Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl

Book Review May 03, 2023

My review

1/5 stars

My son and I really enjoyed reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a few weeks ago, so we went straight into Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator to round the story out - sadly neither of us had the same level of connection to this second Charlie Bucket instalment.

Where I struggled the most was the lack of coherent plot line. There was no over-arching story for us to follow; the first half of the book was about them encountering aliens in space and the second half of the book was about them experimenting with aging pills. These two separate plots felt very separate as we were reading and left me with the impression that two stories had been welded together to force a book.

Where I think my son struggled the most was that he couldn't relate to the characters. Despite this being a Charlie Bucket story, he didn't feel as much of a focus in this second book. There was a lot of page real estate spent on three moaning grandparents feeling sorry for themselves, and that's hard for a young child to empathise with.

This is not one of the Roald Dahl books I remember reading as a child, and that's either because it was forgettable or because I actually didn't read it (turns out that was no great loss) - either way it's not a book that I think me or my son will be revisiting.

Book blurb

WHOOSH! Inside the Great Glass Elevator, Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket and his family are cruising a thousand feet above the chocolate factory.
They can see the whole world below them, but they're not alone. The American Space Hotel has just launched. Lurking inside are the Vernicious Knids - the most brutal, vindictive murderous beasts in the universe.
So grab your gizzard! Hold your hats! Only Charlie and Willy Wonka can stop the Knids from destroying everything!