Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl, 1964
★ 4.17 from 956.3k ratings on Goodreads
A chocolate factory opens its gates to five children for a single day, and its owner has invented a hundred ways to make sugar strange. The story moves quickly in plain, witty prose, with a nostalgic hum and a dark cautionary edge under the wonder.
Feels like wonder, serenity and joy. About memory, war and morality.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy brisk, funny children’s stories with a strange factory and a sharp moral streak. Be aware that some readers find Wonka’s cruelty and the Oompa-Loompas’ treatment unsettling, so it may not suit every child or family.
Why read it
It offers a quick, funny escape with a memorable factory and a moral bite, and it can open good conversations about behavior and consequences.
A page from the book
A river you could swim in, and a man who cannot stop explaining it.
WILLY WONKA: Nothing wrong with it, my boy! Nothing! Nothing at all! It’s all chocolate! Every drop of that river is hot melted chocolate of the finest quality. The very finest quality. There’s enough chocolate in there to fill every bathtub in the entire country! And all the swimming pools as well! Isn’t it terrific? And just look at my pipes! They suck up the chocolate and carry it all away to all the other rooms in the factory where it is needed! Thousands of gallons an hour, my dear children! Thousands and thousands of gallons! What readers say
Readers often describe delight, nostalgia, and fun reading it with children, while many also note its dark, cautionary edge. Some are unsettled by Wonka’s cruelty and the Oompa-Loompas’ treatment; opinions differ on whether the book or films are better.
Roald Dahl.As a schoolboy at Repton, Dahl and his classmates were sent free boxes of new Cadbury bars to grade as taste-testers — a factory of experiments lodged in his mind.
Books that feel like this
More by Roald Dahl
Matilda
Roald Dahl, 1988
A tiny girl with a giant library card takes on the worst headmistress in England and wins by being cleverer than every adult around her.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy brisk, funny children’s stories with a strange factory and a sharp moral streak. Be aware that some readers find Wonka’s cruelty and the Oompa-Loompas’ treatment unsettling, so it may not suit every child or family.
- What is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory like?
- The story moves quickly in plain, witty prose, with a nostalgic hum and a dark cautionary edge under the wonder. Feels like wonder, serenity and joy. About memory, war and morality.
- What should I read after Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
- If you liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, try Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J. K. Rowling), The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) and Charlotte's Web (E. B. White).
A taste of the feed
The moment a magic lesson becomes a contest of who says it right.
‘And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?’ ‘Throw it away and punch him on the nose,’ Ron suggested. Wingardium Leviosa!’ he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill. ‘You’re saying it wrong,’ Harry heard Hermione snap. ‘It’s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the “gar” nice and long.’ ‘You do it, then, if you’re so clever’ Ron snarled. Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand and said, Wingardium Leviosa!’ Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone · J. K. Rowling
What contentment looks like when it includes the rats and the manure.
It was the best place to be, thought Wilbur, this warm delicious cellar, with the garrulous geese, the changing seasons, the heat of the sun, the passage of swallows, the nearness of rats, the sameness of sheep, the love of spiders, the smell of manure, and the glory of everything.
Charlotte's Web · E. B. White
A letter found years later
First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary. I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I SPECIFICALLY told her to get one that didn’t say “diary” on it. Great. All I need is for some jerk to catch me carrying this book around and get the wrong idea.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid · Jeff Kinney
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