book review on charlie and the great glass elevator

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Charlie and the great glass elevator, common sense media reviewers.

Not up to the original, but entertaining.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Some sly satire on the American politics of the 19

Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fa

Battles with aliens, some deaths. The creepy alien

Parents need to know that this book has vividly described, highly whimsical events, accompanied by clever sketches, but the story is a pale shadow of the original. It has highly descriptive -- and, at times, invented -- language, and references to the Cold War.

Positive Messages

Some sly satire on the American politics of the 1970's, but on the whole nothing too overt or negative. The sequel does lack the timelessness of the first, however.

Positive Role Models

Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame is back, and he is just as good as ever.

Violence & Scariness

Battles with aliens, some deaths. The creepy aliens might frighten some very young children.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Where to read, community reviews.

• Parents say (3)
• Kids say (3)

Based on 3 parent reviews

High peril and death?

Excellent read, what's the story.

When we last saw Charlie, at the end of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , he was sailing through the sky with his family in Willy Wonka's Great Glass Elevator. At the beginning of this sequel, the flying Elevator accidentally hurtles into outer space, where a Commuter Capsule is shuttling its passengers to the Space Hotel U.S.A.

The Capsule's astronauts mistake the Elevator's passengers for aliens. But there are real aliens inside the Space Hotel--slimy Vermicious Knids. Mr. Wonka, Charlie, and his family escape just in time, but some of the Capsule's passengers not so lucky--several of them are killed. For a while, it looks like the aliens will get them all. But Mr. Wonka uses the Great Glass Elevator to get everyone safely back to earth, where the President, a bit of a buffoon, invites them to the White House.

Is It Any Good?

This zippy tale is enjoyable enough, but it doesn't live up to the promise of Roald Dahl's first tale of Charlie Bucket's adventures with Willy Wonka. The main problem is that the story just isn't as timeless as the first. Surely adults will recognize the sly satire of the American space program and the Cold War of the early '70s, but children probably won't.

What is timeless, though, is Dahl's irreverent wit and irrepressible imagination. Children will be charmed when Mr. Wonka uses bad nonsense poetry to convince astronauts and the gullible authorities back on Earth that he is an alien invader. Readers will also be thrilled by the real aliens, the inventively named Vermicious Knids, who are horrifyingly stretchy egg-shaped creatures with disgusting "greenish-brown skin of a shiny, wettish appearance." If your children haven't come across Charlie and the Chocolate Factory yet, make sure they read it first.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about aging. What do the grandparents learn from their experience with Wonka's pills?

Book Details

• Author : Roald Dahl
• Illustrator : Quentin Blake
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Penguin Group
• Publication date : January 1, 1972
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
• Number of pages : 176
• Last updated : July 12, 2017

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Book Review: “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator” by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the great glass elevator by roald dahl.

This sequel to  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  picks up where the original left off, with Charlie Bucket and his parents, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Josephine, Grandpa George, Grandma Georgina, and Mr. Willie Wonka himself in the magical glass elevator, on their way to take over the Wonka Chocolate Factory. But because the three bedridden old ones are still cantankerous and full of doubts, they ascend too high and end up in orbit. It just happens that the great Space Hotel USA is about to open, and they take advantage of their plight to be the first on board the opulent luxury hotel in space.

Only, they aren’t the first. Something has gotten there before them — a thousand somethings from far away in outerspace — about the nastiest somethings you could ask for. And in their madcap escape, which also happens to be an international incident of the utmost absurdity (you’ll LOVE the President of the US), they also have to help a space capsule full of housekeepers, waitresses, and bell hops escape a rampaging swarm of Vermicious Knids.

But the story isn’t even half over then… for once they smash down in the Wonka Works, Charlie and his family have another crisis on their hands: for two of Wonka’s magical confections — Wonka-Vite, which makes you younger, and Vita-Wonk, which makes you older — lead the Bucket family on a scary and hilarious adventure to Minusland and back.

Many of the most memorable lines from the  Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory  musical-movie, starring Gene Wilder, came from this book. Such as, “A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.” It’s a very goofy story, and certainly not Dahl’s most perfect or well-polished creation, but it’s got some good solid laughs, some hairraising moments, and a few life lessons thrown in, like medicine laced with sugar.

