Dahl Omnibus: 
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory James and the Giant Peach  Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl

Puffin 2001 

433p pbk $19.95

 0-14-131163-0

This book is actually three stories in one. The reason why these stories are together is they all have a moral to them. All three stories begin with the same moods: the characters start off sad, then frightened, but they always have a happy ending. All of the stories are fun and exciting and filled with adventure, and for this reason I think all children everywhere would love these stories.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The first time I heard this story was when I saw it on video. I think the book was better than the video because you could use your own imagination to create the characters.  The main person in the story is a small boy named Charlie Bucket who lived with his parents and grandparents. His family was very poor, and they could not afford to eat properly. Charlie longed for chocolate, and he wished he had some every day he walked passed Mr Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory on his way to school. One day, trucks were lined up outside the gates at Mr Wonka's Factory. They were full of chocolate bars. There was going to be a competition. Somewhere hidden in these chocolate bars were five golden tickets, and the lucky finders of these tickets would be able to have a tour of Mr Wonka's Chocolate Factory, and at the end, they would be given a lifetime's supply of chocolate. When the big day came to go to the Factory, Charlie went along with his Grandpa Joe. Although Charlie was the poorest of the children who had won, he was also the least bratty. Charlie watches while horrible things happen to the bratty children, and eventually he is the only one left who hasn't broken any of the rules. Will Charlie be the next child to meet a terrible fate, or will he and his family get to live happily ever after?

Madeleine, Year 6, Canberra, ACT