Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Woodburn Public Library | Dahl | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
"Roald Dahl sometimes shared a tonal kinship with Ogden Nash, and he could demonstrate a verbal inventiveness nearly Seussian...[His] stories work better in audio than in print." - The New York Times
Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!
But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an 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!
Author Notes
Roald (pronounced "Roo-aal") was born in Llandaff, South Wales. He had a relatively uneventful childhood and was educated at Repton School. During World War II he served as a fighter pilot and for a time was stationed in Washington, D.C.. Prompted by an interviewer, he turned an account of one of his war experiences into a short story that was accepted by the Saturday Evening Post, which were eventually collected in Over to You (1946).
Dahl's stories are often described as horror tales or fantasies, but neither description does them justice. He has the ability to treat the horrible and ghastly with a light touch, sometimes even with a humorous one. His tales never become merely shocking or gruesome. His purpose is not to shock but to entertain, and much of the entertainment comes from the unusual twists in his plots, rather than from grizzly details.
Dahl has also become famous as a writer of children's stories. In some circles, these works have cased great controversy. Critics have charged that Dahl's work is anti-Semitic and degrades women. Nevertheless, his work continues to be read: Charlie and Chocolate Factory (1964) was made into a successful movie, The BFG was made into a movie in July 2017, and his books of rhymes for children continue to be very popular.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Who doesn't know Dahl's story of poverty-stricken little Charlie Bucket who finds one of Willie Wonka's golden tickets and, along with four other children, gets a tour of his amazing chocolate factory? Each of the other children demonstrates a common childhood failing, to extreme-gluttony, greediness, excessive gum-chewing, and TV addiction. As, one by one, they fall prey to the factory's enticements, soon only Charlie is left and he gets the ultimate prize. What's not to love in a story that circles around niceness and chocolate? Listeners will find themselves once again rooting for Charlie as Douglas Hodge performs the book with vim, vigor, tons of expression, and the occasional sound effect. This is a joyous leap into a childhood classic that both children and adults will enjoy.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a sublime bit of casting, comedic actor Idle delivers an inspired rendition of Dahl's classic novel, available for the first time as an unabridged recording (an abridged Caedmon edition, read by Dahl, was released in the 1970s). Using expert timing and a seemingly strong familiarity with the material, Idle wrings every note of humor from the author's colorful behind-the-scenes look at Willy Wonka's world-famous chocolate factory. During the course of a factory tour (whose participants were determined by a contest), honest, humble Charlie Bucket beats out four bratty, selfish children to become the heir to Wonka's wonderland. Readers new to Dahl, as well as longstanding admirers of the book or even the feature film starring Gene Wilder, will not want to miss Idle's interpretation of Wonka's whirlwind energy and "high and flutey" voice. Ages 6-up. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
BlakeÆs energetic black-and-white illustrations enliven and update DahlÆs cautionary rags-to-riches story, where impoverished, unassuming little Charlie Bucket outlasts the selfish other four candidates to win the grand prize: Willy WonkaÆs chocolate factory. The slapdash effect of the whimsical drawings matches WonkaÆs hyperactive speech and the generally frenetic narrative. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* No single title is more associated with Dahl than this one funny, then, that the iconic 1971 film version changed it to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Regrettable episode of fat-shaming aside (Augustus Gloop's reviled gluttony is wince-worthy), Dahl's classic-of-classics holds up tremendously well, with hairpin swerves and bizarro details turning each page into a wonder of idiosyncratic absurdity. For you poor saps who don't know the story, it stars hand-to-mouth ragamuffin Charlie Bucket, who beats stratospheric odds by finding one of the five Golden Tickets hidden inside Willy Wonka candy bars. The five finders are awarded with a lifetime candy supply and a tour of Wonka's chocolate factory led by the mad genius himself, who hasn't been seen in 10 years. Wonka is a uproarious character sharpened by a subtle, maniacal glee: his monolithic paragraphs of exclamation-pointed dialogue is simply too verbose for comfort. Meanwhile, the winning kids the aforementioned Gloop, the spoiled Veruca Salt, the gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde, the screen-obsessed Mike Teavee are roundly grotesque, and their rotten habits lead them to grotesque ends. (Who doesn't shudder when the Oompa-Loompas cart off the blueberry-inflated Violet to the Juicing Room?) Charlie is a dull goody-goody, of course, but he's just the boat in which we ride through this particular fun house, which is every bit as giddily subversive as it was 52 years ago.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2016 Booklist