Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Narrator Douglas Hodge infuses this over-the-top sequel to CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY with a spectacular amount of energy and hilarious voices. Charlie's grandparents, with the exception of Grandpa Joe, haven't got out of bed in years, so they end up in the great glass elevator in outer space in their nightshirts being chased by Vermicious Knids (weird slimy critters). Their crankiness is rendered as gruffness and a tone of distrust. Meanwhile, the president of the United States, Lancelot R. Gilligrass, is wondering what is happening to his astronauts. Gilligrass is a twit, and Hodge maximizes the silly humor with growls and simpers. In addition, Willy Wonka's eternal optimism positively snaps with oomph. Listeners will feel as if they've had a dose of the anti-aging Wonka-Vite at the end of the whole crazy listening experience. A.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine


Dahl's wit and freewheeling sense of fun and nonsense survive intact in this sequel to the perennially favorite CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Eric Idle, of Monty Python fame, plunges headlong into this story of space travel, aliens, and magic, courtesy of Wonka and his factory. Dahl's trenchant humor takes flight with Idle's hilarious versions of crabby old folks, a fatheaded President, idealistic children, and the wizardly Wonka. You'll recognize shades of Python in this circus for the ears--an audiobook deserving of a place next to such classics as THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. It takes a gifted actor and comedian to push such great youth fiction beyond its already grand scale. If you've somehow missed Dahl or Idle, treat yourself and the kids to this funhouse of wisdom, humor, and absurdity. D.J.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine