My first favorite book

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, of course. I remember checking it out over and over from the ol' Lake Highlands Elementary School Library (props to ol' Miss Peatree, Librarienne extraordinaire!). I loved the slightly shabby whimsy, the unstinting honesty, the sinister edges and the buckets of delight. When I saw the movie, I remember thinking "that's not the title! It's CHARLIE and the Chocolate Factory! That's the whole point!!" Years later, I love "Willie Wonka" for its druggy, trippy 70s goofiness. Gene Wilder is perfection, even if he's not MY Willie Wonka. The kid, however, was mostly a drip. The Oompa Loompas were totally wrong. And the songs suck. MY Willie Wonka would never stand for such dreck as "The Candy Man..." (Word to Sammy Davis, though. Word.) So, I have hopes for the new movie. My Johnny has seldom let me down. But I know that nothing will match the book for me. Isn't that the best part? I've got to find a good edition and re-read it. And save it for the little oompa-loompa.