Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl's much-loved story about how Charlie Bucket wins a ticket to visit Willy Wonka's amazing chocolate factory is turned into a play for children to act. With tips about scenery, props and lighting, the play is easy to stage and there are lots of parts for everyone. Roald Dahl, the best-loved of children's writers, died in 1990 but his books continue to be bestsellers. Richard George was an elementary school teacher in New York when he wrote this stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's bestselling story - and Roald Dahl himself recommended that it should be published.

Plays for Children

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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, in the beloved story that includes movie stills from the upcoming film starring Johnny Depp. Original.

Nica

‘The most important thing we’ve learned, so far as children are concerned, is never, NEVER, NEVER let them near your television set — or better still, just don’t install the idiotic thing at all. In almost every house we’ve been, we’ve watched them gaping at the screen. They loll and slop and lounge about, and stare until their eyes pop out. (Last week in someone’s place we saw a dozen eyeballs on the floor.) They sit and stare and stare and sit until they’re hypnotized by it. Until they’re absolutely drunk with all that shocking ghastly junk. Oh yes, we know it keeps them still, they don’t climb on the window sill, they never fight or kick or punch, they leave you free to cook the lunch and wash the dishes in the sink — But did you ever stop to think, to wonder just exactly what this does to your beloved tot?

IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD! IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD! IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND! IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND! HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS HIS CHEESE! HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE! HE CANNOT THINK — HE ONLY SEES! 

“All right!” you’ll cry. “All right!” you’ll say, “But if we take that set away, what shall we do to entertain our darling children! Please explain!” 

We’ll answer this by asking you, “What used the darling ones to do? How used they keep themselves contented before this monster was invented?” Have you forgotten? Don’t you know? We’ll say it very loud and slow: THEY … USED … TO … READ! They’d READ and READ, AND READ and READ, and then proceed TO READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks! One half their lives was reading books! The nursery shelves held books galore! Books cluttered up the nursery floor! And in the bedroom, by the bed, more books were waiting to be read! 

Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales, and treasure isles, and distant shores, where smugglers rowed with muffled oars, and pirates wearing purple pants, and sailing ships and elephants, and cannibals crouching round the pot, stirring away at something hot. (It smells so good, what can it be? Good gracious, it’s Penelope.) The younger ones had Beatrix Potter, with Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter, and Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and — Just How The Camel Got His Hump, And How The Monkey Lost His Rump, And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul, there’s Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole — 

Oh, books, what books they used to know, those children living ago! So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books, ignoring all the dirty looks, the screams and yells, the bites and kicks, and children hitting you with sticks — Fear not, because we promise you that, in about a week or two of having nothing else to do, they’ll now begin to feel the need of having something good to read. And once they start — oh boy, oh boy! You watch the slowly growing joy that fills their hearts. They’ll grow so keen they’ll wonder what they’d ever seen in that ridiculous machine, that nauseating, foul, unclean. Repulsive, television screen! And later, each and every kid will love you more for what you did.

'He spoils her,' Grandpa Joe said. 'And no good can ever come from spoiling a child like that, Charlie, you mark my words.'

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.

𝚕𝚒𝚕𝚢

Sarah Sammis

The gates of Mr. Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory are opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, and 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!
(back cover)

Briar's Reviews

One of my New Years Resolutions was the read more "classics" this year, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of the first I was able to pick up. I was so lucky that I found this book at a local charity book sale! It was screaming my name the minute I saw it on the table and it's been screaming my name while it's been sitting on my bookshelf (well...desk. My bookshelves are rather full. I need to get reading faster and more to clear some room...).

I've seen both of the movies (Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp) so I knew what was coming. It was going to be a book full of shenanigans with some humor and lessons sprinkled throughout. And boy, did it not disappoint! I have to say, Roald Dahl is one amazing author and I really want to read more by him now. This classic is so full of childish nonsense and valuable lessons all at the same time. It's mesmerizing what this man could do with his words.

The book has some deep, dark material that comes off as playful. Charlie and his family weren't well off and Roald make that very, very clear. Yet the prose he puts this narrative in makes it seem... fun? Silly? I can't even pick the right word. As an adult, I am in awe of how this family survived but I could easily see a child laughing their way through. A child would truly have no idea what the horror of starving is like, yet it is described so amazingly in this book...

Seriously, I'm in awe. I am in complete and utter awe over this man's writing. He's a literary genius, to say the least.

