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Wonka

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WONKA tells the wondrous story of how the world's greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker becomes the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

Based on the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures movie WONKA, created by Paul King and written for film by Simon Farnaby and Paul King.

An intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humour - WONKA introduces readers to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time . . . proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you're lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2023

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About the author

Sibéal Pounder

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Sibéal has written for publications including The Guardian, fashion trend forecaster WGSN, Vogue.com and The Financial Times, where she was the resident philanthropy columnist for the How To Spend It section for six years. She studied Modern History at St Andrews and Quentin Tarantino film at Yale.

Her bestselling debut Witch Wars has been translated into 10 languages so far and was shortlisted for the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award and the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize.

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5 stars
13,127 (46%)
4 stars
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3 stars
4,770 (17%)
2 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 472 reviews
Profile Image for Patricija || book.duo.
828 reviews596 followers
January 13, 2024
Gražus ir išradingas Gabrielės Šilobritaitės vertimas (ypač patiko vardai ir keli bajeriai, pavyzdžiui apie šunį, kurie akivaizdžiai pritaikyti lietuvių auditorijai, o ne šiaip tingiai išversti pažodžiui), visai miela ir įtraukianti istorija, nors sakyčiau, kad ne paaugliams, o labiau mažesniems vaikams. Ar reikėjo šitos istorijos? Nepasakyčiau, kad ji kažkas daugiau, nei cash grab - nors yra bandymų pataikyti į Dahl stilių, visgi nelabai aišku, kam šis pasakojimas skirtas. Tikiu, kad filmas, kuris, mano manymu, labai protingai buvo paverstas miuziklu, kur kas įdomesnis ir gyvesnis reikalas. Visgi, jei skaitant Čarlį ir Šokolado fabriką kilo klausimų kodėl Vonka yra toks, koks yra, o ne tik kaip visko, ką turi, pasiekė, tai klausimai tikriausiai neliks atsakyti. Todėl nors neabejoju, kad vaikams tiks ir patiks, nostalgijos vedami suaugę gali likti čiut nusivylę.
Profile Image for Učitaj se! | Martina Štivičić.
759 reviews129 followers
January 31, 2024
Willy Wonka jedan je najupečatljivijih likova Roalda Dahla, a i dječje književnosti uopće. Tvorca genijalne tvornice čokolade na filmsko su platno i TV ekrane prenijeli već mnogo puta, a uloga pamtljivog osobenjaka u ljubičastom kaputiću ostala je jedna od najzapamćenijih u opusima i Genea Wildera i Johnnya Deppa, a odnedavno će to biti slučaj i kod Timotheea Chalameta.

Nisam još gledala Wonku, iako namjeravam, pa ne znam kakav je film. Uobičajen je postupak da se filmovi snimaju prema knjigama, no ovaj je roman zapravo napisan prema filmu, tj. filmskom scenariju. Inače sam skeptična kod ovakvih djela, no, moram priznati da me ovaj roman baš ugodno iznenadio. Nije to, dakako, Roald Dahl, ali nije ni loše. Nimalo.

Charliejeva tvornica čokolade i lik njenog osnivača, Willya Wonke, nadahnuo je mnoge, pa tako i tvorce filma Wonka. Ideja iza filma, scenarija, i ove knjige, bila je ta da prikažu kakav je bio Willyev život prije no što se proslavio kao čudesni čokolatijer, i što ga je dovelo do toga da uopće stvori tvornicu čokolade.

Priča je koja je iz ove ideje nastala doista je divna, zanimljiva, maštovita i pustolovna, a sadrži sve ono što romane Roalda Dahla čini tako osobitima - specifičan humor, raznolike neobične i luckaste likove, nemoguće pothvate, čudesne ideje i još čudesnije provedbe tih ideja u djelo. Magija Roalda Dahla, iako on sam nije ovu knjigu napisao, u njoj je itekako prisutna. Mogli bismo možda reći da je ovaj roman neka vrsta fan-fictiona, i to zbilja, zbilja dobrog.

