Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

THE BFG

BOY: TALES OF CHILDHOOD

BOY and GOING SOLO

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF CHARLIE AND MR WILLY WONKA

DANNY THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD

GEORGES MARVELLOUS MEDICINE

GOING SOLO

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

MATILDA

THE WITCHES

For younger readers

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE

ESIO TROT

FANTASTIC MR FOX

THE GIRAFFE AND THE PELLY AND ME

THE MAGIC FINGER

THE TWITS

Picture books

DIRTY BEASTS (with Quentin Blake)

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE (with Quentin Blake)

THE GIRAFFE AND THE PELLY AND ME (with Quentin Blake)

THE MINPINS (with Patrick Benson)

REVOLTING RHYMES (with Quentin Blake)

Plays

THE BFG: PLAYS FOR CHILDREN (Adapted by David Wood)

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: A PLAY (Adapted by Richard George)

FANTASTIC MR FOX: A PLAY (Adapted by Sally Reid)

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH: A PLAY (Adapted by Richard George)

THE TWITS: PLAYS FOR CHILDREN (Adapted by David Wood)

THE WITCHES: PLAYS FOR CHILDREN (Adapted by David Wood)

Teenage fiction

THE GREAT AUTOMATIC GRAMMATIZATOR AND OTHER STORIES

RHYME STEW

SKIN AND OTHER STORIES

THE VICAR OF NIBBLESWICKE

THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR AND SIX MORE

PUFFIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL , England

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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC 2 R 0RL , England

puffinbooks.com

First published by Jonathan Cape Ltd 1973

Published in Puffin Books 1975

Reissued with new illustrations 1995

This edition published 2007

Text copyright Roald Dahl Nominee Ltd, 1973

Illustrations copyright Quentin Blake, 1995

All rights reserved

The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-14-193019-0

For my daughters

Tessa Ophelia Lucy

and for my godson

Edmund Pollinger

The last time we saw Charlie, he was riding high above his home town in the Great Glass Lift. Only a short while before, Mr Wonka had told him that the whole gigantic fabulous Chocolate Factory was his, and now our small friend was returning in triumph with his entire family to take over. The passengers in the Lift (just to remind you) were: Charlie Bucket, our hero.

Mr Willy Wonka, chocolate-maker extraordinary.

Mr and Mrs Bucket, Charlies father and mother.

Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine, Mr Buckets father and mother.

Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina, Mrs Buckets father and mother.

Grandma Josephine, Grandma Georgina and Grandpa George were still in bed, the bed having been pushed on board just before take-off. Grandpa Joe, as you remember, had got out of bed to go around the Chocolate Factory with Charlie.

The Great Glass Lift was a thousand feet up and cruising nicely. The sky was brilliant blue. Everybody on board was wildly excited at the thought of going to live in the famous Chocolate Factory.

Grandpa Joe was singing.

Charlie was jumpimg up and down.

Mr and Mrs Bucket were smiling for the first time in years, and the three old ones in the bed were grinning at one another with pink toothless gums.

What in the world keeps this crazy thing up in the air? croaked Grandma Josephine.

Madam, said Mr Wonka, it is not a lift any longer. Lifts only go up and down inside buildings. But now that is has taken us up into the sky, it has become an EVEVATOR. It is THE GREAT GLASS EVEVATOR.

And what keeps it up? said

Grandma Josephine.

Skyhooks, said Mr Wonka.

You amaze me, said Grandma Josephine.

Dear lady, said Mr Wonka, you are new to the scene. When you have been with us a little longer, nothing will amaze you.

These skyhooks, said Grandma Josephine. I assume one end is hooked on to this contraption were riding in. Right?

Right, said Mr Wonka.

Whats the other end hooked on to? said Grandma Josephine.

Every day, said Mr Wonka, I get deafer and deafer. Remind me, please, to call up my ear doctor the moment we get back.

Charlie, said Grandma Josephine. I dont think I trust this gentleman very much.

Nor do I, said Grandma Georgina. He footles around.

Charlie leaned over the bed and whispered to the two old women. Please, he said, dont spoil everything. Mr Wonka is a fantastic man. Hes my friend. I love him.

Charlies right, whispered Grandpa Joe, joining the group. Now you be quiet, Josie, and dont make trouble.

We must hurry! said Mr Wonka. We have so much time and so little to do! No! Wait! Cross that out! Reverse it! Thank you! Now back to the factory! he cried, clapping his hands once and springing two feet in the air with two feet. Back we fly to the factory! But we must go up before we can come down. We must go higher and higher!

What did I tell you, said Grandma Josephine. The mans cracked!

Be quiet, Josie, said Grandpa Joe. Mr Wonka knows exactly what hes doing.