A wonderful story!

As the title implies, this is the story of Charlie. Charlie Bucket is the only son of a very poor family. He lives in a very small cottage just outside of town, with his Mom and Dad, his two Grandmas and his two Grandpas.

Charlie absolutely loves chocolate. Alas, his parents are so poor they can only afford to buy him a bar once a year, for his birthday, which is awaited eagerly. Needless to say that passing by Willy Wonka's enormous chocolate factory, the most famous in the world, on his way to school every day is close to torture for poor little Charlie.

Until the day Charlie finds one in only five golden tickets in the whole world that entitles him to a visit of the reknown factory.

I decided to read this book before Tim Burton's adaptation comes out. What a wonderful children story, full of adventures and twists and turns! The factory's a fantastic place, the characters are great, especially Grandpa Joe, and I'm looking forward to seeing the talented (among other qualities) Johnny Depp as Mr. Willy Wonka. And Quentin Blake's illustrations are excellent. Definitely something I'm going to read to my kids (when I have some). I ran to the shop right after I finished it to buy its sequel: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

8/10