Also, those of you who may have read Julie Andrews Edwards’  The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles , will remember some creature names from this (and other) books by Roald Dahl. Who else would come up with whangdoodles, snozzwangers, procks, and whiffle birds?

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Review: charlie and the great glass elevator.

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Charlie and the great glass elevator, by roald dahl, recommendations from our site.

“I remember reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and loving it, obviously—it was about sweets and magic adventures, two of my favourite things. But I always feel that the Great Glass Elevator is slightly the forgotten little brother. So, I feel like shining the spotlight on this book once in a while. I remember the joke that got me laughing. The chancellor or finance minister was in the elevator, trying to stack a load of books on his head. He was delighted when he finally cracked it, and announced to everyone ‘he’d finally managed to balance the budget.’ Although I didn’t really understand what that meant, I did get the joke, and thought it was very clever and wonderfully silly. It became a bit of a eureka moment for me in joke craftsmanship when I was a small child.” Read more...

Books to Make Your Kids Laugh

Tom McLaughlin , Children's Author

Other books by Roald Dahl

Roald dahl boxset by roald dahl, charlie and the chocolate factory by roald dahl, matilda by roald dahl, danny champion of the world by roald dahl, fantastic mr fox by roald dahl, the giraffe and the pelly and me by roald dahl, our most recommended books, demon slayer: kimetsu no yaiba by koyoharu gotouge, the hobbit by j r r tolkien, mufaro's beautiful daughters: an african tale by john steptoe, the secret garden by frances hodgson burnett, the wind in the willows by kenneth grahame.

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Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

By roald dahl.

• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator Summary

The story begins just after the conclusion of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . In Chocolate Factory, Wonka and Charlie are in a giant glass elevator, rocketing through the sky. Wonka has just offered his factory to Charlie. They decide to go to Charlie’s home, to tell his family the news. They crash straight through the roof of Charlie’s house, shocking his parents and grandparents. Wonka explains the situation and asks the family to come with him. The grandparents, except for Grandpa Joe , refuse to get out of their bed, and Wonka is left with no choice but to take the entire bed with him.

Now in the Great Glass Elevator, Wonka explains that they must go up before they can go down, meaning they need to gather enough momentum to crash through the roof of the factory. At the last moment, Grandma Josephine has a panic attack and draws Wonka away from the controls. This causes the Elevator to gain too much speed and rocket into orbit, stranding the entire group in outer space.

The Elevator circles the Earth until Wonka decides to link it up to the Space Hotel, a new attraction commissioned by the United States government. They will be the first humans to set foot in the completed building.

Back on Earth, members of the United States government watch as the Elevator docks with the hotel, and they worry that it contains terrorists or aliens. They address Wonka by radio, and Wonka confuses them by spouting nonsense words. The U.S. now believes Wonka to be an alien from Mars, and invites him to the White House.

While this is happening, the hotel elevators open and five large, terrifying alien creatures rearrange themselves to spell the word SCRAM. Wonka panics and orders everyone back into the Glass Elevator. He shoots them away from the Hotel as fast as possible; he explains that the monsters are Vermicious Knids and want to consume all of the humans they can. They have tried to destroy Earth before, but they can’t get past the atmosphere.

After Wonka’s group leaves, a group of workers for the Hotel arrives in the Commuter Capsule. The Knids eat many of them, but some--including the three famous astronauts, Shuckworth, Shanks, and Showler--escape.

The Knids follow the Capsule into space and begin to dive-bomb it. One Knid had tried to do the same to the Elevator, but the Elevator is thankfully Knid-proof. Charlie suggests that Wonka save them. Wonka drives the Elevator closer to the shuttle, and Grandpa Joe connects the two with a steel cord. The Knids attach themselves to the ship. Wonka drops the Elevator back to Earth, which saves the humans but destroys all the Knids. The Elevator then returns to the Chocolate Factory.

Throughout all of this, George, Georgina, and Josephine have still refused to get out of their beds, believing that they are too old. Wonka prescribes Wonka-Vite, a potion that will make them younger. However, they take too much: George and Josephine turn into babies, and Georgina becomes -2. Wonka and Charlie go to Minusland, which is filled with people who are a negative age. They spray her with Vita-Wonk to reverse the first pills, making her 358 years old.

Then, with a carefully calculated dose of Wonka-Vite, they restore her to her original age, along with George and Josephine.

