Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of my all time favourite childhood novels, and I find that it is a book that I enjoy immensely still. Roald Dahl narrates the brilliantly spun story in his own unique, funny and descriptive way that is suitable for children and adults alike. Here is my review, covering several aspects of this book:

PRICE:

It is hard to be specific about the price, as this book was published quite a long time ago, but there are regular reprints of this book of which you could easily pick up at your local bookstore. At the moment, you can buy this book for £2 (cheaper than most books you can find) including postage and packaging, which is quite a good deal for such a witty book. If you are not too bothered about the state and condition of the book, providing that it is still intact and that you can read it, then it would be advisable to scour junk sales and charity shops for this book; it is relatively easy to find good condition copies for around 50p or so- a fantastic bargain.

CONTENT AND PLOT:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has a unique, Roald Dahl style plot; a poor boy finds a golden ticket admitting him to a once in a lifetime chance to be taken on a tour around the magical chocolate factory of the mysterious and completely eccentric Willy Wonka. One by one, the greedy little children get 'disposed of' in bizarre ways of which only Road Dahl would have been able to invent, leaving only Charlie and his grandfather. Though these ways of disposing of the children are by no doubt slightly mean, you cannot help but find them funny; and Dahl makes the point that the children were greedy and deserved their punishment, and the good people (Charlie and his grandfather) will always have more to gain in the end. It is a humorous book which never fails to make me literally Laugh Out Loud, but also spreads hope amongst its readers; if it happened to an ordinary boy like Charlie, then why should it not happen to you? The way in which Dahl conveys his weird and wonderful tale is unique, and unlike any author I have read before; he uses a variety of strange words (some of which I am pretty sure are as made up as Wonka's chocolate factory), and makes the book suitable for all people of all age groups with its witty and charismatic storytelling.

ILLUSTRATIONS:

The illustrations in this book are by Quentin Blake, and the images often look strange and distorted; they take quite a bit of time to get used to. However, when you DO get used to it, you find that the style of Blake's illustrations rather match the style of Dahl's writing; what with its weird and wonderful creation. At childhood, I found the illustrations to be odd and mismatched- however, now I find that the pictures fit well with the text, and gives it a little something extra.

IN CONCLUSION:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a recommended read for anyone of all ages; it is a brilliant witty book suitable for everybody. If you have already read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then I would recommend either rereading it to see how your perceptions of it have changed, or to try reading some of Roald Dahl's other works, which are just as funny and bizarre as his most famous book. For me, I can never get sick of the strange yet wonderful style of writing applied, and would recommend this book very highly.