the best of roald dahl book review

That's What She Read

Review: The Best of Roald Dahl

I make passing references to my Top Five (or Ten) List, but these lists don’t exist. Books float in and out of these designations and if I added up my Top Ten I’d have twenty books. So listen up because I’m going to be uncharacteristically definitive: This collection, The Best of Roald Dahl , is the best collection of short fiction (by a single author) . Disagree? Send suggestions! I take requests (see Twilight , see also  Gone Girl ). Now, this collection isn’t for everyone—it’s definitely not for kids and shouldn’t be confused with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  (which is delightfully messed up).

One of the most famous stories in this collection, “Lamb to the Slaughter,” pops up in a number of English classes so you may have read it already. If it hasn’t (and even if it has), you can read it here: “ Lamb to the Slaughter .” I’ve been wracking my brain for the words to express how much I love Dahl’s writing, but now realize I can throw you a link and let the man sell himself.

Dahl’s stories cover a remarkable variety of topics. He writes as though he has traveled the world and is a mad scientist, an oenophile, a furniture expert, a musician, and on and on. He imparts knowledgeable authority to his characters no matter their field or interest. Surprisingly, the first story is the weakest and serves as a poor hook for the collection. “Madame Rosette” lacks his customary turn of bleak humor/brilliance and is straightforward. It might have been written by anyone. What it does establish, however, is a clear line (via an Egyptian brothel) between this collection and his children’s literature. The realization that Dahl has more stylistic tricks up his sleeve than I’d given him credit for is what kept me reading past this initial story.

About those turns at the ends of his stories… They can’t rightly be called twists. They’re more like clarifications. Many of his stories are taut, suspenseful pieces that left me wondering at the possible resolutions. I knew something big would happen (or be explained), but I could rarely put my finger on it. Typically, I know where a writer is going, but Dahl provided some laugh-out-loud shockers. As dark and “wicked” as many of his stories are, there’s always a spark of wry humor.

“Man from the South” The second story—the one to grab me after the intriguing but plain, “Madame Rosette.” It features a nasty, old gambler who bets expensive items and collects his winnings with a butcher knife.

“Dip in the Pool” More gambling, but on a cruise ship. A nervous man is about to lose his savings and enacts a bizarre plan to fix the odds in his favor.

“The Way Up to Heaven” My favorite. I would have linked to this story if I’d found it online. It follows a very anxious woman who absolutely, positively, without exception cannot stand to be late. She is preparing for a long flight and her husband, who may or may not be doing so maliciously, invents tiny reasons to hold her up. The way her distress and unease builds is extraordinary. I found myself shouting at her husband to HURRY UP, ALREADY. And the end…

“Parson’s Pleasure” This is a longer story that revels in details. A man dresses as a parson and cruises the countryside, buying up antique furniture at rock-bottom prices. Picture Antiques Road Show + Sleaze and you’ve got it. He finds an exceedingly rare piece and tries to talk it away from its owners. The ending on this one made me laugh so hard that I cried. And no skipping to the end! I know the furniture descriptions can go on a bit, but they’re worth it.

Honorable Mentions:

“Taste” A man invites an irritating wine-lover to dinner. The descriptions of food and wine are extraordinary. I’d like to crack open a bottle just thinking about this one and I don’t even like wine. (Gin, please.)

“Edward the Conqueror” A woman is convinced that a stray cat is the reincarnation of Franz Liszt to the frustration (and jealousy) of her husband. I like music (and cats), so I was a partial to this one. But because people are funny about animal stuff, I ought to warn you that it doesn’t work out for the cat.

“William and Mary” A truly WTF ending. Once you get through the floating-brain-in-a-basin set-up, you’re left with a dark sci-fi story that I would love to have written. Am writing a bunch of off-beat stories around a twisted cryonics company and this would have been a wildly fun starting point.

I could go on, but you’d have a list of pretty near every story in the book. A handful are weaker than others (that always happens), but most stories are short, so if you don’t like one, you’re not out much time and Dahl will stick an unusual idea in your head for your trouble.

I can’t recommend this book enough. I want to buy dozens of copies and throw them at people; at people I know, strangers on the train, and random folks on the sidewalk. It’s the right blend of dark/twisted and riotously funny. Oh, I’ve forgotten to mention “The Visitor”! In it, Uncle Oswald, a famed lothario, is taken in by a kindly man while his car is being repaired in the middle of the desert. Being something of a bad guest and an epic lover, Oswald sets his sights on his host’s wife. And daughter.

Overall: 4.9  The entertainment value provided by this little book cannot be overstated. Read it!

Note: This edition is of spotty quality; there are a number of typos and the book jumps between fonts (absently, not artistically). Perhaps recent printings have fixed this?

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4 thoughts on “review: the best of roald dahl”.

Love Roald Dahl! Thanks for sharing the wonderful thoughts! If you’re ever interested in some other awesome book reviews and musings, be sure to follow! Thanks!!!

Dahl is great, isn’t he? Thanks for stopping by–nice site! 😀

Ah, I was wrong – I have read some Roald Dahl! But only ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ whuch I agree is a great story. Hmm… OK, you’ve talked me into it – onto the TBR it goes… 😀

Hooray—it worked!! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it. 😀

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Roald Dahl Fans

Fan site for author Roald Dahl (1916-1990)

The Best of Roald Dahl

Sections: Information | Description | Reviews | Covers  | Korean , Norwegian , and Spanish Covers

Information

• Vintage Books, 1978, USA.
• Michael Joseph, 1983, Great Britain.
• “Dip in the Pool”
• “Edward the Conqueror”
• “Galloping Foxley”
• “Genesis and Catastrophe”
• “Georgy Porgy”
• “Lamb to the Slaughter”
• “Madame Rosette”
• “Man From the South”
• “Mr. Feasey”
• “Mr. Hoddy”
• “Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat”
• “Parson’s Pleasure”
• “Pig”
• “Royal Jelly”
• “Rummins”
• “Skin”
• “Taste”
• “The Bookseller”
• “The Boy Who Talked with Animals”
• “The Champion of the World”
• “The Great Switcheroo”
• “The Hitchhiker”
• “The Landlady”
• “The Ratcatcher”
• “The Sound Machine”
• “The Visitor”
• “The Way Up to Heaven”
• “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”
• “William and Mary”
• Lust read by Derek Jacobi, Gillian Anderson, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Mark Heap, and Richard E Grant

Description

This collection brings together Dahl’s finest work, illustrating his genius for the horrific and grotesque which is unparalleled.

