Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Chocolate Factory
The book
tells the story of Willy Wonka who is the owner of the world’s greatest and largest chocolate factory. Fifteen years ago some of his workers stole his secret recipes; therefore Willy Wonka kicked out all his workers and closed the factory’s doors. Thereafter, no one sees any worker enter or leave the factory and yet chocolate candy is still produced and shipped all around the world.
Who is Charlie?
Near Wanla’s chocolate factory on the edge of the large city a poor young boy, Charlie Bucket, lives in a small home, with his parents and his four bedridden grandparents. Charlie is a bright, kindhearted kid who despite their shared hardships loves his family. Apart from his family, his biggest love is chocolates. He only receives one bar of chocolate annually on his birthday.
The Competition
Willy Wonka once when getting his hair cut, realizes that he was becoming old, and the factory would soon need a successor to run it. He comes up with a plan. He decides to open his factory and reveal its secrets to those five lucky children, who find golden tickets inside Wonka chocolate bars.
He declares that the persons who find a golden ticket in Wonka chocolate bar will be allowed for a guided tour by the Willy Wonka himself into the factory along with two members of his/her family. A frenzy of chocolate-buying sweeps the globe.
The winners of the first four tickets turn out to be a greedy boy called Augustus Gloop, an unpleasant child called Veruca Salt, a habitual gum chewer named Violet Beauregarde and a television/ video-crazy little boy called Mike Teavee. By a miracle, Charlie gets the last Golden Ticket.
Charlie''s bedridden grandfather in excitement rises from his bed, and accompanies Charlie to Willy Wonka''s factory along with the other winners There they encounter Wonka''s many wondrous confectionery creations - including an all chocolate castle, ice cream that does not melt and chewing gum that does not loose its flavour.
Wonka also discloses about his mysterious factory workers the "Oompa Loompas" - a group of pygmy-sized people from the nation of Loompaland. "Oompa Loompa’s have agreed to become Wonka''s workforce because of his ability to supply unlimited quantities of their greatest delicacy, the cacao bean (the raw ingredient in chocolate).
The Reward
All four of other nasty Golden Ticket winners misbehave during the tour of the factory and one by one end up in bizarre, weird but funny predicaments. The author teachs these mean kids lessons by giving them examples (also by the little Oompa-Loompa songs). He suggests to the children not to be greedy (like Augustus) or too spoiled (like Veruca), not to chew gum all the time (like Violet) and not to watch too much TV (like Mike). E recommends them to be good and polite like Charlie. Willy Wonka awards Charlie the greatest prize of all - the keys to the factory in the end.
Adaptations
The book was adapted into two major motion pictures v.i.z. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in 1971, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005. The book''s sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, was written by Roald Dahl in 1972.
All in all a book filled with thrill and magic, which I am sure any child would like.