Kao što sam već spomenula, film još nisam pogledala, ali još dok se samo pričalo o tome da bi Timothee Chalamet trebao utjeloviti mladog Wonku, pomislila sam kako nisu mogli odabrati savršeniju osobu za tu ulogu, tako da mislim da će mi se svidjeti, kakav god da jest. Roman mi se doista svidio. Willy je, baš kao i njegov autor, nepresušan izvor maštovitih dogodovština - trebalo je još barem jednu ispričati.
Profile Image for Becci.
133 reviews45 followers
March 31, 2024
I picked this quickly on a whim, which is so fitting as it is a whimsical quick-read. I don’t usually go for children’s books but this one filled me with such a sense of nostalgia, I was genuinely engaged by every page.

Gotta admit, some of the jokes and metaphors did seem a bit out of sorts in a children’s book but as an adult, I was not complaining. I personally loved the inclusion of a chocolate cartel conspiracy and a police officer who developed a real bad “taste for the brown stuff�.

Either way, I really liked this and now want to read the Roald Dahl Charlie & the Chocolate Factory books.
Profile Image for Amber (ambervgn) :).
305 reviews78 followers
September 5, 2024
een enjoyable “kinder� boek over het verhaal van Wonka (ik zag het hele boek alleen maar Timothee voor me) 🤭 ik had dit boek vroeger echt opgegeten
Profile Image for Seltella.
212 reviews
February 19, 2025
2,75⭐️
Ogólnie było spoko, ale trochę mi się gryzło z oryginalną powieścią Rolanda Dahla, przez co nie do końca mi się to podobało. Wolałabym, żeby te fakty, które wiadomo z oryginalnej powieści, były tutaj zachowane.
Profile Image for Kim Coenen.
1,721 reviews48 followers
December 31, 2023
Een van mijn favoriete jeugdboeken aller tijden is toch wel Sjakie en de chocoladefabriek, dit boek heb ik echt vele en vele malen gelezen. Dus nu Wonka verschijnt, MOET en zou ik dit boek als een van de eerste lezen. Van Uitgeverij de Fontein kreeg ik ook nog eens een recensie-exemplaar waardoor mijn geluk al helemaal niet meer op kan. Wel heb ik mega hoge verwachtingen en sta ik te popelen om te ontdekken wat het verhaal achter Wonka en het ontstaan van de chocoladefabriek en de Oempa-Loempa mannetjes is. De cover is erg uitnodigend en toont een prachtige illustratie van een man met een reiskoffer, stok en hoed die uitkijkt naar torenhoge potten waaruit licht straalt.

Wonka, het fantastische en magische verhaal over een grootse uitvinder, goochelaar en chocolademaker ter wereld. Hoe groeide hij op tot de man die we nu allemaal kennen als de geweldige Willie Wonka.
Het hartverwarmende, humoristische verhaal is een prachtige mix van magie, muziek, ontroering, opwinding en vriendschap. De jonge Willy Wonka, zat van kleins af aan al choc-vol ideeën en is vastbesloten om zijn droom werkelijkheid te laten worden en de wereld van zijn chocolade te laten smullen. De mooiste dingen in het leven beginnen met een droom. Wanneer je het geluk hebt om Willie Wonka te ontmoeten, ontdek je dat alles mogelijk is.

Het verhaal is geschreven door Sibéal Pounder en geïnspireerd op Roald Dahl. Het is enorm levendig, vlot en vol enthousiasme, humor en gevoel geschreven. Ook is het verhaal absoluut weer fantastisch afgestemd op de jeugdige lezertjes in woordkeuze en zinsopbouw. De woorden die gedurende het verhaal letterlijk uitvergroot worden, verhogen het speelse en vrolijke karakter van het verhaal.

We volgen het verhaal van de jonge Willy Wonka, die nadat hij zijn moeder verliest een heftige en moeilijke tijd doormaakt. Toch weet zijn droom en zijn overtuiging de droom te realiseren hem sterk en optimistisch te houden. Het is een leuk personage, dat je gelijk weet te raken. Daarbij is het enorm kenmerkend dat Sibéal Pounder hele uitgesproken karakters gebruikt zoals Roald Dahl ook doet, waardoor ze eigen eigen en unieke types worden.