“Dahl has the mastery of plot and characters possessed by great writers of the past, along with a wildness and wryness of his own. One of his trademarks is writing beautifully about the ugly, even the horrible.” –Los Angeles Times

“An ingenious imagination, a fascination with odd and ordinary detail, and a lust for its thorough exploitation are the…strengths of Dahl’s storytelling.” –New York Times Book Review

• Review by Godly Gadfly

Korean Covers

Norwegian Covers – Roald Dahls beste historier

Roald Dahl's 11 best — and worst — children's books, ranked

by Constance Grady , Tanya Pai , Caroline Framke , and Aja Romano

What would children’s literature be without the singular voice of Roald Dahl? Over the course of his long career, the British novelist wrote more than 30 works populated with clever children and frequently monstrous adults, sprinkled with made-up words, and shot through with sly, surprisingly dark humor. His stories were set in richly imagined worlds, taking place everywhere from the bowels of a mysterious chocolate factory to the heart of an impossibly huge peach — even outer space.

Troubling personal politics aside, Dahl is responsible for some of children’s literature’s most memorable characters, from sadistic candymaker Willy Wonka to telekinetic Matilda to the sly, resourceful Fantastic Mr. Fox — many of whom have now been immortalized onscreen as well as on the page.

And today is Dahl’s hundredth birthday. In honor of the occasion, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to create a definitive ranking of Dahl’s children’s books. Read on to find out where each one ended up.

Please note that we only considered full-length works, not short stories, and that these rankings are immutable and 100 percent accurate.

11) George’s Marvelous Medicine (1981)

George's Marvelous Medicine

George’s grandmother has a puckered mouth and teeth stained pale brown. She forces her 8-year-old grandson to make her endless cups of tea and eat cabbage riddled with bugs. She’s a thoroughly unpleasant woman. So George decides to shake her up; he makes her a dose of medicine.

Gleefully he mixes together curry powder and shampoo and antifreeze and other substances he finds lying around the house — but when he feeds it to his grandmother, it doesn’t have quite the effect he had in mind. It makes her grow, becoming unimaginably large. Which, George’s father proclaims, means George has effectively solved world hunger!

Wait — huh ?

Yeah, that solving-world-hunger angle comes out of nowhere at the end, as does the rest of the story’s not-exactly-resolution. Add to that the sheer bitterness of the premise, and you have one of Dahl’s most uneven works. — Constance Grady

10) Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972)

Speaking of bitterness, there was no shortage of it on display in the sequel to Dahl’s most famous and most-beloved book. Moving the action as far away from Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory as possible, Dahl puts his heroes, Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka, in a great glass elevator for what amounts to an epic road (space) trip with Charlie’s whole family, complete with all the long-suffering “are we there yet?” moments such a description implies.

But Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator also contains scathing, largely clichéd diatribes against US politics, including a weirdly infantilized look at the US president. Charlie’s two loving grandmothers from the previous book are abruptly transformed at the beginning of this one into unbearable, demonized examples of every shallow human trait Dahl can think to burden them with. By the time the Vermicious Knids come along, you’re rooting for the aliens to win and wishing Charlie were still mooning by the chocolate river. What was Dahl thinking? — Aja Romano

9) Revolting Rhymes (1982)

Revolting Rhymes .

A collection of rhyming poems, Revolting Rhymes isn’t a “typical” Dahl book. But the author’s singsong retellings of six famous fairy tales — with all the grotesque details Disney left out — provide an apt showcase for his twisted sense of humor. This makes sense, since Dahl’s stories already borrow so much from fairy-tale tropes; almost all of his children’s stories involve neglected kids, villainous hags, and/or impossibly magical creatures.

Still: Dahl takes fairy tales to another level in Revolting Rhymes , creating a bloodbath out of Cinderella’s romance, making Little Red Riding Hood a stone-cold killer, and saddling Snow White with seven gambling-addict dwarfs. As with all of Dahl’s best works, Revolting Rhymes is incredibly strange and even disturbing, but often a whole lot of fun. —Caroline Framke

8) The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More (1977)

The Henry Sugar anthology is an odd one to consume in the middle of a Roald Dahl binge, but it’s always been one of my favorites. It is, in a word, variable: There are minor short stories, like the forgettable one with the giant tortoise (no, not Esio Trot , the other one), and autobiographical accounts of Dahl’s life, including how his time as a fighter pilot in World War II led him to start writing.

But the crown jewel of the book is the title story: the tale of Henry Sugar, a selfish gambler who teaches himself to see through solid objects in order to cheat at cards and eventually reforms himself into a secular saint. It has all the sweetness and heart of the best of Dahl’s full-length novels, but it’s tinged with unmistakable melancholy. — Constance Grady

7) Fantastic Mr. Fox (1968)

Dahl took a short break from sympathizing with humans in Fantastic Mr. Fox, the only book on this list told from the perspective of a (particularly clever) group of animals. But the titular Mr. Fox is exactly the kind of hero Dahl loves; namely, he’s always the smartest person fox in the room. It’s a thin volume, but the conflict between the Fox family and three greedy farmers is rich in detail, layered with tidbits covering everything from Farmer Bean’s addiction to alcoholic cider to the elaborate dinner party courses Mrs. Fox prepares with the spoils that her fantastic husband triumphantly steals from beneath the dumb farmers’ noses. —Caroline Framke

6) The Witches (1983)

The Witches .

The Witches is a pitch-black horror story about a boy who finds himself smack dab in the middle of an international conference of evil women. Luckily, he has a shrewd and savvy grandmother who has made him as witch-proof as any boy can be.

With their elegant white gloves and their long, pointed heels masking hideous bodies, Dahl’s witches lurk in ordinary society, waiting to prey on innocent children. The Witches doesn’t flirt with outright misogyny so much as skywrite “women aren’t what they seem!” But Dahl’s witches are compelling, fascinating, and powerful — and ultimately it’s their power that turns a straightforward cautionary tale thoroughly on its head, resulting in one of his most memorable books. This fable of mice and (wo)men manages to be warm, whimsical, and spine-tingling all at once; I reread it every Halloween and find myself deliciously creeped out every time. — Aja Romano

5) Danny, Champion of the World (1975)

Dahl is fantastic at describing whimsical settings, but most of them aren’t places you’d actually want to live in: Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory would doubtless maim you, in Mr. Fox’s den you’d be attacked by murderous farmers, and the BFG’s native land is home to scores of bigger, less friendly giants.

No, if you made me choose a Dahl book to live in, it would be Danny . I want to hang out in that cozy caravan Danny shares with his father as it’s gently pelted by an apple tree, and eat roast pheasant (the food of kings, according to Danny’s father). I want to learn top-secret poaching tips and plump raisins in water to make pheasant bait. Dahl never wrote another world that made you want to crawl inside the pages and curl up there quite as much. — Constance Grady

4) James and the Giant Peach (1961)

For a book that opens on a little boy struggling under the tyrannical rule of his abusive aunts — a straight-up Dickensian dilemma — James and the Giant Peach tells an incredibly lovely story. It has an overlying sense of wonder, as conveyed through the mysterious creatures that first grow the titular peach to mammoth size, the jolly centipede causing constant mischief with his 100 (or maybe just 42) shoes, and the short-fused giants that James and his magical new insect friends meet when their swollen stone fruit floats up into the sky. But the engine that keeps this book moving — and the reason it continues to resonate so deeply — isn’t the giant peach but James’s giant heart. —Caroline Framke

3) Matilda (1988)

If you were a fan of Dahl as a youngster, chances are you were a bookish kid with an active imagination. And what more glorious fantasy existed for all of us bookish, imaginative kids than the idea that our minds could make miraculous things happen, even in the world beyond our heads?

