Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl

Recommended age: As from 6 years old.

Pablo L.C. (11 years old): "This book is an AMAZING story, a real work of art made by Roald Dahl, a brilliant man. When I was 6 years old I could not stop reading it, with its fantastic characters like the Oompa-Loompas and Mr Willy Wonka.

The book is filled with all types of wonderful sweets: hot ice cream for cold days, a rock candy mine, edible pillows, toffee apple trees and chocolate that travels through television! 

My favourite character is Mr Wonka, whom I am sure you will love. There´s also Charlie, a poor, unlucky boy who is in for a great surprise. You will hate the rotten children who get what they deserve at the end of the book.

A scrumdiddlyumptious book!"

Charlie and his family are very poor, but one day his luck changes as he finds one of the five golden tickets Mr Willy Wonka as hidden in his chocolate bars. The tickets are a prize to visit Mr Wonka´s mysterious Chocolate Factory. No one knows the reason of this unexpected invitation but Charlie is ready to discover the amazing and delicious surprises that await him.

You too are about to enter the wonderful world created by Willy Wonka, a world you would want to live in for ever! But do not worry, when you finish reading the book, there is a second part, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

Jaime L.C. (11 years old): ''This is a marvellous book, the story is about a poor boy, and a kind of miracle that happens to him which starts with a chocolate bar... I would recommend it to any reader, but specially to those with a liking to chocolate, imagination and the best fantasy!''

This book is a real treasure, as Pablo says, a work of art for all children. You can always go to a library and borrow some books, but for this particular one we strongly recommend that you buy it, it is a must-have for your own library. You will probably need to read it over and over again...trust us, reading this book is like living the best dream you can imagine!

There are a few film adaptations made from this book, all of them worth watching, but our favourite is the one directed by Tim Burton, with Johnny Depp staring as Mr Wonka. Click here to watch the official trailer. Don´t miss the one with Gene Wilder, though!

If you are in London or planning a visit, you cannot miss the amazing theatre musical of the book. We have been to see it with some friends who came over from Spain, and we all loved it!!  Click here to visit the theatre´s page.

Daniel L.C. (12 years old): "This musical was extremely entertaining and, as a matter of fact, my favourite scene in the play was the scene that is shown above. What is really interesting about this scene is that it is played in a special box to make it look like if it was in a TV screen (Charlie is watching TV at this point). All in all this play is very funny and I would recommend it to people of the ages of three to... as old as you can get!!"

If you would like to watch a selection of the songs as they were performed at the Royal Variety Performance 2013, click here.

Related activities.

Click here to visit Roald Dahl´s official web page. It is a lovely page, very amusing and interesting. And you will be updated with all the information about the author and his books.

Did you know...?

Roald Dahl was very unhappy at school, the only subject he enjoyed was games. Even the English teachers would give him bad reports!

This is a report from this English Composition teacher, when he was fourteen years old:

"I have never met a boy who so persistently writes the exact opposite of what he means. He seems incapable of marshalling his thoughts on paper."

So, do not be downhearted if you are not getting the grades you would like at school, just carry on trying hard and... who knows! you might end up as a renowned writer like Mr Dahl! (or artist, or scientist, or...)

Visit our Facebook page, La biblioteca de Miss McHaggis.

This post was published in Spanish on 10th June 2013.