Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(c) 1964 by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl is an enjoyable book for young kids. Little Charlie Bucket lives with his parents and all four grandparents in poverty. He’s a good kid, but because of their difficult situation, he doesn’t have much. He doesn’t even get candy but once a year on his birthday. All this changes when he gets a lucky golden ticket to tour Willie Wonka’s amazing Factory. I enjoyed the story when I was young, and still enjoyed listening to the audio version recently. I found Willie Wonka’s behavior more annoying as an adult however, and questioned the ethics of his employing Oompa Loompas for no pay other than cocoa beans. Also, When I was little, I didn’t think about how economically devastated the town would be when he suddenly let all his workers go just because some had been spies. Instead of shutting the factory down, he could have created a system that brought an end to the spying instead of putting so many innocent workers out of employment. However, this isn’t something that kids would really worry about, and the story is aimed at kids after all. Even with my grown up brain, I still enjoyed the story, and cheered little Charlie on, the whole way. I recommend this story to readers in 3rd to 7th grade who enjoy stories about kids who are rewarded for being good and honest, and of course, candy!