“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!
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“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a singular delight, crammed with mad fantasy, childhood justice and revenge, and as much candy as you can eat.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review
“Rich in humor, acutely observant, Dahl lets his imagination rip in fairyland.”
— New York Times“[A] favorite tale.”
— Publishers Weekly“An amusing tale that has been entertaining kids for more than three decades.”
— Children’s LiteratureBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was one of the greatest storytellers of all time. He was born in Llanduff, South Wales, of Norwegian parents, in 1916, and educated in English boarding schools. In search of adventure, the young Dahl took a job with Shell Oil in Africa. When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot, almost dying in a plane crash in 1942. It was following this “monumental bash on the head” and a meeting with the author C. S. Forester that Dahl’s writing career began, with articles for magazines such as the New Yorker. He wrote successful novellas and short stories for adults, such as Tales of the Unexpected, before concentrating on children’s stories. The first of these, James and the Giant Peach, in 1960, was followed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and an unbroken string of hugely successful, bestselling works. His numerous honors include the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and numerous Edgar Awards.
Douglas Hodge is a multi-award-winning English actor, with Olivier and Tony awards for his performance in La Cage aux Folles, and nominations for his leading roles in Cyrano de Bergerac, Guys and Dolls, and Inadmissible Evidence. He played the role of Willy Wonka in Sam Mendes’ musical of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.