Summary
This full-color 40th anniversary edition of Roald Dahl's most popular novel features vibrant spot art by Quentin Blake on candy-colored pages enhanced by candy-filled borders. A scrumptious read-aloud edition of a classic! Young Charlie Bucket can't believe his luck when he finds the very last of Mr. Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets inside his chocolate bar. He wins the trip of a lifetime, a magical tour around Mr. Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory. Once inside, Charlie and the other four winners--Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teavee--witness amazing wonders: rainbow drops, lickable wallpaper, and even a chocolate waterfall. But what happens when the children, one by one, disobey Mr. Wonka?
Published Reviews
Booklist Review:
"*Starred Review* No single title is more associated with Dahl than this one funny, then, that the iconic 1971 film version changed it to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Regrettable episode of fat-shaming aside (Augustus Gloop's reviled gluttony is wince-worthy), Dahl's classic-of-classics holds up tremendously well, with hairpin swerves and bizarro details turning each page into a wonder of idiosyncratic absurdity. For you poor saps who don't know the story, it stars hand-to-mouth ragamuffin Charlie Bucket, who beats stratospheric odds by finding one of the five Golden Tickets hidden inside Willy Wonka candy bars. The five finders are awarded with a lifetime candy supply and a tour of Wonka's chocolate factory led by the mad genius himself, who hasn't been seen in 10 years. Wonka is a uproarious character sharpened by a subtle, maniacal glee: his monolithic paragraphs of exclamation-pointed dialogue is simply too verbose for comfort. Meanwhile, the winning kids the aforementioned Gloop, the spoiled Veruca Salt, the gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde, the screen-obsessed Mike Teavee are roundly grotesque, and their rotten habits lead them to grotesque ends. (Who doesn't shudder when the Oompa-Loompas cart off the blueberry-inflated Violet to the Juicing Room?) Charlie is a dull goody-goody, of course, but he's just the boat in which we ride through this particular fun house, which is every bit as giddily subversive as it was 52 years ago.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2016 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review:
"In a sublime bit of casting, comedic actor Idle delivers an inspired rendition of Dahl's classic novel, available for the first time as an unabridged recording (an abridged Caedmon edition, read by Dahl, was released in the 1970s). Using expert timing and a seemingly strong familiarity with the material, Idle wrings every note of humor from the author's colorful behind-the-scenes look at Willy Wonka's world-famous chocolate factory. During the course of a factory tour (whose participants were determined by a contest), honest, humble Charlie Bucket beats out four bratty, selfish children to become the heir to Wonka's wonderland. Readers new to Dahl, as well as longstanding admirers of the book or even the feature film starring Gene Wilder, will not want to miss Idle's interpretation of Wonka's whirlwind energy and "high and flutey" voice. Ages 6-up. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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