The Oompa-Loompas present Wonka with an invitation from the President to the White House as a thanks for saving the shuttle. They are invited to a very important dinner. After receiving this news, all of Charlie's family jumps out of bed and enters the helicopter that will take them to the White House.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Why willy wonka got excited when he tell about his invented

I'm not sure exactly where in the book you are meaning. Wonka is certainly excited about his elevator because there is nothing else like it. He announces that he will crash right through the roof of Charlie's home.

hyperbole in the book

Hyperbole: Deliberate exageration not meant to be taken literally.

Take a quick scan of your book and you should find some.

personification in the book

-"Nearer and nearer came the earth below. Oceans and continents rushed up to meet them, getting bigger every second." (84) -"He kept silent a bit longer, allowing their curiosity to grow."

Study Guide for Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator study guide contains a biography of Roald Dahl, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
• Character List

Wikipedia Entries for Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

• Introduction

• ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

CHARLIE AND THE GREAT GLASS ELEVATOR

by Roald Dahl illustrated by Quentin Blake ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1972

In a perfectly silly and pointlessly tastless sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mr. Willie Wonka's glass elevator goes into orbit carrying Charlie, his parents, his grandparents, and the bed that three of the grandparents haven't left for 20 years. They stop at a new U.S. Space Hotel causing panic back at the White House, where an illiterate President who tells knock-knock jokes thinks they are Martians and a broad-typed Chief of the Army wants to blow them up "crash bang wallop bang-bang-bang-bang-bang." But when a horde of greenish, shapeless creatures called "vermicious knids" starts emerging from the space hotel's elevators, the humans hop back to earth in their knid-proof glass one, towing a crew of terrified astronauts along. In the reaches of space fiction where anything goes, Mr. Dahl's inventions are old hat, and about all that ensues back at the factory is the grandparents' excessive rejuvenation (one of them is even "minused"), overcompensating aging, and Ultimate return to the status quo ante by swallowing alternate doses of Vita-Wonk and Wonka-Vite. They are finally lured from their beds by an invitation from the White House (a reward for rescuing the astronauts) and even Charlie himself exits dancing with glee, never questioning the privilege involved in visiting those previously caricatured idiots. With humor that depends on gratuitous references to the President's pottie or the results of a very strong laxative, with the Oompa-Loompas still fetching and carrying, this has all the faults that disturbed grown-ups and none of the inspired outrageousness that attracted children to its predecessor.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1972

ISBN: 0375815252

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1972

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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BOOK REVIEW

by Alice Harman ; illustrated by Quentin Blake

developed by Roald Dahl ; illustrated by Quentin Blake

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the school for good and evil series , vol. 1.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.

Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.

Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and  her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).

Pub Date: May 14, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2

Page Count: 496

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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From the diary of an ice princess series.

by Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Barbara Szepesi Szucs ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.

Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.

The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.

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Page Count: 128

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Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019

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Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator‏ by Roald Dahl

I have a very soft spot for Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator since it was hearing the old Rainbow Theatre dramatization on audio tape (wonder if anyone remembers those) that began both my love of the works of Roald Dahl - at the age of three or four - and my intensive dislike of reading a series out of order. Fortunately, my dad remedied the situation by reading me the first book, and before my fifth birthday I'd read the complete version of the second book as well in unabridged format, plus a good few other of Dahl's works (I finished the whole Dahl collection before I was 7).

So for me the adventures of Charlie Bucket and Mr. Wonka were only half over by the time that great glass elevator smashed through the factory roof. Yet, for some odd reason, this seems to be a rather lesser known work in the Dahl collection, especially when compared to its illustrious predecessor, which is a shame.

The book begins exactly where the previous book finished, with Mr. Wonka, Charlie and his family travelling to the factory in the flying glass elevator of the title.

Dahl did not tend to write sequels, and unfortunately the introduction definitely shows why, since his attempt to reacquaint readers with the previous book and its characters, is more than a little clunky. I found it took a while for Dahl's usual easy, humorous and occasionally quite pointed style to replace slightly clumsy exposition, which was slightly off.

I'm not sure whether it was due to the 7 year gap between Dahl's writing of Chocolate Factory and Glass Elevator but I immediately noticed something of a change in the way several characters were portrayed.