There are parts as an adult that I can pick apart, but I don't think this book was intended to be some literary work that needs to be examined like Shakespeare. This book shows the good and the bad of being a kid - don't be stubborn, don't be a brat, don't watch television all day, don't go ahead without listening - stuff that we all learn as a kid. Charlie is the "perfect" child who listens and does what he is supposed to, and in the end he wins. Is this how life works? Nope. Is it still important to teach? Heck yes!

Wonka is such a wild and interesting character too. He's a very old adult but doesn't act like it who employs Oompa Loompa and pays them in cacoa beans. He has a giant workshop but no workers and wants to give a child his only life's work. Yes, that makes so much sense... Not. But it's believable in this book, because he's so wild and zany... I'd love to see a perfect adaption of this book - word for word, picture for picture, etc.

The language, dark humour and sarcasm in this book also make it absolutely hilarious. Snozzberries gets me every time! And Wonka's absolutely amazing sarcasm against the children... Well, it's mean but it's funny. So funny. I found myself giggling at how ridiculous some of the comments were, yet I still loved it all the same.

Either way, this book is amazing! I wish I would have read it as a kid but reading it as an adult was so much funnier! Amazingly enough, this book only took me two days to finish.

Five out of five stars!

I need some more Roald Dahl in my life!

Bri Billaney

Good book, but I literally can't picture Willy Wonka as anyone but Johnny Depp. Has this ruined it for me? Absolutely not. Do I get a kick out of picturing Johnny Depp's Wonka in Roald Dahl's universe? Absolutely yes.

The book is fast-paced, which I think, a factor why I didn't enjoy reading it as much as watching the movie but the child in me would still say YES to this.

Belle🌷🎀

Stef

pertama baca charlie and the chocolate factory gara2 disuruh bikin summary di kelas reading, and setelah baca i really love this book,

Ryan LaFerney

I couldn't recall reading this book as a child, so I decided to pick this up for a bit of entertainment. Let me start by saying that Dahl is a genius for disguising his morality tale through the veils of dark (yet kid friendly) humor. This book is truly entertaining and at times, quite frightening while also being touching (I love Charlie's relationship with his grandfather).
We all know the story. 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 from Quentin Blake. What is interesting about the story is that various forms of bad behavior are demonstrated -- but the punishments perfectly fit the crimes. Most the kids are addicted to one vice or another such as lust or greed, except for our hero Charlie, who is pure at heart, even though he lives a life of poverty that's portrayed as bleak and depressing. He has love and a wild imagination that isn't focused on owning things, over eating, or watching glops of television. You can tell Charlie is thankful for his circumstances while all the other demanding kids aren't. This is not a sanitized Children's story. It is raw and dark and truthful and it's message of thanksgiving, imagination and the affects of various vices remains quite important for children and adults alike.

Izza

4.5 stars | Love this book :D Cute kid, crazy dude and lots of chocolate, what's not to like?

Amanda

This is was such a super cute and quick read.

Join Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka's amazing chocolate factory. With tips about scenery, props and lighting, this play is easy to stage and there are lots of parts for everyone.

A Play

Maria🥂

Just perfect like every children-young book roald dahl has written 🥂

Blackwell North America.

Christian Biet

Ce récit fantaisiste, riche en imagination, fertile en rebondissements, traduit bien, par son humour, l'esprit caractéristique anglo-saxon. Un supplément de 32 pages (jeux, tests, exercices d'observation) prolonge la lecture de ce roman.

Charlie et la chocolaterie

Sarah Escorsa

Un excellent souvenir de lecture de jeunesse!

Quentin Blake

'I, WILLY WONKA, have DECIDED to allow FIVE CHILDREN to visit my FACTORY this year. These LUCKY FIVE will be allowed to see all THE SECRETS AND MAGIC.'
--back cover

Milo Jean

Honestly this was adorable. I can see why it’s a children’s classic.

Jennifer

It's mouth-watering and full of imagination.

Mayra Melo

The movie marked my childhood. I simply loved it. And while I read the book all I could think was: how is it possible that the book is EVEN better? It was magical, beautiful, fun; I had a silly smile on my face all through it. Roald Dahl turns every little detail of the story into magic. This book warms my heart.

Kirsty

4.5 - I actually enjoyed this my re-read of this so much more than I expected to. It 100% stood the test of time. I remember loving it as a kid but wasn't sure if I would feel the same as an adult.

