The Roald Dahl novel-plus-sequel on Charlie and Willy Wonka, which are Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, are hilarious, fun novels. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory features 6 kids who enter the factory, and have lots of adventures, but only Charlie ends up coming out. The Great Glass Elevator, which is occurs immediately following the action in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has intense scenes, such as a space battle with Vermicious Knids, and back at the Chocolate Factory with the Wonka’s new creation: Vita-Wonk and Wonka-Vite.

Charlie grows throughout the books: he learns to trust Mr. Wonka, and is liberated to see all the amazing things in the world, such as his factory, and not his other limited, poverty-stricken life. Why Mr. Wonka chooses Charlie, is because he notices that all of the other kids have flaws in their personalities – they’re either greedy, disruptive, dumb, or arrogant. Also, I think he knew that they would get into some sort of trouble, so when Charlie was the last one left, he gave the factory to him. 

         I thought that the Knids in the Great Glass elevator were very creative, and I have literally no idea how Roald Dahl came up with them: “The greenish-brown skin and a shiny wettish appearance and there were wrinkles in it. About three quarters of the way up, in the widest part, there were two large round eyes as big as tea-cups… There were no other features, no nose or mouth or ears, but the entire egg-shaped body was itself moving very very slightly, pulsing and bulging gently here and there as though the skin were filled with some thick fluid.” Although these alien creatures are incredible, I don’t believe in them, and how could Roald Dahl have ever seen one?

Also, about the US presidency, I thought it was funny and cool how Roald Dahl included the president in the book. It was funny because clearly the president was dumb, and there was so much chaos between everyone; from the chief wanting to shoot everyone, to the astronauts getting almost eaten, to the falling of the elevator through the factory, this book is replete with exciting twists and turns.

One of my favorite chapters is in the Great Glass Elevator, when Grandma Georgina is 352 years old because of Vita-Wonk, and the only thing she remembers about her childhood is the Mayflower. “Charlie, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, suddenly jumped up. His face was shining with excitement. ‘If I said the name, Grandma, would you remember it then?’ ‘I might, Charlie. Yes. I think I might: The Mayflower!’” Then she remembers the boat and they are able to figure out how old she is. 

What I think of Charlie’s future is that he will be much better when he is living in the chocolate factory, eating lots of chocolate every day instead of cabbage. The Great Glass Elevator was an amazing book that has limitless creativity, from humor to adventure, to literally running away from egg shaped aliens.