From the Bookshelf of UEL Primary PGCE 2012-13…

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)

Roald Dahl,

Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

Why we're reading this: this is an amazing novel by roald dahl in which he portrays how a small boy with many good attributes enc…more
[close] this is an amazing novel by roald dahl in which he portrays how a small boy with many good attributes encounters a great achievement for himself and his family. charlie a poor boy from a less fortunate family is very lucky to have found the last golden ticket for a chance to go into mr wonka's chocolate factory. he takes his grandpa joe, who on charlies discovery of the golden ticket emerges with a new sense of energy and excitement. mr wonka is a larger then life character,he is fun and loud, but also insensitive. charlie alongside other children with golden tickets discover many remarkable things at the factory including chocolate rivers and oompa loompas, however the other children fail to follow simple rules that leads to unfortunate consequences. charlie is the only character whom mr wonka see's a worthy person in to leave his chocolate factory to.

roald dahl uses the theme of the story to symbolize the greatness of good people and how luck can change. i liked the way he used other characters to help us identify who is bad, really bad, good and extremely good amongst adults and even children. he used classic distinction between poverty against wealth to show how money does not mean everything.

i would say this is a good book for children for children aged 9-12 though i have to say i can never get bored of this novel and put in more expression each time i read it. if this is a book read in a classroom it can be read by a teacher to the class chapter a day or so or even as guided reading whereby the children can take part reading and even delegate specific character roles to the children.

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Sep 26, 2012 Kirran rated it it was amazing

This book is about a boy called Charlie Bucket and his family.Charlie lives with his parents and both sets of grandparents in a small house.They are a poor family who are barely able to make ends meet. The one thing that cheers Charlie up and brightens his life is Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory and the one Wonka chocolate bar he gets every year for his birthday.Charlie's Grandpa Joe tells Charlie lots of stories about Mr Wonka and how he once built a chocolate palace and how he had to close his This book is about a boy called Charlie Bucket and his family.Charlie lives with his parents and both sets of grandparents in a small house.They are a poor family who are barely able to make ends meet. The one thing that cheers Charlie up and brightens his life is Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory and the one Wonka chocolate bar he gets every year for his birthday.Charlie's Grandpa Joe tells Charlie lots of stories about Mr Wonka and how he once built a chocolate palace and how he had to close his factory due to spies stealing his recipes. One day whilst Grandpa Joe is telling one of his stories,Charlies dad comes home with the news that Mr Wonka will be opening his factory to five lucky children who find a Golden ticket which has been hidden inside 5 Wonka chocolate bars.
On his birthday,Charlie's family buy him a Wonka bar and they all wait excitedly with the hope that it will contain a Golden ticket however it doesn't. Grandpa Joe even gives Charlie some money he has saved up so he can buy another Wonka bar however that bar doesn't contain a golden ticket either.
One afternoon, whilst walking home from school, a hungry and cold Charlie stumbles across some money on the ground.He picks it up and runs to the local shop to buy a Wonka bar.He unwraps it and is amazed by the fact that it contains a golden ticket.
On the day of the tour,Charlie decides to take Grandpa Joe with him,they are both extremely excited.There are also four other children on the tour,Augustus Gloop,Violet Beauregarde,Mike Teavve and Veruca Salt. Charlie is amazed by the factory,there is a room made out of edible items and it also contains a chocolate river.There are also little people called Oompa-Loompas who run the factory.
Throughout the day,the other four children get carried away and end up causing trouble. Augustus Gloop falls into the chocolate river while trying to drink for it and Violet Beauregarde eats some magic gum that turns her into a blueberry.Veruca Salt tries to steal a worker squirrel and ends up down a garbage chute and when Mike tries to send himself through a television and ends up being shrunken in size.Charlie is the only child who is on his best behaviour throughout the whole day and is the only one remaining right at the end.
When Mr Wonka realises this he congratulates Charlie, and tells him that he has won the entire factory when he gets old. They then shoot out the factory roof in a glass elevator to go collect the rest of Charlie's family.
This book is great for introducing creative writing into literacy. It can be enjoyed my boys and girls.Roald Dahl has a powerful imagination and is able to understand children's need for humour and a magical escape.This book is aimed at children aged between 8-11.
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Jan 08, 2013 Farhan Rahman rated it really liked it

The story focuses on Charlie Bucket whose favourite thing in this world is ‘Chocolate’. He lives with his parents and grandparents in a small, worn down house on the edge of a great town. Although the family are poor, they are happy in their own existence. One day, the town hosts the ‘The Great Chocolate Factory’ by Willy Wonka, producing the most delectable chocolates, which are distributed all over the world. What happens inside the factory is not known to anybody in the town. Willy Wonka, in The story focuses on Charlie Bucket whose favourite thing in this world is ‘Chocolate’. He lives with his parents and grandparents in a small, worn down house on the edge of a great town. Although the family are poor, they are happy in their own existence. One day, the town hosts the ‘The Great Chocolate Factory’ by Willy Wonka, producing the most delectable chocolates, which are distributed all over the world. What happens inside the factory is not known to anybody in the town. Willy Wonka, in an attempt to uphold his secret, has made sure that no human enters the big factory. Naturally, there is a huge amount of curiosity to know what actually goes inside that factory. Willy Wonka announces that he has hidden five golden tickets in five chocolates. The kids who find those tickets will be given an entry into the chocolate factory and Mr. Wonka himself will give them a guided tour of the factory. Most of all, they will be given a supply of chocolates which will last for a lifetime. This news spreads rapidly across the town, and a series of hyserical events soon follow. The extent to which people are ready to go to procure one golden ticket, how Charlie finds his golden ticket, the activities inside the factory and the final decision by Willy Wonka shapes the rest of the story. There are “Chocolate Water Falls, Oompa – Loompas, and eatable marshmallow pillows” that capture your imagination, and make you wish you were in the factory instead of Charlie. Another interesting feature of the book is the type of words Roald Dahl uses to describe various things (I believe this is a common feature across all his books) – Scrumdiddlyumptious, whangdoodles, hornswogglers, snoozwangers – they add to the humour of the book. In between all the chocolate, fun and magic in Willy Wonka’s world, the author tries to educate the children about the importance of discipline, respecting your elders, and adhering to them.

I have a great deal of time for Roald Dahl books (that is probably why I’ve chosen to read two, and review them on goodreads!) He had a wonderful style of writing that was full of imagination and creativity. Above all, his books can be read by a diverse age range, which is why I would recommend this particular edition for 6-11 years. ...more

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May 28, 2013 Jade Estall rated it it was amazing

We all know this book, it is a classic, and one that will keep children engaged for a long time to come! Thus a must read for all children by the time they leave primary school.

Charlie, a young boy from a poor family one day has the most amazing luck and finds a winning gold ticket from a chocolate bar along with some other children. This gives him the chance to go in to Willy Wonkas chocolate factory whereby many lessons are learnt for all children (and lots of fun is had).

It is a story of good ...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Aoife Hassett rated it it was amazing

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Oct 06, 2012 Sam Hopper rated it it was amazing

Jan 23, 2013 Keyla Hunter rated it it was amazing

Apr 07, 2014 Charlotte Hart rated it really liked it

Oct 26, 2020 Suzy Davies rated it it was amazing

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