In the case of Charlie and Mr. Wonka this was a distinct improvement. Charlie is no longer the rather passive character he was towards the end of the previous book, and Mr. Wonka, outside of his factory turns into a mischievous, fun loving figure. Wonka’s bucking of authority, casual use of nonsense, quick thinking on the fly and scatty explanations were fantastic, his claims to occasional deafness every time someone questions him too closely  made me howl! One thing I now wonder is if my life-time love of Doctor Who actually began with Willy Wonka and Charlie in this book, since Wonka reminded me very strongly of the happy-go-lucky but still slightly mysterious second Doctor with Charlie as his assistant (he even has a semi magical box that can go most anywhere).

In the case of other characters however, changes were less welcome. With Wonka taking on the roll of Charlie's mentor, the wise and gentle Grandpa Jo seemed to fade slightly into the background for much of the book, while Charlie's parents spent most of their time in a state of quiet amazement. I actually don't think handling large groups of characters interacting was a strong suit of Dahls, since as with the Monkeys in The Twits, or the fox family in Fantastic Mr Fox he seems to need to sideline some members and only deal with two or three principle  players. The only instance I can think of where he succeeded with a larger group was in James and the Giant Peach.

My major issue however is Dahl's decision to paint Charlie's three still bedridden old grandparents as the book's antagonists. In the first part of the book they spend their time bitterly complaining at getting out of bed, and calling Mr. Wonka mad. While these cantankerous characters are undoubtedly entertaining, I did find them very at odds to the story telling, friendly old people of the first book.

When an argument with Grandma Georgina sends the elevator too high into Earth's orbit, Charlie and company find themselves encountering an American space capsule transporting staff to the newly launched space hotel. Mr. Wonka decides to board the hotel to see what's on there first, and after being threatened by the Americans for being possible enemy agents makes up a story that he and his friends are men from Mars, only to find the hotel host to a dangerous interstellar species, the vermicious knids.

This is where one of the major themes of the book is introduced, that of a rather gentle political satire. While I do find it a bit odd that the supposed internationally famous Space Hotel launch was never mentioned in the news previously (especially with newspapers and reports playing such a part in the previous book) I'm  quite willing to ignore that just  for Dahl's wonderful portrayal of an American cabinet trying to cope with a world crisis who act like a bunch of naughty school children, overseen by the president's formidable old nurse. This section got very comic and especially puntastic, such as the President telling the premier of Russia "this is where you get off, Yugetof".

I also was quite amazed at Dahl's ability (much as was said of the late Terry Pratchett) to be extremely satirical, but at the same time never cruel or deliberately trying to push a set ideology. This can be seen when the President's nurse crossly tells the Chief of the army after one too many outbursts of "blow them up" to go and stand in the corner and stop being silly, where upon the rest of the staff applaud. The President is quick to act and decisive, albeit rather too easily inclined to jump to the wrong conclusion, indeed even though the political landscape has changed the idea of a president whose mind goes all too quickly to enemy agents carrying bombs and makes threatening calls to foreign powers is definitely still relevant, albeit that like the Queen in The BFG the President is still a kindly and much respected figure who will do the right thing in the end and not just a total buffoon existing for parody.

Another fact which strongly reminded me of Doctor Who was the appearance of the Knids as alien monsters. The Knids are undoubtedly some of Dahl's most frightening creations, shaped like huge eggs with brownish green slimy skin and red eyes, able to stretch and change shape and swallow people whole despite not having a mouth.

The scene in which Charlie and co step onto the deserted Space Hotel, then see five lifts descend and open each revealing a Knid is absolutely spine-chilling, and the moment in which the transport capsules crew and several hotel staff are devoured by the Knids, with their screams over the radio and only the astronaut commander Shuckworth's description to the President of what happened has shades of Ridley Scott's Aliens.

My only problem with this section is the Elevator itself becomes something of a utility belt: tow ropes, knid proof glass, the ability to withstand the heat of re-entry even though Mr Wonka went into orbit by accident - it all seems a little convenient although I will give Dahl credit in how he manages to have the knids remain a threat even though it's made quite clear the Elevator is absolutely knid proof.

The group then descend rapidly, smashing back through the roof and into the factory with the ever-singing Oompa Loopas. Wonka tries to persuade the old people to get out of bed and help Charlie and he run the factory, but they refuse so he introduces his latest magical creation, Wonkavite, which makes a person twenty years younger, and offers it to the three squabbling grandparents.