Matilda’s telekinesis might seem of a piece with today’s never-ending stream of superhero movies, but Dahl’s 1988 novel extols the virtues of brain power over superpowers. Matilda is a thrilling story of intelligence and ingenuity triumphing over TV-dulled ignorance, a love song to classic novels, and an utterly satisfying tale of a child serving a bit of justice to grown-ups for the indignities both small and large that are part and parcel of being a kid. Plus, despite the unfortunate fate of poor Bruce Bogtrotter, it always leaves me with a craving for chocolate cake. —Tanya Pai

2) The BFG (1982)

Dahl’s prose has a rhythm all its own, with peculiar turns of phrase and a penchant for streaking off into rhyming verse bumping up against each other to create something wholly unique. And The BFG ‘s story of a little orphan girl and the big friendly giant she befriends may be Dahl’s finest example of his gift for wordplay. The pages are packed with nonsense terms that nevertheless evoke exactly what they intend to (you know just what you’re getting with snozzcumbers); and the passage where the BFG explains to Sophie what humans from each country taste like is a wit-filled delight.

And while there are some truly horrific aspects to the story — orphans getting locked in the cellar with rats; giants who crunch up humans like popcorn — there’s plenty of wonder as well. The idea that the stars have a silvery music all their own, and that our dreams come not from the workings of our unconscious minds but via the whims of a gentle giant from a faraway land, is as captivating and wrenchingly beautiful as an adult as it was in childhood. —Tanya Pai

1) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)

There’s so much wonderful weirdness lurking in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , a heartwarming story of a poor boy whose goodness earns him the coveted golden ticket that allows him to meet Willy Wonka, the plum-and-green-clad chocolatier. His journey to Wonka’s factory is nothing short of a dream. There’s so much to see: Everlasting Gobstoppers! Snozzberries! Chocolate mixing via waterfall! And you get to eat nothing but sweets all day long! Sure, the entire factory definitely needs a visit from DEFRA , but what mysterious chocolate factory run by a sociopathic maniacal supergenius doesn’t ?

Charlie ultimately wins a fantasy apprenticeship with the world’s greatest candymaker, while the other children on his factory tour, all greedy and spoiled, learn unpleasant karmic lessons about the dangers of selfishness. It’s a lovely, chocolate-powered morality play — until you realize Wonka is housing a slave nation of Ewoks turned sweatshop workers.

Then there’s the decimating poverty and literal starvation that Charlie and his family endure, the four grandparents who’ve all shared the same bed without leaving it for 20 years, and the truly creeptastic ends that each of Charlie’s competitors meet at the hands of the unperturbed Wonka. Oh, and have I mentioned all the pederastic vibes and the overt BDSM overtones? (Remember the actual whips used for whipping cream?)

Despite — and because of — all this bizarreness, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remains one of the most influential children’s books ever written. Without Charlie , we’d have no Harry Potter , no Coraline . Its caricatures of spoiled kids and narcissistic parents are unerring and timeless; its satirical takes on human nature are pointed and merciless. Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Mike Teavee, and Violet Beauregarde may be revolting children, but there’s a part of all of us that would be right there beside them, reaching for that extra-special chewing gum. — Aja Romano

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The Best of Roald Dahl Paperback – July 14 1990

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 528 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Vintage
• Publication date July 14 1990
• Dimensions 13.28 x 2.34 x 20.09 cm
• ISBN-10 0679729917
• ISBN-13 978-0679729914
• See all details

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Product description

From the back cover, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reissue edition (July 14 1990)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 528 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679729917
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679729914
• Item weight ‏ : ‎ 431 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.28 x 2.34 x 20.09 cm
• #162 in Horror Parodies & Satires
• #2,329 in Short Story Anthologies
• #4,401 in Short Stories (Books)

About the author

The son of Norwegian parents, Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 and educated at Repton. He was a fighter pilot for the RAF during World War Two, and it was while writing about his experiences during this time that he started his career as an author.

His fabulously popular children's books are read by children all over the world. Some of his better-known works include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG.

He died in November 1990.

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The best Roald Dahl books of all time, ranked

Entertain the kids (and yourself) with these brilliant Roald Dahl books.

Roald Dahl is one of the best-selling children’s authors of all time having sold approximately 250 million books worldwide - which makes our job of rounding up the top ten of the best Roald Dahl books pretty darn difficult.

However, we’ve decided to rise to the occasion because, thanks to a certain pandemic, we need all the entertainment we can get at the moment.

In the list below, you’ll find the classics we all know and love combined with a couple of more obscure options that will hopefully give you something new to read.

So, whether you’re just here for nostalgia’s sake, or are actually looking for books to read (or revisit) as a family - all, of course, with the charming illustrations by Quentin Blake

Here are the best Roald Dahl books we all need to read at least once in our lifetimes.

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Best Roald Dahl books of all time

1 . Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory may be Dahl’s best known stories. It’s a book that just appeals to every child’s imagination; a chocolate factory filled with chocolate and sweets, spies and mischievous Oompa-Loompas. And it seems the story was likely a long time coming because because Dahl even got the chance to be 'taste testers' for a chocolate company when attending Repton school in Derbyshire.

2 . Matilda

Having won the Children’s Book Award shortly after its release back in 1988, Matilda has continued to entertain children (and adults alike) for the last three decades. It has since become an award-winning film and (yes, you guessed it) an award-winning musical.

However, what stays the same is the story - Matilda Wormwood is a five-year-old genius, the only problem is that none of the adults in her life seem to appreciate it - that is until she meets her new teacher Miss Honey. Now, there’s just the small problem of headmistress Miss Trunchbull who loves to torment her, Miss Honey and the rest of the children.

3 . The Witches

The Witches tells the story of a brave young boy and his Norwegian grandmother as they battle England's witches who wish to rid the world of children. An usual quirk of this the heroes of this story - both the boy and his grandmother - remain nameless throughout the book. A word of warning before reading this one at bedtime, The Witches continues to top lists of the scariest children’s books around.

4 . Fantastic Mr Fox

Published in 1970, Fantastic Mr Fox tells the story of cunning Mr Fox and his family who continue to outwit three horrible farmers - Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Unfortunately, these farmers are not going to give up easily.

The story was inspired by the countryside near Dahl’s childhood home in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire including a tree, known locally as ‘the witches’ tree’, which had a hole in the trunk, much like the Foxes’ home in the book. It’s also one of the few books to have the pleasure of being turned into a Wes Anderson film .

