Scrumdidlyumptious

Not surprisingly, seeing as how it's a children's book and very short, I finished Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a matter of hours. It also helped that it is a good book. I know I'm way older than this book's intended audience, but I still liked it.

I've never actually read any of Dahl's books before, though I have seen both of the movies. I must say that I thought the original was way better. Normally, I like Johnny Depp, but I thought his Willy Wonka was just creepy--almost Michael Jackson creepy.

Anyway, as for the book, if you've seen either of the movies, you know the basic plot, which is pretty darn good. There is also some good dialogue, especially from Wonka, like:

And oh, what a terrible country it is! Nothing but thick jungles infested by the most dangerous beasts in the entire world--hornswogglers and snozzwangers and those terrible wicked wangdoodles. A wangdoodle would eat ten Oompa-Loompas for breakfast and come galloping back for a second helping.

About the only thing I didn't like were the Oompa-Loompa songs. They just didn't sound all that singable to me. For example:

Augustus Gloop! Augustus Gloop!
That great big greedy nincompoop!
How long could we allow this beast
To gorge and guzzle, feed and feast
On everything he wanted to?

Not that good, is it? The songs from the first movie were much better.

Despite that, it is an excellent book for the young and the youg at heart. I give Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 5 yo-yos Up next is another children's book, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. What can I say, Amazon was having a sale on children's books and I stocked up on fantasy related ones.