I initially was rather confused with how this plot surrounding Wonkavite seemed to negate Wonka's need for an apprentice to take over running the factory mentioned in the first book (his explanation that the stuff is too precious to waste on him really doesn't wash, especially with how he casually doles it out to three less than pleasant comparative strangers). However it did occur to me that he does say he only discovered Wonkavite two weeks previously, and also that Wonka could still be looking for a companion and friend as much as for an apprentice which is exactly what he seems to have found in Charlie.

This is however where I really am not sure of the characterization of the three grandparents, since all three suddenly turn greedy and grasping, fighting over the drug. While I love Mr Wonka's world weary sadness at this, the fact that he supplies the bottle but then refuses to take part in the argument, his both understated and cynical "oompa' loompa's are always ready to help" when he realizes they will all take massive overdoses was a nice moment. Again, I can't square this with the kindly old people from the first book at all.

Grandpa Jo does express the quite understandable desire to be young again, but certainly doesn't join in the fight, neither do Charlie's parents despite asking for one pill each so as to not feel tired or have aching feet anymore (a nice call back to the Bucket's poverty). While it's a lovely moment both thematically and morally, particularly with how Mr. Wonka ties it to greed for money, I just find it hard to accept on character grounds.

Due to their overdoses Grandpa George and Grandma Josephine are reduced to being babies, and Georgina actually loses more years than she'd lived and vanishes.

Charlie however decides that it's better to recover Grandma Georgina and with Mr Wonka they set off in the Elevator for Minus Land.

I have to say, this section was the climax of the book for me. On the way, Charlie sees yet more of the wonderful factory while Mr. Wonka explains about the development of Viterwonk, a drug that makes people older, which he used to recover those converted into minuses due to his earlier tests. I was first pleased that this shows Wonka doesn't treat the Oompa Loompas as simply disposable guinea pigs for his experiments but regards them as friends, and also I was pleased to see more mysterious regions of the factory, expanding the sense of wonder.

When the two reach Minus Land - a misty, underground dark hell - the horror elements return in full force. Mr. Wonka tells Charlie of the Gnoolies who live in Minus Land who are nearly Lovecraftian in the way he describes them: "they don't look like anything Charlie, they can't."

Wonka's honest assertion that he was glad Charlie was with him here was a truly lovely moment, particularly given it's incredibly dark setting. The two succeed in hitting the ghostly Georgina with Viterwonk then return to the surface to find she's now become 358 years old due to an overdose. Charlie and Mr Wonka then work out her age by asking her of her youth, then return her to her original age and grow up both babies with Viterwonk.

While I don't blame Dahl for this, I do always feel the "and we must return everything to status quo for the ending" trope is a bit of a cop-out since it often makes things feel as if they're running on the spot. I also confess Mr Wonka's casual use of Wonkavite here also bothered me since again, if he was willing to expend so much of the supposedly precious substance just to return a stranger, why not take a couple himself?

Despite the jaunt to the wonderfully dark Minus Land, I have to say this last half of the book felt rather flat, and more like marking time than progression. Finally, the book finishes with a note from the President of the US inviting all who were in the Elevator to come and be awarded medals of honour and stay at the Whitehouse in thanks for the help they gave to the space capsule during the knid attack, an invitation which forces the three old people to finally get out of bed in order to come.

Again, since this relates only to the first half of the book, it does rather make the Wonkavite section feel a little aimless. I'd actually rather have had the old people (including Grandpa Jo), given a dose or two of Wonkavite at the end which enabled them to go, although the overcoming of their own stubborn desire to cling to their perceived helplessness was a nice moment.

Apparently Dahl was planning a third book entitled Charlie in the Whitehouse, though sadly only one chapter was finished, so here, leaving the factory for a ceremony of honour with the American President is where Charlie's story comes to a close.

In general Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is a very wild ride. The book has a rather different emphasis to the first. Where the Chocolate Factory was something of a fairy tale, Great Glass Elevator is far more a straight up adventure story. While I can see that some people who want something pretty much the same as the first book might be disappointed, especially in the changes in character around the old people, Great Glass Elevator has a great deal to offer that the first book didn't, from gentle satire to tinges of monster horror.