5 . The BFG

The BFG is definitely a book that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside - and supposedly, Dahl’s own favourite. The 1982 novel tells the story of a Big Friendly Giant who captures dreams in bottles so that he can make sure children can enjoy them while they sleep. When he makes friends with orphan Sophie (named after Dahl’s first grandchild) he takes her back to his cave in Giant Country and antics ensue.

6 . James and the Giant Peach

James doesn’t feel like he has a single friend in the whole wide world, or that is until he meets the Old Green Grasshopper and all his insect friends on a magical giant peach. This novel was first published way back in 1961 as Dahl’s first attempt at writing a story for children - and is now one of his most popular.

The book is dedicated to his two eldest daughters, Olivia and Tessa and the 1996 film of the book even features Simon Callow as a grasshopper and Richard Dreyfuss voicing a centipede - in case the story needed any more charm.

7 . Danny, the Champion of the World

Dahl loved to take his own life and put it into his own stories. For example, the caravan Danny and his dad live in, in this book, is based upon a real Roma caravan Dahl bought in the 1960s, which was used as a playroom for the children. The story itself is all about the father-son partnership of Danny and his dad, William against the local beer magnate Mr Hazell.

8 . The Twits

The Twits are probably some of Dahl’s least likeable characters he’s ever written. Mr Twit is described as having a dirty beard “with food clinging to it”, while his wife, Mrs Twit, is equally unlovely. They’re also not very fond of each other, which is where the chaos ensues as the pair start playing more and more tricks on each other. The book is apparently inspired by Dahl's hatred of beards.

9 . Esio Trot

One of Roald Dahl’s last stories, Esio Trot is about a shy old man’s undeclared love for his neighbour, Mrs Silver, and the lengths he goes to win her heart. Oh, and there’s a tortoise called Alfie, because what story isn’t made better by a tiny tortoise. Esio Trot was a favourite of the book’s illustrator Quentin Blake and he even narrates the audiobook.

10 . The Vicar of Nibbleswicke

The Vicar of Nibbleswicke is the only book on this list to be published after Dahl’s life. A more obscure choice but it’s another heart-warming one. Having been written to raise awareness around dyslexia, Dahl even auctioned all rights of the book to benefit The Dyslexia Institute before his death.

The book itself tells the story of Robert Lee, who, having suffered with severe dyslexia as a boy, successfully overcame his problems with the help of The Dyslexia Institute. Unfortunately, after arriving in Nibbleswicke as the town's new reverend, he develops a very unusual condition called Back-to-Front Dyslexia.

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Charlie and the chocolate factory.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 27 Reviews
• Kids Say 63 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Stephany Aulenback , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Classic morality tale is wildly entertaining.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a classic children's book about five kids who win a chance to tour Willy Wonka's mysterious candy-making operation. It's a vividly told wild ride with amusing, cartoon-like sketches that will keep kids excited and laughing. Various…

Why Age 6+?

When Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka chocolate bars an

Mr. Wonka's factory contains a room meant for creating what he refers to as Butt

While citizens around the world frantically search for golden tickets, a gangste

Any Positive Content?

Sweet, well-behaved Charlie possesses strength of character that the other child

Spoiled, greedy children will get their just desserts, but dreams will come true

Products & Purchases

When Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka chocolate bars and other candies only existed in the fictional world of this wonderful novel. Today, Wonka bars, Gobstoppers, and many other Wonka-branded candies are manufactured by Nestle.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Mr. Wonka's factory contains a room meant for creating what he refers to as Butterscotch and Buttergin, and when the Oompa Loompas drink those concoctions, they become "drunk as lords." Charlie stops into a shop that sells "everything, including sweets and cigars."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

While citizens around the world frantically search for golden tickets, a gangster robs a bank and uses the stolen money to buy a large amount of candy bars. Mike Teavee watches western movies in which cowboys shoot at each other. Wonka makes "exploding sweets for your enemies." Children who disobey Willy Wonka's rules are punished in ways that might be a little alarming but don't seem to cause any pain.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Role Models

Sweet, well-behaved Charlie possesses strength of character that the other children lack. Born and raised in poverty, Charlie truly appreciates every gift life gives him, and he remains honest despite the temptation to betray his hero.

Positive Messages

Spoiled, greedy children will get their just desserts, but dreams will come true for the honest and pure-hearted.

Parents need to know that Roald Dahl 's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a classic children's book about five kids who win a chance to tour Willy Wonka's mysterious candy-making operation. It's a vividly told wild ride with amusing, cartoon-like sketches that will keep kids excited and laughing. Various forms of bad behavior are demonstrated, and are punished in ways that perfectly fit the crimes. Charlie lives a life of poverty that's portrayed as bleak and depressing, although the love between him and his family makes their day-to-day struggles more bearable. The book was adapted for a film titled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 1971, and made into a movie titled Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , starring Johnny Depp , in 2005. That same year, it was released as an audiobook read by Monty Python member Eric Idle , which is loads of fun.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say (27)
• Kids say (63)

Based on 27 parent reviews

Perfect Family Read-Aloud

What's the story.

In Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, poor Charlie Bucket is practically starving. However, he is rich in love, living with his devoted parents and grandparents so old and sick they never get out of bed. Charlie is captivated by his Grandpa Joe's stories about Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory and his efforts to keep his amazing recipes from leaking to other candy-makers. Charlie is excited when Wonka holds a contest, placing a golden ticket in five chocolate bars; each person who finds a ticket will get to bring a special guest along and visit the factory, and receive a lifetime supply of sweets! Charlie is too poor to buy more than one candy bar a year, so when he wins a ticket, his whole family celebrates. Charlie visits the chocolate factory along with four bratty children: greedy Augustus Gloop, chewing gum addict Violet Beauregarde, spoiled Veruca Salt, and television-obsessed Mike Teavee. What lies in store for the children depends on how they behave on their tour.

Is It Any Good?

Rarely, if ever, has a morality tale been dressed up in such an entertaining story. Roald Dahl clearly has a point to make here, but never does the reader feel he is preaching; he's just reveling in giving spoiled kids their most perfectly just comeuppance. Dahl has peopled these pages with some highly memorable bad children, and readers everywhere love to laugh with glee at their crazy behavior -- and its consequences.

In the best fairy tale tradition, Dahl doesn't hide the fact that the world can be a grim and unfair place. Charlie's depressing life of poverty at the beginning of the novel reflects this bleak view, but Dahl also appeals to the strong sense of natural justice in children, and invites them to revel in a marvelously imagined world where people, both good and bad, get exactly what they deserve. It's also a place where a genius candy-maker invents "eatable marshmallow pillows," "hot ice cream for cold days," "fizzy lifting drinks" that make you float, and "rainbow drops" that let you "spit in six different colours." And, in the end, it's just the place for Charlie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the various children who win the right to tour the chocolate factory and how their flaws ultimately seal their fates.

What are your first impressions of Willy Wonka? Do you change your opinion about him over the course of the book?

