Wonka is a delightful musical film released in 2023, which worked as a prequel to both the book of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film. This novelisation is based on the screenplay. I think that child readers will love it, especially if they are already fans of the film, and not find it that different to Roald Dahl’s original writing style, but as a more discerning adult reader I did have some issues with the book.
The story tells how Willy Wonka, as a young man, began his career as a chocolate maker, inspired by his mother. After a trip around the world, he ends up in an unnamed city, where he intends to sell his amazing chocolate. Down on his luck, he is forced into working for a greedy pair of laundry owners, where he meets a group of new friends who help him achieve his goals. However, three rival chocolatiers want to get rid of him…
As you might expect, the book generally follows the screenplay, with a few minor changes. I noted that the language and content are toned down a little. For example, a chocolate, given to a zoo guard (so that Wonka can sneak in to milk a giraffe) which simulates an alcohol-fuelled night on the town, is changed in the book to a chocolate which simulates a birthday party with cake, fizzy drink and a bouncy castle. The word ‘insane’ is replaced by ‘bonkers’ and instead of gin we have ‘worm water’. The film is aimed at families, with some jokes for the adults, while the book is squarely aimed at a child audience. The content of the story is an effective tribute to Roald Dahl’s work, but the writing style is somewhat mediocre, in my opinion. There are frequent mentions of narrowing, widening and rolling eyes. A female giraffe is described as an ‘it’. There are no amusing made-up words or eccentric rhymes. As with some of Dahl’s stories, significant words may be in UPPER CASE for emphasis, but HERE it was sometimes USED for words which did not require it, which WAS very annoying. I also missed the illustrations by Quentin Blake which I associate with Dahl books.
Published by Puffin, 2023.