Book Review: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Well, I must say: this book was definitely unique. In fact, it was odd. As the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the reader of the first part of the tale might guess where the sequel would lead. 


And they would be wrong. 


There is NO way, without reading this book, that you could, in your wildest flight of fancy, come up with this plot. 


The book picks up precisely where the first book left off, The Great Glass Elevator was on its way back to the chocolate factory after picking up Charlie Bucket's family. If you remember the first book, you will undoubtedly remember that Charlie's two sets of grandparents lived in a bed. So the bed was simply shoved into the Elevator amidst vehement protestations from the three grandparents who still lived there. 


Instead of going straight back to the factory, which was the plan, Charlie's grandmother Josephine grabbed hold of Mr. Wonka, preventing him from pressing the necessary elevator buttons at the proper time. The result? The Great Glass Elevator shot into space. 


Didn't see that one coming, did you?


In space, the eight of them encountered those despicable, diabolical, detestable Vermicious Knids, aliens from another planet. Know where they ran into them? The newly launched Space Hotel, a special pet project of the President of the United States, whose Vice President is his childhood nanny. A giant space Commuter Capsule took off from Earth to deliver all of the employees to the new hotel so that it could open for business. On board that capsule were four famous astronauts tasked with delivering the staff to the hotel. While on their way, they caught sight of the Great Glass Elevator and thought it must be an enemy spaceship. The President was irate, believing they were saboteurs bent on destroying his hotel.


Without the ability to communicate with either the Commuter Capsule or the Earth, Mr. Wonka could not warn those on the Capsule of the evil aliens awaiting their arrival at the Space Hotel. One thing led to another, and the part of the plot I'm sure you could have guessed was the part about Charlie and Mr. Wonka ending up as heroes who saved the day, the Commuter Capsule, and the Space Hotel.


The second part of the book, oddly enough, began when the Great Glass Elevator arrived at its original destination, delivering all of the Bucket family to their new home in the Chocolate Factory of Mr. Willy Wonka. Arriving at the Chocolate Room, Mr. Wonka encouraged the three grandparents who still lived in their bed to get up and explore. They refused. Most adamantly. Refusing to give up, Mr. Wonka offered them one of his creations: a pill that made people 20 years younger.


At first, the grandparents refused to believe him. But after a little more "convincing," they not only believed him, but fought amongst themselves most shamefully over who would receive how many pills. The greediest, Grandma Georgina took enough pills to send her to a mysterious place called Minusland, because she went back further than the years she had lived. Charlie and Mr. Wonka had to travel there to try and find her and "bring her back," which involved making her over 400 years old.


Told you.


It was odd.


Never would have come up with that story line in a million years, would you?


Me, either.


We did finish it because we were all curious. There were some really funny parts, lots of slapstick humor, but the "oddness factor" was definitely its strongest suit. As with the first one, there were phrases we consider inappropriate and I "edited them out" as I read it aloud to the kids.


#46 out of 52! Getting closer to my goal of reading 52 Books in 52 Weeks.