Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl is my first Roald Dahl book and I must say I love it! This highly imaginative book is a gem and one that’s full of lessons. I like the little boy Charlie very much and like most children, he is full of curiosity. He is also obedient for he listens to his parents, Mr and Mrs Bucket, and his very old grandparents. His family is poor and the seven of them live in a tiny, worn-down house. It is heartbreaking to read his family situation.

One day, Mr Willy Wonka, a well-known chocolate maker who has been missing in action for a long, long time comes back into business. As we know, Mr Wonka makes all sorts of wonderful, out-of-this-world, magical sweets. His chocolate-making secrets had been copied before by other manufacturers for that’s the reason he closed down and went ‘missing.’ He now protects them by hiring a mysterious workforce when he reopens. The workers are never seen to enter or exit from his factory—very strange.

The action starts when Mr Wonka launches a competition with an irresistible prize: a visit IN the factory for five children! These children will be able to see how his secret chocolates are made and their adult guardians can come with them. To win, each of them must possess the golden ticket only found in Wonka chocolates! The world, of course, launches into a chocolate-buying frenzy. But Charlie—a chocolate lover—is so poor he couldn’t afford to buy enough chocolates to get a chance to win a ticket. His family couldn’t even afford a decent meal. What to do?

The day comes when the five winners—all from different backgrounds and attitudes—get their tour in the factory. Four of them are spoilt brats in their unique ways, and the fifth one is Charlie (of course he got in, but how?)! What an experience each of these children and their parents go through (except Charlie for he brought his grandfather).

Mr Wonka is an enthusiastic person. There are lots of exclamation marks (!!) punctuating his sentences and italics to emphasize his points. The children soon discover who the factory workers are. It is interesting to see how the children’s mischief gets them into trouble inside. I love how Roald Dahl weaves the magical story so wonderfully and it was fun reading about how each ‘weird’ incident that happens during the tour is in direct relation to the naughtiness of the four obnoxious children.

Watch out for the twist towards the ending because there is more to things than just the factory tour. This is an amazing tale.