Roald Dahl was, by all accounts, a terrible human being. But he's
also the author of several marvelous books for kids, some good creepy short
stories for adults and a couple really good memoirs. He is best known
for his great children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
made iconic by the classic schlocky movie version, Willie Wonka and
the Chocolate Factory.
This is another one of those classics that has become so familiar that
it is perhaps easy to lose sight of its pretty stern moral tone.
In addition to being generally obnoxious, all four of the other kids represent
some bad habit of children:
Augustus Gloomp: gluttony
Verucka Salt: avarice and greed
Violet Beauregarde: gum chewing
Mike Teavee: excess television viewing
The obnoxious children come to various horrible ends, each in keeping
with his or her particular vice. Meanwhile, it is the good child,
Charlie Bucket, who is chosen to take over Wonka's business.
A very funny book that teaches simple yet valuable lessons.
(Reviewed:)
Grade: (A)
Websites:
Book-related and General Links:
-ESSAY:
Little Private Lives on Children's books including Charlie ant
the Chocalate Factory: (Margot Hentoff, NY review of Books)
-REVIEW:
of Children's Books including Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Alison
Lurie, NY Review of Books)
-Roald
Dahl Home Page
-James
and the Giant Peach (Summary & Comments, Art and Entertainments
Page)
-Roald
Dahl's Chocolate Factory
-Roald Dahl
Club
-Roald
Dahl His life - a short description
-Roald
Dahl's Short Stories on the web
-Jeff Meaney's
Roald Dahl Page
-REVIEW:
of Roald Dahl A Biography By Jeremy Treglown (MICHIKO KAKUTANI, NY
Times)
-REVIEW:
of Roald Dahl A Biography By Jeremy Treglown (Ann
Hulbert, NY Times Book Review)
-REVIEW: of Roald Dahl:
A Biography by Jeremy Treglown
At
the Heart of the Onion (Claire Tomalin, NY Review of Books)
-REVIEW:
of MATILDA By Roald Dahl (Vicki Weissman, NY Times Book Review)
-REVIEW:
of THE WITCHES By Roald Dahl (ERICA JONG, NY Times Book Review)
-REVIEW:
of GOING SOLO By Roald Dahl. (Gahan Wilson, NY Times Book Review)
-REVIEW:
of BOY By Roald Dahl. (Hazel Rochman, NY Times Book Review)
-ESSAY:
The Children's Canon (Nicholas Von Hoffman, Civilization)
Comments:
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