Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie Bucket’s back for another adventure. When the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time. Visiting the world’’ first space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, intergalactic joyride.
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Publisher: Puffin Books; Reprint edition (August 16, 2007)
Page Count: 169 pages
Though I never read the book, as a kid I loved the Gene Wilder “Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.” From the music (“Pure Imagination” is one of my favorite songs) to the fantastical world of the Chocolate Factory, I was just swept up in this quirky world that Roald Dahl created. And now the question I’ve been wondering since childhood has finally been answered: What is a Vermicious Knid?
The Plot
Well, the thing is there isn’t really much of a plot. It’s more of an amalgamation of silly adventures that amble about from crazy aliens in space to a miraculous youth potion that goes terribly wrong. There’s also a lot of kiddy little rhymes that were kinda cute.
The Characters
Most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional. I can’t fault that too much since this is a kid’s book. I felt like Charlie Bucket himself was in the background for the majority of the story. Mr. Wonka is of course the most definitive character with his quirky dialogue and odd personality. Though my favorite character had to be Grandpa Joe because when the other grandparents wailed in fear at the Vermicious Knids, he threatened to beat the crap out of them. XD
Most of the adults are quite silly and melodramatic especially the president and the spy that wears fake everything. XD
The Setting
The world of Willa Wonka and Charlie Bucket resembles our own but has some definitive differences what with a giant space station hotel and Oompa Loompas. Most of the book takes place in space as Wonka, Charlie, and fam travel around in the Great Glass Elevator where they meet Vermicious Knids, which do not look like I thought they would but I’m so happy to finally know what they are. XD
The Theme
I guess selfishness is one because the grandparents suffer great consequences from being selfish and greedy and then learn their lesson.
Epic Things
I wouldn’t call this epic per se but the concept of the Great Glass Elevator is cool.
Content Cautions
This is a young kid’s book so there’s next to no content. The only two things of note I found was the Vermicious Knids swallowed some people whole off screen and at one point the book is culturally insensitive to Chinese people.
What We Can Lean For Our Writing
In the Case of Kid’s Books Sometimes There Doesn’t Have to Be a Big Plot – Like I said earlier this book doesn’t have as much of a plot as an amalgamation of adventures and though that isn’t my preferred taste now as an adult I know I would have like that sort of thing as a kid.
How This Applies it Our Writing: Other examples of this are Winnie the Pooh, Pippi Longstocking, or Amelia Bedelia. It’s not really the plot but the characters you want to focus on but what the many characters do and react to on their many adventures.
Conclusion
This book is definitely meant for kids, but it’s a cute little read if you want to find out the burning Vermicious Knid question or give your cousin/niece/nephew/child a laugh before bedtime.
Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was born in Llandaff, South Wales, and went to Repton School in England. His parents were Norwegian, so holidays were spent in Norway. As he explains in Boy, he turned down the idea of university in favor of a job that would take him to”a wonderful faraway place. In 1933 he joined the Shell Company, which sent him to Mombasa in East Africa. When World War II began in 1939 he became a fighter pilot and in 1942 was made assistant air attaché in Washington, where he started to write short stories. His first major success as a writer for children was in 1964. Thereafter his children’s books brought him increasing popularity, and when he died children mourned the world over, particularly in Britain where he had lived for many years.The BFG is dedicated to the memory of Roald Dahls eldest daughter, Olivia, who died from measles when she was seven – the same age at which his sister had died (fron appendicitis) over forty years before. Quentin Blake, the first Children’s Laureate of the United Kingdom, has illustrated most of Roald Dahl’s children’s books.
I haven ever actually read the original Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. Or ANY of Roald Dahl’s book. :O I’ve always wanted to though. I honestly love reading quirky little children’s books now and again. There’s something refreshing about their lighthearted silliness. So YES. I definitely need to pick these up sometime!
Me either! This was my first one! His works are definitely worth a read!