Het verhaal heeft een prachtige, magische, ontroerende en mooie verhaallijn. Ik had een hoop gedacht en bedacht over hoe t verhaal van Willy Wonka gegaan zou zijn, maar zeker niet dit. De humor in het verhaal is geweldig leuk en ik heb meerdere malen erg hard om de gebeurtenissen en uitspraken moeten lachen. Sibéal Pounder weet in zijn verhaallijn ook op prachtige wijze vriendschap, de kracht van samenwerken en rouw te verwerken. Het verhaal weet je door de leuke en bijzondere wendingen en gebeurtenissen echt in zijn greep te houden. Ik heb het boek dan ook in één keer uitgelezen.

Wonka, het verhaal van de jonge Willy Wonka en de droom om met zijn eigen chocolade de harten van vele mensen te veroveren. Het is een enorm enthousiast, vlot en levendig geschreven verhaal wat magisch, fantasierijk en erg ontroerend is. Mocht je, net als ik, ook mega fan zijn van Charlie en de chocoladefabriek, dan MOET je dit ongelofelijk leuke jeugdboek absoluut gaan lezen!
Profile Image for chlo ♡ (Taylor’s Version).
41 reviews15 followers
January 21, 2024
- REVIEW IN FRENCH AND IN ENGLISH -

🇫🇷 French review :

J'ai aimé ce livre ! Je l'ai en grande majorité acheté après avoir vu le film avec Timothée Chalamet donc l'histoire qu'on lit n'est pas très différente de ce qu'on peut voir au cinéma puisqu'il s'agit d'un "screenplay". Néanmoins, cela n'empêche pas qu'on passe un très bon moment en lisant ce livre qui nous fait replonger en enfance et qui est très coloré à lire et à vivre ! Très bonne lecture, je recommande !

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ÉTOILES

🇬🇧 English review :

I loved this book! Most of it I bought after seeing the film with Timothée Chalamet, so the story we read isn't very different from what we see in the cinema, as it's a screenplay. But that doesn't stop us having a great time reading this book, which takes us back to childhood and is a very colourful read and a joy to experience! A very good read, I recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ STARS
Profile Image for Ionela Gomoja.
31 reviews1 follower
March 23, 2025
Unii copii se nasc cu menirea de a face ciocolată. Acesta era adevărul adevărat în cazul lui Willy Wonka.
Willy era un copil plin de imaginație și avea darul de a visa cu ochii deschiși.
Încă din copilărie Willi visa să își deschidă un magazin și să împartă ciocolata ta delicioasa cu toată lumea.
Ajuns la faimoasele Galerii Gourmet ,își dorea cu nerăbdare să împartă ciocolata sa, pătrățică cu pătrățică...dar spre necazul său,este hăituit de trei ciocolatieri invidioși și păcălit să trudească pe viață la o spălătorie.
Willy are nevoie de puțin noroc,de magie cu carul,dar și de o mână de ajutor de la prieteni.
Căci dacă ești faimosul Willy Wonka orice este posibil.
Profile Image for Brittany McCann.
2,581 reviews586 followers
June 27, 2024
This was so much fun. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't speak to how well it correlates as a book adaptation, but I enjoyed the prequel.

My main complaint is that it left me with a TON of unanswered questions, and the end was a bit weak.

Worth a read for any Wonka/Roald Dahl fan. It was missing a bit more absurdity that Dahl would have put in.