Despite my issues with characters and some of the feeling that the second half fell slightly flat due to the return to status quo (though it also had the awesomely dark Minus Land) I have to say Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is a classic that fulfils all requirements of a true sequel. It takes the characters through a new and very different journey, it advances the relationship between the two principle cast members (even if it fails the old people slightly) and it ends by cementing the lessons learned in the first book.

To do all this peppered with jokes, rhymes and puns and the trademark Dahl humour, as well as tinges of horror and satire. Well, I'm always amazed how little this book is remembered, and I really hope it enjoys the reputation it deserves in the future.

9/10 This time the lifts do work.

• Buy on Amazon

Review by Dark

1 positive reader review(s) for Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator‏

Amal from Pakistan

In this book Charlie went in an elevator which takes him to space and then he goes to a space hotel and to different adventures.

Tan from Singapura

Wow! I have Charlie and the chocolate factory book. Thanks for all the book's interesting things

Simrandeep Kaur from Punjab, India

Roald Dahl is my favourite author. I have read the book Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. I love this book, the way in which he invented the vita wonk. Thanks for writing this book.

9.8 /10 from 4 reviews

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Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

When we left Charlie Bucket in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Charlie and his entire family, in the company of the very peculiar Mr Willy Wonka, were shooting up into the sky inside Mr Wonka's large Glass Elevator. Now we join them as their adventures continue out, out, out into space. Yes indeed, Charlie, Grandpa Joe, Mr and Mrs Bucket, and the other grandparents (who are still lying in their bed) are out in space. By accident the Glass Elevator ends up orbiting the Earth and soon its passengers see the new and as yet unoccupied Space Hotel floating up into view. Charlie and his family also see the Commuter Capsule which is carrying people to the Space Hotel.

Of course the passengers and crew on the Commuter Capsule also see the glass elevator and the people inside it. Not too surprisingly the astronauts think that Charlie and his companions are aliens. After all, no one from Earth could be out in space in a glass box. What follows is a completely ridiculous series of discussions between the astronauts on the Capsule, the President of the United States, and the incomparable Mr Willy Wonka.

Add to this bizarre situation the presence of utterly ruthless, and always hungry space creatures called Vermicious Knids and you have a classic and completely wonderful Roald Dahl story.

Children will be astonished at the way in which Charlie and companions save everyone on the Commuter Capsule from being eaten by the Vermicious Knids and will celebrate with the Buckets and all the grandparents when they finally arrive back in Willy Wonka's fabulous factory. Mind you, the adventures are not quite over yet. Dear me no, for Mr Wonka has a few more tricks up his sleeve.

Review Written by Marya Jansen-Gruber

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Roald Dahl Fans

Fan site for author Roald Dahl (1916-1990)

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Sections: Information | Description | Reviews | Awards | Fun Stuff | Teacher Ideas | Covers | Afrikaans ,  Arabic , Bulgarian , Catalan ,  Chinese , Dutch , Estonian ,  French , Galician , German , Greek ,  Hindi , Korean , Norwegian , Polish ,  Russian , Serbian ,  Slovakian , Spanish , Turkish , and Vietnamese Covers

Information

Information on identifying editions is from Richard Walker’s “Roald Dahl – A Guide to Collecting His First Editions” .

