Charlie and the chocolate factory

*Starred Review* No single title is more associated with Dahl than this one—funny, then, that the iconic 1971 film version changed it to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Regrettable episode of fat-shaming aside (Augustus Gloop's reviled gluttony is wince-worthy), Dahl's classic-of-classics holds up tremendously well, with hairpin swerves and bizarro details turning each page into a wonder of idiosyncratic absurdity. For you poor saps who don't know the story, it stars hand-to-mouth ragamuffin Charlie Bucket, who beats stratospheric odds by finding one of the five "Golden Tickets" hidden inside Willy Wonka candy bars. The five finders are awarded with a lifetime candy supply and a tour of Wonka's chocolate factory led by the mad genius himself, who hasn't been seen in 10 years. Wonka is a uproarious character sharpened by a subtle, maniacal glee: his monolithic paragraphs of exclamation-pointed dialogue is simply too verbose for comfort. Meanwhile, the winning kids—the aforementioned Gloop, the spoiled Veruca Salt, the gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde, the screen-obsessed Mike Teavee—are roundly grotesque, and their rotten habits lead them to grotesque ends. (Who doesn't shudder when the Oompa-Loompas cart off the blueberry-inflated Violet to "the Juicing Room"?) Charlie is a dull goody-goody, of course, but he's just the boat in which we ride through this particular fun house, which is every bit as giddily subversive as it was 52 years ago. Copyright 2016 Booklist Reviews.

An abbreviated version of Dahl's classic story takes to the pop-up stage, accompanied by Blake's scraggly pen-and-ink caricatures. Gatefolds, mini-booklets, and pop-ups reveal the major plot points of the story ("Two Golden Tickets Found Today!" shouts a headline on a foldout newspaper), with a towering glass elevator on the final spread. Smart use of interactive elements—many of which focus on the grim fates of Charlie's fellow ticket­holders—makes Wonka's already magical world feel even more so. Ages 7–up. (Oct.) [Page ]. Copyright 2011 PWxyz LLC

Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in his own way.

Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!"Rich in humor, acutely observant, Dahl lets his imagination rip in fairyland." —The New York Times