Even though Charlie wasn't completely innocent, why was he chosen to run the factory in the end?

If you were given the opportunity to see your favorite candy maker's factory headquarters, how would you behave? Who would you take with you as your special guest?

Have you tried Wonka candies? Does reading this book make them more or less appealing to you?

Book Details

• Author : Roald Dahl
• Illustrator : Joseph Schindelman
• Genre : Fantasy
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Great Boy Role Models
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Alfred A. Knopf
• Publication date : January 17, 1964
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
• Number of pages : 176
• Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : November 15, 2019

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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What to read next.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

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Roald Dahl Best Books 📚

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Roald Dahl is one of the most well-known writers of children's literature of all time. With classics such as 'Matilda' and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', his works are timeless and beloved across the world.

Article written by Neesha Thunga K

B.A. in English Literature, and M.A. in English Language and Literature.

Having sold 300 million copies of his books worldwide, Roald Dahl is often hailed as one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th century for children.

Matilda  (1988) 

‘ Matilda’  is a children’s novel about a genius 5-year-old girl who is neglected and abused by her parents. She also has a superpower: the power to move objects with her mind. Matilda develops her own brand of justice to get back at her parents for their wrongdoings. At school, she is far above her age in terms of mental ability and is recognized by her class teacher, Miss Honey, as an extraordinary child. However, Miss Honey harbors a secret about her tragic past, which involves the terrorizing Principal of Matilda’s school, Miss Trunchbull. Matilda sets out once again to deliver justice and restore the status quo within her and Miss Honey’s world.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)

‘ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ‘ revolves around a young boy named Charlie Bucket who lives on the outskirts of town with his destitute and poverty-stricken family. His father loses his job just as the town’s eccentric chocolate maker, Willy Wonka, announces five hidden golden tickets that would allow its finders to visit his famous chocolate factory. Fortunately, Charlie finds the last and final golden ticket in his chocolate bar and is invited to the Chocolate Factory with 4 other children (Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt, and Mike Teavee), who are all rich and spoiled. As Willy Wonka gives the children a tour of his factory, the children, one by one, show their self-centered and entitled behaviors, for which they begin to suffer bizarre consequences.

The BFG  (1982)

  ‘The BFG’  begins with a young girl named Sophie who lives in an orphanage. One day, she is suddenly whisked away by the BFG or the Big Friendly Giant. The Big Friendly Giant narrates to Sophie about his job, which involves blowing dreams into children’s rooms. Sophie is fascinated with the world of the giants until she learns of the BFG’s neighbors. The neighbors are wicked giants who snatch children away and eat them. Although the BFG himself is a pacifist, Sophie takes action against the injustices of his neighbors, teaching everyone about the importance of standing up to one’s bullies.

The Witches  (1983)

This dark fantasy novel reinforces the classic proverb, “Appearances can be deceptive.”  ‘The Witches’  revolves around an unnamed protagonist who has lost his parents and is now living with his grandmother in Norway. He goes to the coast of England, where he and his grandmother stay at a hotel that is crawling with witches. The witches all have one thing in common: they hate children and wish to turn them all into mice. The boy is caught overhearing this plan and is turned into a mouse himself. Along with his friend Bruno and with the wisdom of his grandmother, the boy sets out to stop the witches from executing their plan. 

Fantastic Mr. Fox  (1970) 

‘Fantastic Mr Fox’  is a comedic children’s story that begins with 3 gluttonous farmers, Bean, Bunce, and Boggis, who are incredibly frustrated with a fox that keeps stealing their life stock. The fox is none other than Mr. Fox, who is trying to feed his family, which consists of his wife and four baby foxes. However, the farmers hatch a plan to catch Mr. Fox and put an end to his thieving activities. Mr. Fox and his family somehow manage to escape, but the farmers are intent on catching him and stringing him up. They enlist the help of all of the farm workers and trap Mr. Fox and his family underground. However, Mr. Fox comes up with a clever plan to outwit the farmers.

James and the Giant Peach (1961) 

‘James and the Giant Peach’  is one of Roald Dahl’s most famous novels. In it, James, an orphan, is living with his two cruel aunts when an old man gives him a set of magical green objects. The green objects cause a giant peach to grow in James’ backyard. Inside the peach are various insects whom James befriends. He and his friends set on a journey across the world, going on various adventures, with James often taking the lead and saving the day.

The Twits  (1980) 

‘ The Twits’  is the story of a horrible couple, Mr. and Mrs. Twit, who enjoy playing cruel pranks on each other. The couple continuously tries to hunt the birds in the Big Dead tree to make a bird pie. Muggle-wump, a monkey, and his African family warn the birds to stay away from the tree. However, Muggle-wump himself is caught by the Twits and made to undergo training for hours on end for the Twit’s upside-down circus. Muggle-wump must escape, and he hatches a plan with an African bird Roly-Poly, to not only escape but also to turn the Twits’ house upside down.

Boy: Tales of Childhood  (1984) 

This is an autobiographical novel that focuses on Roald Dahl’s childhood. The memoir captures his boyhood experiences as a British schoolboy all the way up till his teenage years. The memoir is written with short sentences and villainous characters, much like Roald Dahl’s other books. In it, Dahl recounts various tales of family events, harsh punishments received at school, numerous entertaining adventures with his friends, and his rambunctious activities.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator  (1972) 

In this novel, Dahl continues the story of Charlie Bucket and the chocolatier, Willy Wonka. Wonka has now transferred ownership of the Chocolate Factory, and Charlie and his family are all set to take possession of it. They board the flying Great Glass Elevator, which will take them to the factory. However, things go amiss when the elevator is accidentally thrown into orbit in outer space. Charlie and his family end up going on various space adventures with the eccentric Mr. Wonka encountering dangerous aliens on the way. The group escapes narrowly and reaches the Chocolate Factory, where they face several misadventures once again. Charlie and Wonka must ride the Great Glass Elevator once again to set right all that has gone wrong.

Danny, the Champion of the World  (1975)

This is a children’s novel about Danny, a young boy who learns the basics of mechanics as well as poaching from his loving father. One day, Danny’s father does not return from one of his poaching adventures. Danny discovers him on Mr. Hazell’s farm with a broken ankle. Danny and his father then hatch a plan to get back at Mr. Hazell in the upcoming annual pheasant shoot. The two of them come up with an ingenious plan that leaves Mr. Hazell pheasant-less while Danny and his father enjoy roast pheasant in their new electric oven.

George’s Marvelous Medicine  (1981)

This children’s story follows George’s misadventure with his mean and selfish grandmother. Instructed by his mother to feed his grandmother her medicine, George sets out to create his own medicine to make his grandmother a nice person. His medicine causes his grandmother and a chicken to grow unbelievably large, and George’s father is delighted because this means that they will never go hungry ever again. However, the next few batches of George’s medicine all turn out to have different effects. One batch even makes his grandmother entirely disappear.

