I don't know how it is that I managed to not read this book - or any Roald Dahl book! - until now. I know it's a classic and I know Roald Dahl is one of the greats, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading this one.
Right away, this book struck me as one that is meant to be read aloud, with events unfolding as if they were being described by a storyteller, not just a narrator. Willy Wonka's exclamation-point-filled dialogue is great fun to read! I suppose the Oompa-Loompa songs might be hard to pull off, but they could just as well be chanted, I suppose.
The book is a light-hearted read, which at first seemed a bit odd when paired with the fact that Charlie Bucket and his family were starving! But then the breezy tone became an asset as the other children got into quite shocking and somewhat disturbing predicaments. It's a humor-filled morality tale, and the other children got justly punished for their naughty behavior. I don't know that gum-chewing and TV-watching are quite as bad as gluttony and greed, but the lessons are clear.
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