everything children want to be and she does things they long to do: she stands up to adults, stands up for herself and proves that adults aren’t always in the right.  At the same time, this isn’t an adult-bashing book because we have the lovely Miss Honey who is shown as a kind, caring woman who loves children.

Miss Trunchbull is her exact opposite and is the teacher (technically, headmistress or principal) out of every kid’s worst nightmare.  This being a children’s book, her behavior is over-the-top, but in my experience, some of her behaviors are not far off what really terrible teachers do.

Matilda is a classic children’s novel, as it should be.  It’s funny, teaches important life lessons and is incredibly entertaining.  Parents, if you want to read aloud to your seven or eight year olds, this is the perfect book to choose.  Both you and your children will enjoy this hilarious novel written by one of the greatest children’s writers ever.  As a bonus, the movie is a great adaptation of the book if you want to see your favourite characters come to life.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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