Notable Mentions

Roald Dahl has written several other children’s novels including  ‘The Gremlins’  (1943),  ‘The Magic Finger’  (1966),  ‘The Enormous Crocodile’  (1978), ‘ The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me’  (1985),  ‘Esio Trot’  (1990),  ‘The Vicar of Nibbleswicke’  (Posthumously in 1991),  ‘The Minpins’  (Posthumously in 1991) and finally, Roald Dahl’s  ‘Incredible Chocolate Box’  (Posthumously in 2005). Many of his books have reached best-selling status and are critically acclaimed as some of the best children’s literature of all time.

What are Roald Dahl’s top 5 best-selling books?

The top 5 best-selling books by Roald Dahl are  ‘Matilda,’ ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ ‘The BFG,’ ‘James and the Giant Peach ‘, and  ‘The Witches .’ Over the last few years, sales of  ‘Matilda’  have surpassed the combined sales of Roald Dahl’s every other book.

What Roald Dahl book should I read?

Although Roald Dahl is a children’s writer, his children’s books are universally appealing to both kids and adults. As such, one can begin their journey into the world of Roald Dahl through classics such as  ‘Matilda’  and  ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’  or even explore some of Roald Dahl’s adult stories,  ‘Kiss Kiss’  and  ‘Over to You.’

What is Roald Dahl’s favorite book, and why?

Roald Dahl’s favorite book is ‘ The BFG’ . He has mentioned that this book is one of his most personal works, and he has dedicated it to his daughter Olivia, who passed away more than 25 years ago.  ‘The BFG’  is one of Roald Dahl’s best-selling books as well.

What is the best Roald Dahl book to read first?

Most of Roald Dahl’s books have a similar charm to them, and as such, it does not matter which is the first book by Roald Dahl to read. However, most people recommend beginning with books such as ‘Matilda’ or ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’

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About Neesha Thunga K

Neesha, born to a family of avid readers, has devoted several years to teaching English and writing for various organizations, making an impact on the literary community.

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The Best of Roald Dahl

By roald dahl.

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Perfect bedtime stories for those who relish sleepless nights.

Twenty tales to curdle your blood and scorch your soul, chosen from his bestsellers—Over to You, Someone Like You, Kiss Kiss and Switch Bitch.

Hypnotized from the first sentence, you will remain spellbound as Roald Dahl unravels his fiendish fictions with their satisfying twist-in-the-tale finales, as he leads you through the dangers of gambling for high stakes over wine, the perils of being vegetarian and the macabre consequences of a night-time seduction. --back cover

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Table of contents, edition notes, the physical object, source records, work description.

• Madame Rosette
• Man from the South
• Sound Machine
• Dip in the Pool
• Edward the Conqueror
• Lamb to the Slaughter
• Galloping Foxley
• The Way Up to Heaven
• Parson's Pleasure
• William and Mary
• Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat
• Royal Jelly
• Georgy Porgy
• Genesis and Catastrophe
• Claud's Dog Ratcatcher , Rummins , Mr Hoddy , Mr Feasey , Champion of the World

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Matilda, by Roald Dahl | Book Review

Book Review of Matilda The Children’s Book Review

Written by Roald Dahl

Illustrated by Sarah Walsh

Ages 6-9 | 192 Pages

Publisher: ‎ Viking Books for Young Readers | ISBN-13: ‎ 9781984836106

Matilda  was the last long kids’ book that Roald Dahl wrote before he passed away in 1990. When Dahl first wrote the book, she was a wicked child and very different from how she is now known to readers worldwide.

Matilda is a very kind-hearted character—she’s a gifted, intelligent, book-loving five-year-old who taught herself to read. She has read every children’s book in the library and a few for adults. Matilda can even do advanced math in her head. Her father (a rotten car salesman) and her mother (obsessed with playing bingo) are completely clueless and treat her almost as terribly as the nasty Miss Trunchbull, the child-hating, ex-Olympic hammer-throwing headmistress at school.

When Matilda meets Miss Honey, a warm-hearted and sweet teacher, she finds her inner strength and uses her newly-discovered exceptional talent to fight back and set more than a few things right in her world. Matilda’s character is certainly one to get behind—she’s empowering, knowledgeable, and brave—and the entire story is freckled with funny bits and peppered with plenty of practical jokes.

This edition contains complete and unabridged text and includes brand-new color illustrations by Sarah Walsh. The artwork brings loads of energy and charisma to the carefully curated cast that Dahl created.

When you read Roald Dahl’s  Matilda,  you’ll be snickering from start to end.

Buy the Book

About the author.

Roald Dahl  (1916-1990) was born in Wales to Norwegian parents. He spent his childhood in England and, at age eighteen, went to work for the Shell Oil Company in Africa. When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force and became a fighter pilot. At the age of twenty-six, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he began to write. His first short story, which recounted his adventures in the war, was bought by The Saturday Evening Post, and so began a long and illustrious career.

After establishing himself as a writer for adults, Roald Dahl began writing children’s stories in 1960 while living in England with his family. His first stories were written as entertainment for his own children, to whom many of his books are dedicated.

Roald Dahl is now considered one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. Although he passed away in 1990, his popularity continues to increase as his fantastic novels, including James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, delight an ever-growing legion of fans.

Learn more about Roald Dahl on the official Roald Dahl website:  www.roalddahl.com .

About the Illustrator

Sarah Walsh is an internationally published illustrator whose project range spans from picture books, apparel, home decor, and greeting cards, to name a few. Her work has also been featured on Creative Pep Talk, Buzzfeed, and The Jealous Curator. Sarah has been a working artist since 2001, starting as a designer/illustrator hybrid at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. In 2013 she branched off solo style into the freelance world after connecting with an art agent named Lilla Rogers. Bright color, fashion, mid-century design, the ’80s, fantasy, hand lettering, world culture, and folk art are some of the elements that inform her work. Sarah’s been fortunate enough to collaborate with clients like Chronicle, Blue Q, Nosy Crow, The Guardian, & Frankie Magazine.

Writing and illustrating a children’s book or working with a fashion designer to create an haute couture clothing line are two of her dream projects! When Sarah isn’t busy doing client work, she fills her sketchbook with personal paintings or creates products such as art prints, enamel pins & pillows for Tigersheep Friends, with her husband Colin Walsh, a fellow illustrator.

You can find her work at Sarahwalshmakesthings.com .

Matilda , written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Sarah Walsh, was reviewed by Bianca Schulze. Discover more books like  Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice by following our reviews and articles tagged with Classics , Illustrated Chapter Books , and Roald Dahl .

