Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was first published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1964 and in the United Kingdom by George Allen & Unwin 11 months later. In the 2012 survey published by SLJ, a monthly with primarily US audience, Charlie was the second of four books by Dahl among their Top 100 Chapter Books, one more than any other writer. Time magazine in the US included the novel in its list of the 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time.
Is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 6 and up.
A classic children's tale with mild peril and consequences for misbehaving children (some meet unpleasant fates). Themes of poverty, greed, and virtue are presented in a fantastical, whimsical setting.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include child harm, death of child, and body horror.
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
Kids will love the magical candy creations and the adventure through Willy Wonka's mysterious factory with its surprises around every corner.