Yes, yes, yes. This is exactly why I love kid’s books. Charlie is an incredibly relatable character. You feel his struggles. Not everyone is able to relate to being as poor as the Buckets but Charlie’s anger and frustration about other “undeserving” kids getting the golden tickets is spot on. I know I was angry about it. Dahl was able to paint those children as perfect spoiled brats.

I was surprised at how magical the factory was because I am an adult. What appeals to children doesn’t necessarily appeal to adults. I think I was just in as much awe as I would have been had I read this at 8 or 9 years old. My eyes widened and I started drooling at the descriptions of all the candy. I was definitely a bit disappointed when I came back to reality and remembered that the candies described don’t actually exist. Very sad day.

The story is a bit quirky. Willy Wonka is really out there but he’s not as off putting as Wilder and Depp’s versions of him are. It’s weird and a bit bizarre but somehow I found it all to be pretty charming. I was happy and content with the story.

The bottom line? It’s an absolute classic of children’s literature. Highly recommended.