What to Read Next:

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• Book Buddies: Ivy Lost and Found | Book Review
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Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

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Books by Roald Dahl and Complete Book Reviews

• Graphix to Publish Dahl's 'The Witches' as Graphic Novel
• Gobsmacked!
• Big Dreams, Big Prizes, and Willy Wonka Spur Roald Dahl’s Imaginormous Challenge
• No Plans for Dahl Text Changes from U.S., European Publishers

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This Forgotten Stop-Motion Gem Is One of the Best Disney Animated Movies of the ‘90s

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Disney’s james and the giant is based on a children’s book by roald dahl, henry selick directed james and the giant peach and the nightmare before christmas, james and the giant peach succeeds where recent roald dahl adaptations fail, key takeaways.

• Roald Dahl refused to let James and the Giant Peach be adapted for film in his lifetime.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas director, Henry Selick, also directed James and the Giant Peach.
• James and the Giant Peach was a box office bomb upon its release in 1996.

When Disney's James and the Giant Peach premiered in April 1996, it was a different sort of movie than what was in the mainstream feature animation scene. At the height of the Disney Renaissance, where the studio was popping out one family-friendly 2D animated musical after another, this stop-motion feature stood out from the rest. James and the Giant Peach didn't have the hallmarks of the usual Disney film, save a handful of tunes by songwriter Randy Newman. Its darker tone was much more reminiscent of the adaptation's source material -- the children's book of the same name by British author Roald Dahl. Disney was even hesitant to produce the film for this reason.

With Dahl's widow having recently released the film rights to the material in 1992, multiple parties in the industry were eager to bring the material to the screen. But it would be Disney who would ultimately produce the movie. While audiences didn't quite know what to make of it, it's still one of the most unique creative endeavors of 1990s animation.

• Roald Dahl wrote the original screenplay for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , but it would go through heavy revisions.

Wonka's Biggest Plot Holes and Unanswered Questions

Timothée Chalamet's Wonka is an endearing origin story about the chocolatier but it has a few cracks in the plot and quaint mysteries left hanging.

The movie James and the Giant Peach is based on a 1961 children's book. The movie takes a few liberties with the source material. One of the biggest being that James does not go through any sort of transformation in the book after taking a bite from the fabled peach. He simply crawls inside and meets his bug companions before setting out on his adventure. The movie makers, however, needed a way to make the stop-motion element of the film make sense. And so this extra story detail was added.

The book has a lot of similar themes and tropes to other children's works by Dahl. A child in an often lonely or unconventional household is the protagonist (James' parents' are eaten by an escaped rhinoceros from the London Zoo), similar to Matilda , The Witches , and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . Like much of Dahl's other works, it has a surreal and slightly dark undertone. Some of Dahl's works have even been deemed controversial in recent years and have gone through publisher revisions for the changing times. Still, James and the Giant Peach has been beloved by so many children over the years, generation after generation, that it's garnered just more than Disney's adaptation. Still, during his own lifetime, Dahl declined to have James and the Giant Peach transformed into a motion picture.

Dahl was not exactly a stranger to the film industry. He worked on the screenplay for Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , and You Only Live Twice. He also wrote the first draft of the screenplay for what would become the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory script. The script would be rewritten by an un-credited writer, and Dahl was not pleased with the final result. Director Mel Stuart said of the Dahl's initial script, "But see, I couldn't do the book the way the book was written and, therefore, Roald Dahl always was unhappy that the picture did not look like his book." Much of Charlie's character arc is absent in the book, but the filmmakers felt it was a narrative necessity. When the rights finally became available in 1992, the likes of Stephen Spielberg and Danny DeVito were also interested in developing the project.

The Witches (1990) was the last film Dahl was alive to see produced. The adaptation starred an intimidating Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch on a mission to lead other witches to capture and eat human children. It was also the last film Jim Henson worked on before his death. Jim Henson's Creature Shop was responsible for the prosthetics and animatronic mice, which were used in addition to real mice in the film. Dahl enjoyed the original cut of the movie, which maintains the same ending as the book. But Dahl disapproved of the theatrical release of the film for having his hero turn back into a human after the witches transformed him into a mouse.

Tim Burton Didn't Direct His Highest-Rated Movie

Tim Burton is often associated with The Nightmare Christmas, the film was actually directed by another acclaimed director.

The idea of turning James and the Giant Peach into a movie was presented to Disney as well as Pixar. In the magazine Cinefantastique , Lawrence Frech writes about how animator, screenwriter and voice actor Joe Ranft championed the book, citing its effect on him as a child. However, Disney didn't want to hedge its bets on such dark material and a cumbersome animation process. Henry Selick, an animator himself, had his eye on the book for several years. After Ranft had recommended it to him, of course/

At the time of its release, audiences may not have realized at first that Selick was also the director of another now infamous stop-motion film. It might seem confusing to learn that Tim Burton did not, in fact, direct the immensely popular The Nightmare Before Christmas , despite the story being an idea of his own imaginings. Selick's name does appear in the film's title. In April 1996, Entertainment Weekly wrote of the oversight:

"If Selick isn’t a household name, it may be because he suffered the indignity of being perhaps the only director in history to make a film that had another director’s name in its title. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) was sold to audiences on the reputation of the man behind Beetlejuice and Batman."

Selick also encountered creative differences with Disney during production. Such as wanting to use Elvis Costello to write the songs which Disney deemed as "too weird" and recommended Newman instead.

Selick would become known as a stop-motion specialist after James and the Giant Peach . He's stated that it's something he simply loves to do, "I'm dedicated to this way of making movies. I could do cel animation or computer animation, but stop motion is what I really love to do." And it doesn't seem to be just stop-motion that has captured Selick's intrigue. His animated films tend to have an element of foreboding as well. Such is the case with Coraline (2009) and, most recently, Wendell & Wild (2022) which he wrote with comedian Jordan Peele based on an unpublished book of his own.

• Matilda (1996) was released the same year as James and the Giant Peach and reset the story in the United States rather than its original setting of the United Kingdom.
• With the release of Wonka (2023), Timothée Chalamet is the third actor to portray Willy Wonka on the big screen, along with Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp.

The Depressing Truth About Willy Wonka's Oompa Loompas

Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was one of secrecy. The cheerful songsters Oompa Loompas revealed the dirty truth behind the chocolatier’s success.

The same year James and the Giant Peach was released, another Dahl adaptation hit theaters. DeVito did end up producing and starring in his own version of Matilda. It's difficult to know how well Dahl would have enjoyed this version, considering it changes much of the source material. The movie is set in America as opposed to Britain and Matilda is much more outwardly precocious than she is in the book. Despite the obvious deviations from the text, critics largely agree that the movie maintained the spirit of the book.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is lucky enough to have been adapted twice. Burton directed the 2005 musical fantasy starring Johnny Depp as Wonka and made a concerted effort to stick closer to the book. Although weighed down by excessive CGI, it certainly does honor Dahl's work more specifically. Gene Wilder, who played the famous chocolatier in the original film, thought Burton's vision was a Hollywood money grab. In truth, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory far out-grossed Wilder's version in the box office.