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

Charlie and the chocolate factory

Destiny J Tamayo

It was alright but I expected to love it a lot more. I thought the characters were quite flat and everything in the factory was just scene after scene with no development.

Jeremy Anderberg

Pretty weird, obviously, but still a really fun read with kids. Next up is the (original) movie.

I never read this book as a kid, and I'm wondering what kept me away from it all of these years.

It was weird as this is one of the few books where I have seen the movie before the book. Two different movies, in fact. So my enjoyment might have stemmed more from my mind's eye of Johnny Depp saying these lines as Wonka and how similar my preferred Wonka movie was to the book.

My only complaint is that, other than being better than the monsters of children he was accompanied by, and being poor, Charlie didn't really do much to win the factory. Unless the point was that good things happen to good people while the bad get their just desserts, but it is still an odd moral for a kid's book.

Trevor Berrett

A wonderful reread with my kids -- I'd forgotten just how much fun the book is.

LA Fabbrica Di Cioccolato

Diana 

Ho letto questo libro a 20 anni e l'ho trovato divertente, brillante, paradossale, mai statico. Il Signor Dahl, con la sua scrittura ironica, si accanisce contro quei genitori fannulloni e contro i figli viziati e corrotti suggerendo anche metodi educativi alternativi e simpatiche riflessioni.
Dialoghi e caratterizzazione dei personaggi identici a quelli del film di Tim Burton!
Libro che, anche una volta finito, ti fa venire voglia di caramelle e di cioccolata fondente.

Caroline Laidlaw

Charlie Bucket finds a Golden Ticket which wins him a whole day at Willie Wonka's chocolate factory in this captivating favourite by Roald Dahl.

Neveen Badr

I was reading this with my primary one children and they loved it as much as I love it. They have got attached to the characters; loved Charlie and found the other children really never deserved the Chocolate Factory.
Just magnificent tale about how satisfaction can gets you even the most wonderful things in life. Appreciate what you have and God will reward you with much better things. Charlie was indeed poor but well behaved...

Kerri McDonald

I've always loved Roald Dahl. I read almost all of his books when I was a little kid, but, somehow, I never got to this one. I loved it just as much as I loved the others! This man had quite the imagination on him and it still leaves an impression on me, even though I'm in my 30s now.

Lysh (She/Her)

This is a whirlwind adventure, filled with golden tickets, boistrous and obnoxious children, natives from Loompaland, a chocolate waterfall, a gum machine, good walnuts and bad walnuts, television-chocolate, and a glass elevator. This is my first time emarking on this journey with Charlie to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, all thanks to my teaching colleague, who assured me that I was missing out on childhood without this masterpiece in my "read" pile. As per usual, she was correct. 

 

Although I'm reading this as an adult, I will review it as this novel stands in its genre and for its intended audience of roughly 7-10 year-olds. The characters in this novel are amusing and well-rounded (especially young Augustus Gloop!). We follow 5 children as they collect their precious Golden Tickets, hidden amongst Mr Wonka's chocolate bars. With these tickets, these few children and their parents/guardians are provided with the opportunity to tour Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory; the insides of which are suspect to rumour! Each child has their flaws; gluttonous, rude, spoiled-natured, addicted...and then you have Charlie, whose only downfall seems to be that his family has fallen on hard times. With this lovable child as our protagonist, we begin to explore how these flaws become fatal with time. 

 

The plot moves quickly and with wit. As Mr Wonka's factory works its magic to choose the winner of the competition for a year's worth of chocolate and sweets, we experience rooms of wonder and fun. Dahl throws us into a world we could have never imagined and makes the unbelievable, believable. 

 

Dahl's voice is clear and descriptive throughout. His use of vocabulary is fantastic to build childrens' word knowledge and to build an image for the reader. He has an obvious flair for poetry, as evidenced by the Oompa Loompas' songs of woe throughout. 

 

The morals are clear for children and the values upheld by Dahl come through in each scene. I adore the quirkiness of Wonka and how his slight craziness adds to his success as an adult. I love how Charlie's positive qualities shine, together with his thoughtfulness and generosity towards his family. The ending is happy yet quirky, just like Wonka and his funny factory.

Gabriela Roxana 

This was my favorite book as a child. I am so happy to listen to it on audiobook, the narration was sublime!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Plays for Children

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