• Illustrated by:  Joseph Schindelman
• To identify: First Edition statement, jacket priced at $3.95
• Illustrated by: Faith Jaques
• To identify: Standard practice statement (‘First published in Great Britain in’ followed by the date, no later dates or printing statements), no jacket and not priced
• Illustrated by:  Michael Foreman
• To identify:  Two publishing statements; the second reads ‘This edition published 1986’ with jacket priced at £7.50
• Illustrated by: Quentin Blake
• To identify:  Number line with jacket £9.99. Note: There is a variant jacket that is not priced and has no Viking logo on the spine
• To identify:  Number line with non-priced jacket
• “The Glass Elevator: Some Startling New Adventures with Charlie Bucket” published in August 18, 1972 issue of   LIFE Magazine
• “BUNGO BUNI…”
• “In the quelchy quaggy sogmire…”
• “Oh you Knid, you are vile and vermicious…”
• “Hello, you great Knid! Tell us, how do you do…”
• “The Nurse’s Song”
• “Oh alleluia and hooray…”
• “If you are old and have the shakes…”
• “Attention, please! Attention, please…”
• Roald Dahl 15 Book Box Set
• Roald Dahl Collection
• Roald Dahl’s Scrumdiddlyumptious Story Collection
• The Complete Adventures of Charlie and Mr Willy Wonka
• The Puffin Roald Dahl Collection 2
• The Roald Dahl Centenary Boxed Set
• The Roald Dahl Collection
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator: A Play adapted by Richard R. George
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator read by Eric Idle
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator read by Jonathan Cecil
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator read by Douglas Hodge
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator read by James Bolam
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator read by Robert Powell
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator read by full cast
• Charlie et le grand ascenseur de verre read by Luc Alexander, Sophie Arthuys, Arnaud Bédouet, Étienne Fernagut, Laurence Merchet, Didier Rousset
• Roald Dahl Audio Books read by David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Kate Winslet, Chris O'Dowd, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Peter Serafinowicz, Miranda Richardson, Richard Ayoade, Douglas Hodge
• Roald Dahl Audio Books (10 CD Collection) read by Simon Callow, Miriam Margolyes, Geoffrey Palmer, James Bolam, Andrew Sachs, June Whitfield, Timothy West, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Martin Jarvis
• The Adventures of Charlie and Mr. Willy Wonka read by full cast
• Jackanory (1965)

Description

Now that he’s won the chocolate factory, what’s next for Charlie?

Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Charlie Bucket’s back for another adventure. When the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time. Visiting the world’s first space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, intergalactic joyride.

Teacher Ideas

• PDF preview of Novel Study including everything you need to teach the novel (full version available for purchase on novelstudies.org)
• PDF with activities related to exploring Dahl's use of descriptive language including drawing an alien
• “Books for Children” by Karla Kuskin ( The Saturday Review )
• Surrey School award (UK 1975)
• Nene award (1978)

• Oompa-Loompa Songbook
• A Warning from the Vermicious Knids

Merchandise

• Book-A-Minute Bedtime Story  
• Singing Roald Dahl: The Grobes  – original song by Dr. Ian Inkster

Afrikaans Covers – Charlie en die groot glashyser

Arabic Covers – تشارلي والمصعد الزجاجي العظيم

Catalan Covers – Charlie i el gran ascension de vidre

Chinese Covers

Dutch Covers – Sjakie en de grote glazen lift

Estonian Covers – Charlie ja Suur Klaaskabiin

French Covers – Charlie et le grand ascenseur de verre

Galician Covers – Charlie e o grande ascensor de cristal

German Covers – Charlie und der Große Gläserne Fahrstuhl

Greek Covers – Ο ΤΣΑΡΛΙ ΚΑΙ Ο ΜΕΓΑΛΟΣ ΓΥΑΛΙΝΟΣ ΑΝΕΛΚΥΣΤΗΡΑΣ

Hindi Covers

Korean Covers – 찰리와 거대한 유리 엘리베이터

Norwegian Covers – Charlie og den store glassheisen

Polish Covers – Charlie i Wielka Szklana Winda

Russian Covers

Serbian Covers – Čarli i veliko stakleno liftalo

Slovakian Covers – Charlie a veľký sklený výťah

Spanish Covers – Charlie y el gran ascensor de cristal

Turkish Covers – Charlie’nin Büyük Cam Asansörü

Vietnamese Covers – Charlie và chiếc thang máy bằng kính

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

By roald dahl illustrated by quentin blake, by roald dahl read by douglas hodge, part of puffin modern classics, category: children's middle grade action & adventure, category: children's middle grade action & adventure | audiobooks.

Aug 16, 2007 | ISBN 9780142410325 | 5-1/16 x 7-3/4 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780142410325 --> Buy

May 05, 2005 | ISBN 9780142404126 | 5 x 7 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780142404126 --> Buy

Sep 06, 2016 | ISBN 9780425287835 | 5-1/8 x 7-1/2 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780425287835 --> Buy

Aug 16, 2007 | ISBN 9781101652961 | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9781101652961 --> Buy

Jul 03, 2013 | 196 Minutes | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9781101632536 --> Buy

Buy from Other Retailers:

Aug 16, 2007 | ISBN 9780142410325 | Middle Grade (8-12)

May 05, 2005 | ISBN 9780142404126 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Sep 06, 2016 | ISBN 9780425287835 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Aug 16, 2007 | ISBN 9781101652961 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Jul 03, 2013 | ISBN 9781101632536 | Middle Grade (8-12)

196 Minutes

Buy the Audiobook Download:

• audiobooks.com

About Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

From the bestselling author of  Matilda  and  The BFG ! Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Charlie Bucket’s back for another adventure. When the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time. Visiting the world’’ first space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, intergalactic joyride.

