Read with the kiddies. A classic but I prefer Matilda.

I’ve been reading this with my 6 year old & we really enjoyed the first book in the collection, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Remembering it from childhood & hearing a young persons perspective & enthusiasm was lovely but we have given up on the second book, Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator!

If these books were not combined on 1 volume I’d never believe they’d been written by the same person! The Great Glass Elevator was just total nonsense!

I think one of my favorite parts of motherhood is revisiting favorite books and sharing them with my kids. This is definitely one of those cases. We're reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for a bed time story for two reasons. One, I find it incredibly sad when my children think of the movie before the book in cases like this. Two, it's the best door into the universe of whimsy and fun that is Ronald Dahl.

Charlie and the chocolate factory 3/5
Charlie and the great glass elevator 1/5

I really couldn't be bother with the second part.

Plus, nothing compares to Matilda.

These books were some of my childhood favorites so when I started reading with my 10 year old each night we decided to read this bind up of the series. He enjoyed it and I loved revisiting it. I realized I had forgotten some of the details.

This collection is so ridiculously whimsical it's perfect - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an absolute classic. This is probably my 5th time reading this book, and nothing ever gets old. The sequel (within the same book) was AMAZING, with space travel and age reversal and all this fast-paced action that never feels too quick and yet you find yourself in a new setting every 1-2 pages. Roald Dahl is a true master of children's fiction. The only thing I found disappointing was that the second half of the book lacked substance - it just felt like its purpose was to be as crazy as possible, and while yes I definitely liked the adventure I felt as if the characters were less iconic and lacked any sort of change throughout the story. Oh well, thank you for making me feel like a 9-year-old again, if only for a few hours =)

Two well known stories by Dahl. I've seen the movie and thought that perhaps the books might be a bit darker and more adult. That would have been cool, but they weren't. They're okay children’s stories, the writing is mediocre and the stories are fun in a chocolate cake with frosting kinda way, mouthwatering to look at, good while you're eating it but in the end not memorable.

Easy read, good book, Roald Dahl is always enjoyable.

5/5 for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I enjoyed seeing the kids at the end, I think that did more to teach a young reader the intended lessons than never seeing or talking about them again.

3/5 for the Great Glass Elevator.

It was as zany as the Chocolate Factory but the evil monster killer space aliens (and especially the fact that several unnamed people were straight up killed in space) seemed a bit much and closing in on totally inappropriate for (who I assume is) the intended audience.

Overall I’m glad I read these and the 4 year old loved them both. I’m sure his review will be much kinder.

There is Nothing Like a Good Story

MY FAVORITE book EVER!

Just finished reading this with my 7year old. I just love rereading my own childhood favourites with my kids. Ronald Dahl is just perfect. You cannot beat his imagination.