4 Stars
Profile Image for Jan farnworth.
1,609 reviews139 followers
December 26, 2023
What I liked:
A trend in recent years is to tell the backstory of characters we grew up with, and the majority of the time; they are the villains cause the stories we know always tell the story about the hero. How did Wonka become this famous Candy Maker with his factory with oompa loompas, wonderful inventive candies, and the opportunity to share it with Charlie Bucket? We get all the answers to these questions and much more in Wonka. Wonka is a great tie-in to the movie that will be released soon for us all to enjoy.
Final Verdict:
This story keeps the wacky and wonderful quirk from the Dahl books with magic, dreams, color, and, of course, chocolate in every possible form. There is wonder, laughter, and action, and we learn more about the famous other chocolatiers we see in the books Slugworth, Prodnose, and Ficklegruber.
Audiobook Review:
The audiobook is a great way to listen to this story as you are immersed in learning all about how Willy Wonka became the famous Wonka. Listening to this tale in preparation for the movie had me craving chocolate, wondering how much Willy loves chocolate and the sweetness from his momma. Remember, it is not the chocolate that makes it unique but the people you share it with.
Profile Image for Lisa Hendrickx.
124 reviews13 followers
January 25, 2024
Wat een leuk boek!
Nostalgisch maar tegelijkertijd ook heel vernieuwend.
Alles werd zo leuk beschreven dat mijn fantasie de vrije loop kon gaan. Echt genoten van de schrijfstijl en de leuke personages in dit boek!
Het wel heel vermakelijk en echt een vrolijk verhaal.
Het is leuk om na zo’n lange tijd terug te komen op een personage waar vroeger in de film niet zoveel aandacht aan besteed werd. Het was super fijn om nu zo veel over Wonka te weten te komen!
Profile Image for Nadia Nellestein.
151 reviews2 followers
December 26, 2024
In de eigen stijl van Roald Dahl creëerden Sibéal Pounder, Simon Farnaby en Paul King een verhaal dat zich afspeelt vóór één van Dahl’s meesterwerken: “Sjakie en de chocoladefabriek�.

“Wonka� vertelt het verhaal van Willy Wonka, de extraverte chocolademaker, uitvinder en dagdromer. Hij heeft één missie: de chocolade die zijn moeder ooit maakte, aan de wereld te laten proeven.

Dus reist hij naar de Galerie Gourmet, de plek waar de meest prestigieuze chocolade wordt verkocht. Daar lijkt zijn droom binnen handbereik. Hij ruikt het al, kan zijn droom bijna proeven, maar dan� POEF, weg. De ballon wordt doorgeprikt, de droom vervliegt. Zijn tegenstand komt uit een onverwachte hoek. Om zijn weggevlogen droom nieuw leven in te blazen, moet hij buitengewone obstakels overwinnen.

Of dat lukt�? Daarvoor moet je uiteraard het boek lezen.

Het was een genot, dit MOOIE, DOLLE, REUSACHTIGE, GROOTSE, BETOVERENDE, VROLIJKE, GEHEIMZINNIGE DRILPUDDING van een verhaal te lezen. Loved it!
Profile Image for Chantal.
264 reviews19 followers
December 13, 2024
Het luisterboek was beter dan het ebook, maar ik vond het nog steeds vrij weinig aan.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
722 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2024
I honestly don't know what to say about this book. I haven't seen the musical, but I did look at the trailer about 3/4ths through reading the book--and it looked impressive. The book didn't impress me though. The character is not how I envision a young Willy Wonka (in my mind--that's the character played by Gene Wilder--not Johnny Depp). They've written him too naive and not very bright in dealing with questionable people. Also, how did he create everything they did in the book when he had no money whatsoever? The last third of the book is much more on target than the first part, so that was a relief. Oh, and I could have lived without all the whimsy typeset where they seemed to randomly pick words and enlarge/bold and change font on. It was distracting while reading and didn't add anything to the story--so why?
Profile Image for Klara.
161 reviews7 followers
August 25, 2024
I watched the movie first, and then one day I saw the book in a bookstore and decided I needed to have it, even though it's meant for kids. While reading, I had the movie playing in my head—it’s exactly the same. Wonka is such a fun and lovable character who doesn’t fully understand how the world works but still believes in dreams despite every setback. Noodle—oh, I love that girl—she’s smart, sweet, and kind. Actually, everyone working in the laundry is so nice. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I’m not sure if this applies to all editions or just the Croatian one, but I loved how some words were highlighted and the small illustrations on almost every page.
Profile Image for Declan O'Keeffe.
280 reviews3 followers
December 29, 2023
Honestly, this audiobook was fine.

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love the movie, the movie had me grinning from ear to ear the entire time.

The audiobook really just doesn't capture the same spark and magic. Just a dull reading of the story that doesn't work the same for me without the colour and the magic of the movie.

I love the story and I love the movie, but the audiobook was just a flat imitation.
Profile Image for Nina.
262 reviews28 followers
January 16, 2024
I didn’t want to be mean to a children’s book, BUT...