Now that Charlie has won the chocolate factory, what’s next? Even wilder adventures, that’swhat! Join him, Grandpa Joe, and, of course, Willy Wonka for the amazing, intergalactic sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

This collectable hardcover edition will feature a beautiful cover and deluxe packaging, including purple interior text and illustrations! Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Charlie Bucket’s back for another adventure. When the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time. Visiting the world’’ first space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, intergalactic joyride.

From the bestselling author of  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  and  The BFG ! Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Charlie Bucket’s back for another adventure. When the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time. Visiting the world’’ first space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, intergalactic joyride.

“Roald Dahl sometimes shared a tonal kinship with Ogden Nash, and he could demonstrate a verbal inventiveness nearly Seussian…[His] stories work better in audio than in print.” – The New York Times Now that he’s won the chocolate factory, what’s next for Charlie? Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Charlie Bucket’s back for another adventure. When the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time. Visiting the world’’ first space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, intergalactic joyride.

Listen to a sample from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Also in puffin modern classics.

Also by Roald Dahl

About Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was born in Llandaff, South Wales, and went to Repton School in England. His parents were Norwegian, so holidays were spent in Norway. As he explains in Boy, he turned down the idea of university in favor of a… More about Roald Dahl

About Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake’s first book, Patrick, was published in 1968 and was followed by classics such as Mister Magnolia, All Join In, and Clown. He is best known for illustrating Roald Dahl’s books. A patron of the Association of Illustrators, he was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal… More about Quentin Blake

Product Details

Category: children’s middle grade action & adventure, category: children’s middle grade action & adventure | audiobooks, you may also like.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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“Dahl’s phenomenal popularity among children speaks for his breathless storytelling charms.”— Publishers Weekly

Hawaii Nene Award WINNER 1972

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Spaghetti Book Club - Book Reviews by Kids for Kids

Charlie and the great glass elevator.

Written by Roald Dahl

Illustrated by Joseph Schindlman

Reviewed by J.V. (age 9)

This book is about Charlie, Mr. Wonka, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Josephine, Grandma Georgina, and Grandpa George who go in a glass elevator and the elevator flies to outer space. Charlie and the crew find Knids which are monsters that eat you. But lucky for them the great glass elevator is Knid proof. In outer space there is a space ship that thinks the elevator and Charlie and his crew are bad guys. So Charlie and his crew go in a space hotel and when they get into the room on a speaker the people in the spaceship say they were coming so they went back in the elevator and went down to earth. Then the elevator hits the ground and breaks! Read the book to find out what happens next.

My favorite part of this book is when Charlie’s grandma’s eats Wonka Vite so they end up in Minus Land. I like this part because it makes me want to read on. I like this book because I like funny books. My favorite character in the book is Charlie because in this book he is really serious and honest and it makes me think that it sort of gets to be a mystery.

I recommend this book to people who like funny and mystery books. Some characters are really funny. Roald Dahl also includes lots of detail in his setting so watch out for that.

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Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator Hardcover – January 1, 1972

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Book 2 of 2 Charlie Bucket
• Print length 161 pages
• Language English
• Dimensions 0.75 x 6.5 x 9.75 inches
• Publisher Knopf
• Publication date January 1, 1972
• ISBN-10 0394824725
• ISBN-13 978-0394824727
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review, from the inside flap, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf; First Edition (January 1, 1972)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 161 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0394824725
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394824727
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 10 years, from customers
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.75 x 6.5 x 9.75 inches
• #23,851 in Children's Classics
• #56,994 in Children's Humor
• #90,654 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)

About the author

The son of Norwegian parents, Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 and educated at Repton. He was a fighter pilot for the RAF during World War Two, and it was while writing about his experiences during this time that he started his career as an author.

His fabulously popular children's books are read by children all over the world. Some of his better-known works include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG.

He died in November 1990.

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