The most recent interaction of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes in the form of yet another musical starring Timothée Chalamet as Wonka. Although audiences gave Wonka (2023) a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, comparing the visually dark movie with hardly memorable songs to Wilder or even Burton's version is hard. The movie turns Wonka into an optimistic magician as opposed to an eccentric candy maker shrouded in mystery. Much of the darkness and surreal atmosphere that is quintessentially Dahl was washed in a syrupy sweet coating. As with Dahl's dissatisfaction with the more uplifting ending of The Witches (which also suffered a dismal remake in 2020 starring Anne Hathaway in Huston's role), there's a possibility he would not have approved of a more palatable Wonka story.

James and the Giant Peach may not have been a huge financial success for Disney, but as a creative endeavor, it's a major accomplishment. Fans of Dahl will never know if Dahl would have liked the movie, but his widow (Felicity Dahl) said of the movie, "I think Roald would have been delighted with what they did with James. It is a wonderful film." There's no word as to whether or not the movie will ever be remade, but hopefully, audiences will take another look at this 1990s gem of stop-motion animation and gain an appreciation for Selick's work.

James and the Giant Peach

An orphan who lives with his two cruel aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket Book 1) Kindle Edition

• Book 1 of 2 Charlie Bucket
• Print length 162 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 3 - 7
• Lexile measure 810L
• Publisher Viking Books for Young Readers
• Publication date August 16, 2007
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• ISBN-10 9780142410318
• ISBN-13 978-0142410318
• See all details

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• All 2 $14.80

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• Customers Also Enjoyed
• By Roald Dahl
• Fantasy & Magic

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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a singular delight, crammed with mad fantasy, childhood justice and revenge, and as much candy as you can eat. The book is also available in Spanish ( Charlie y la Fabrica de Chocolate ). (The suggested age range for this book is 9-12, but nobody this reviewer has met can resist it, including New York City bellhops, flight attendants, and grumpy teenagers.)

About the Author

Product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0093X805W
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (August 16, 2007)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 16, 2007
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 37946 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 162 pages
• #22 in Children's Humorous Action & Adventure
• #32 in Children's Classic Literature
• #105 in Education & Reference (Kindle Store)

About the author

The son of Norwegian parents, Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 and educated at Repton. He was a fighter pilot for the RAF during World War Two, and it was while writing about his experiences during this time that he started his career as an author.

His fabulously popular children's books are read by children all over the world. Some of his better-known works include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG.

He died in November 1990.

Customer reviews

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• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 84% 11% 3% 1% 1% 1%

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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the chapters short enough that they can complete one each night. They also appreciate the masterful narrating, straightforward classic, and fantastic illustrations. Readers describe the storyline as valuable for all children, with good messages about things kids should avoid doing or being. They appreciate the educational value, saying it has lessons for little kids to learn and underlying messages of morality. Customers also mention the book is very chocolaty and tasty.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the writing style masterful, simple, and beautiful. They also say the book is properly written, a great read-aloud, and detailed. Readers also mention that the characters are vividly portrayed, each with their own quirks and personalities.

"...The characters are vividly portrayed , each with their own quirks and personalities that make them both relatable and larger than life...." Read more

"...Some difficult vocabulary but not much, son is able to read aloud independently (6 years old, soon to be 7) with little correction or assistance...." Read more

"This is a great book my children read the whole book and were able to understand it all and tell me all the details" Read more

"Short chapters, easy for my 7 year old to read . We are enjoying it!" Read more

Customers find the storyline valuable, poignant, and magical. They say it's a good family book with good messages about things kids should avoid doing or being. Readers also mention that the ending is enjoyable and would like to read the sequel.

"...It's a book that sparks the imagination, ignites a sense of wonder , and reminds us of the magic that can be found in even the simplest things...." Read more

"...A great book and with the recent Wonka movie, a great bridge to the content ...." Read more

"...It is funny and teaches lots of life lessons for kids and parents to remember." Read more

"... I enjoyed the ending and I would like to read the sequel. The theme is about getting what one deserves...." Read more

Customers find the book has a lot of lessons for little kids to learn. They say it's good for any age, and allows them to use their imagination. They also appreciate the underlying messages of morality and the consequences of greed. Customers also mention that the story is full of humor, wholesome values, and a great addition to their bookshelf.

"...most about "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is its underlying messages of morality and the consequences of greed...." Read more

"My first grade class enjoyed this as a read aloud. It gave us opportunities for good discussions as well." Read more

"...book, however, was not only properly written, but it also was perfect in the lessons that it teaches about behaviour and being thankful...." Read more

"...the movie as a child and the book is cute and funny and full of child like wonder " Read more

Customers like the illustrations in the book. They say the characters are likable and fantastic.

"...Dahl's descriptions of the mouthwatering candies and treats are so vivid that I could almost taste them myself...." Read more

"...One thing that praise me was that it had illustrations . Some of the illustrations were hilarious...." Read more

"...This is a classic we both enjoy. The illustrations are lovely and the story is one of my favorites." Read more

"...Charlie is an extremely likable character and the illustrations are fantastic . Overall, this book rocks!" Read more

Customers find the book very chocolaty, tasty, and not too sweet. They also say the book is gently, humorously, and cleverly written.

"...The chocolate factory itself is a fantastical setting , filled with whimsy and wonder...." Read more

"...Funny children, great chocolate inventions , and some crazy singing! What is a better combo than this?" Read more

"Just read it with my 5-year old. it was just as delightful and magical as I remember from reading it as a child- and even more so seeing it..." Read more

" Not too sweet , not too tart, this book gently, humorously, and cleverly, but unmistakably messages children to be kind, not greedy, not selfish, not..." Read more

Customers find the chapters in the book short enough to complete one each night. They also say the book has a low page count, which is a reflection of Dahl's writing.

"...The chapters are short . Cute sketches are included as well...." Read more

" Short chapters , easy for my 7 year old to read. We are enjoying it!" Read more

"... A short read , but a fun one." Read more

"...It didn't take me long to finish it, a reflection of not only the low page count but Dahl's writing as well...." Read more

Customers find the book a quick read.

"...The pacing of the book is perfect , with each chapter unveiling a new and exciting adventure within the chocolate factory...." Read more

"...Enjoyable and fun. I would recommend it to anyone looking for quick and enjoyable fun ." Read more

"...Love the movie. Love the book now too. It's a fun, quick read ...." Read more

"...There wasn't. However, it was still very enjoyable, and very rapid read !" Read more

Customers are mixed about the similarities. Some mention that the book has nice differences from the movie, while others say that it's very disappointed.

"A childhood classic. The masterful Rhoald Dahl does it again. Better than either film .... though that isn't hard with the Johnny Depp one." Read more

"...editions, however, each on had the same issue: inferior binding, mediocre (interior pages) paper and printing...." Read more

"I liked the movie... loved the book. Fun read. Nice differences from the movie . Reading James and the Giant Peach next." Read more

"...However, the illustrations were a bit quirky and did not appeal to him . The sparse, black and white sketches seemed inaccessible to a younger reader." Read more

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