Paper Palate

If one book could epitomise the dreams of my childhood, this one would be it. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. What child could resist these pages of glee?

I remember so clearly reading this book over and over again as a child. The stuff in here were what sugarholic dreams were made of. Everlasting gobstoppers, chocolate rivers, a three-course chewing gum meal… How could one ever tire of re-reading this tale?

The very thought of touring a chocolate factory was enough to send a shiver down your eight-year-old spine. Poor little Charlie Bucket, whose father toiled away screwing on the caps of toothpaste, was our reluctant hero. And when he finally deservedly finds that magic golden ticket, we turn the pages with increasing speed.

Roald Dahl was a genius when it came to placing his reader under a page-turning spell. I still remember my escalating entrancement as the factory tour progresses. Lickable wallpaper for nurseries? Spearmint grass you could eat? Oh my. I remember putting the book down and trying to picture it, smiling with giddy delirium at the thought.

It’s this ability to render the world magical that makes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory such a joy to re-read. Sure it has the politically correct police all over it and there are dark undertones, but what fairytale doesn’t?

Two movie versions are both thoroughly entertaining, but as always, the original book remains supreme. Read this if you haven’t already; re-read it if you have. Get back in touch with your inner kid.