Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) is a children's book by Norwegian-British author Roald Dahl. This story of the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric candymaker Willy Wonka is often considered[who?] one of the most beloved children's stories of the 20th century.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was first published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1967, and in the United Kingdom by George Allen & Unwin in 1967. The book was adapted into two major motion pictures: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 1971, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005. The book's sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, was written by Roald Dahl in 1972.


Charlie Bucket, a intelligent boy from a poor family, lives with his parents and both sets of elderly grandparents. From these four, especially Grandpa Joe, he hears stories about the candymaker Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory he built. His Grandpa Joe knows a great deal about Wonka's factory. As time passed, Wonka began to suspect that spies were stealing his recipes to give to rival firms, so he fired all his workers and announced that he was going out of business forever. The factory has since resumed operations, but the gates are still locked and no one knows who works for Wonka now.

Wonka holds a worldwide contest, in which five Golden Tickets are hidden under the wrappers of his candy bars; the prize for those who find them is a day-long tour of the factory. Charlie and four children (gluttonous Augustus Gloop, spoiled Veruca Salt, gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde, and television-obsessed Mike Teavee) win the contest and go on the tour, led by Wonka. As the group moves from room to room, one child after another falls victim to his/her particular vices and is removed.

Charlie is the only child who does not misbehave throughout the tour. Seeing that he is the only one left, Wonka announces that he has "won" the entire factory and will take over the company after Wonka retires. The two board a special glass elevator along with Grandpa Joe, who has accompanied Charlie on the tour, and they are propelled up from the factory, the story continuing in the sequel: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.