It’s better to watch the movie again, honestly. Just go and watch the movie, this book is very strangely written and lacks charisma. I don’t even know if children will be interested in reading something like this. Without the songs heard in the film, the story feels somewhat empty. Of course, in this novelization there are some things that were not included in the film, but in my opinion they do not change the picture much.
Profile Image for Petra Valković.
Author4 books35 followers
May 30, 2024
Wonka je knjiga koja je nastala prema scenariju za istoimeni film koji mi se svidio jer je prenio tu čaroliju snova, mašte, svijeta od čokolade toliko da mi je došlo da se okupam u čokoladnoj fontani. Knjiga je meni prenijela to isto. Mogla sam osjetiti razne mirise čokolade i sastojaka, to prštanje emocija i prijateljstvo među Willyjevom grupicom osobenjaka. Nije savršenstvo od knjige, ali osjećaji koje prenosi su nešto meni predivno i odmah sam vidjela da će mi postati comfort štivo kojem ću se vraćati iznova kada me svijet zgužva i stisne. Za mene je to još jedan dokaz da dječje knjige nisu samo za djecu, a razlog zbog kojeg ih čitam je nesputana mašta koja se ne boji da će biti previše. 🥰
Profile Image for Roderick Vonhogen.
469 reviews70 followers
March 17, 2024
What a delightful book! Roald Dahl's original story about Charlie and Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory was my favorite book during my childhood; I read it countless times.

This book was based on the screenplay for the 2023 Wonka movie, and even though I liked the movie, this book surpasses it in many ways.

It captures the same quirky, magical style of Roald Dahl's work, and because it skips the musical elements of the movie, it feels much more true to Dahl's series than the movies.

A worthly prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; I wish it would have been written during my childhood!
Profile Image for Arnoldas Rutkauskas.
140 reviews33 followers
April 26, 2024
Gražus pasakojimas apie Vilį Vonką ir kalnus, upes, medžius, gėles ir dar daug ką� iš šokolado. Nors knyga rekomenduotina labiau vaikams, bet, tiesą sakant, prisipažinsiu, kad pačiam skaitant ne ką mažiau įdomiai praskriejo laikas. Visa ta magija, tas Čarlio ir šokolado fabriko bei Hario Poterio stebuklų krautuvėlių mixinis vibe’as labai, labai gražiai sugula puslapiuosna, perkeltuose bei adaptuose knygai iš filmo bei miuziklo. O kur dar nuostabus Gabrielės Šilobritaitės vertimas, visi tie veikėjų vardai ir pravardės, atitaikytas humoras bei į širdį smengančios pamokančios gyvenimiškos istorijos�
Profile Image for Lizzy (Elizabeth).
41 reviews
January 2, 2025
It was a good book. Sometimes a little hard to understand. And every couple of sentences there was a word that was in a different font than the rest of the story. It was a little distracting. But otherwise great book!
Profile Image for ❁ Brooke ❁.
10 reviews3 followers
January 24, 2024
Damn straight I read a kids book 😂 and I absolutely loved the book and movie!!!
Profile Image for Loïs Van Houtert.
155 reviews3 followers
April 28, 2024
Vond de film leuk maar dit is gewoon een filmscript� Wel een vrolijk boek om te lezen/luisteren 😊
Profile Image for Ioana Gurdis.
21 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2025
Wonka este o carte denumita după faimosul ciocolatier Willy Wonka care înainte să devină faimos a trecut prin multe obstacole.
Visul tânărului era să deschidă un magazin la Galeriile Gourme alaturi de trei ciocolatieri clasici dar după spusele lui Willy era banala
El a depășit mai multe obstacole precum
1 Taxa la Scrubitt and bleacher care era de zece mii de solvenți și el cum era nou în oraș nu avea bani. Și a trebuit să știe zece mii de zile adică 27 de ani
2 Gelozia celor trei ciocolatieri. Au încercat să-l omoare pe Wonka adică să i arunce barca in aer.
3 Ompaa Lumpaa care îi fura borcanul cu dulciuri in fiecare noapte
El își face și prietenii și împreună construiesc un magazin de ciocolata
Displaying 1 - 30 of 472 reviews

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