Family Dinner Book Club: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

It is time for us to share the details for the May Family Dinner Book Club!  This month we are featuring the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.  We hope that you’ve been enjoying reading the book with your family.  If you haven’t started to read or are just learning about Family Dinner Book Club, you still have plenty of time to participate! Full Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Your support of Growing Book by Book is greatly appreciated.

Just to review a bit… Family Dinner Book Club is a monthly book club for your family.  On the first of each month, we share the title of the book that is being featured.  Then, on the 15th of each month we share all the details for your special club dinner.  Jill from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom shares art and craft ideas for decorating your dinner table.  Sarah from Daisy at Home shares a special menu to compliment the book.  And, I will share conversation starters for your special family dinner.  We invite you to share a picture from your dinner with us anytime during the month on our Family Dinner Book Club Facebook page. Now, on to preparing for book club this month!

Family Dinner Book Club:  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Book

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary this year.  Did you know that it’s even been translated into 55 languages?  To celebrate the anniversary Penguin Young Readers Group, Dylan’s Candy Bar and First Books have teamed up to offer 5 lucky winners the opportunity to be Willy Wonka for the day at Dylan’s Candy Bar store in New York.  Winners will also receive two round-trip tickets to New York, tickets to Matilda the Musical and $5000 worth of books donated to a school library.  Sounds fantastic doesn’t it?  Just head to the Roald Dahl site for an entry form.

For extra fun, Penguin Young Readers Group has offered to give away two copies of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 50th Anniversary editions of the book to two lucky Growing Book by Book readers.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below!

Table Topics

I’m pleased to share six conversation starters to get your Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book club rolling.  Just click on this link (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Conversation Starters) for a one page PDF file that you can print and then cut apart.  Use the cards on your chosen dinner night.  You, of course, don’t have to use all of them or you may even have some other discussion points that developed while you were reading.  These are just meant to be a guide.  Happy talking!

• Do you think that each person who received a golden ticket deserved it?  Why or why not?
• If you could only take one person on a special trip, who would you choose and why?
• If you could design another room in the factory, what would you call it?  What candy would be invented in that special place?
• How does Charlie and the Chocolate Factory speak to the phrase “Good things come to those who wait”?
• Describe Charlie’s family.  How is it similar to yours?  How is it different?
• Imagine that there was one more ticket available and a new child found it. What are they like? How do they feel about visiting the chocolate factory?

Adapting for Different Ages

Though Family Dinner Book Club works very well for children ages 4-8, you can adapt the club for younger and older children.  Younger children may enjoy a picture book story called Curious George Goes to the Chocolate Factory by Rey.  Older children may prefer to read the chapter book independently and then discuss together as a family.

Table Decorations

For lots of table decoration ideas, head over to Enchanted Homeschooling Mom for her Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Inspired Storybook Decorations for Your Family Dinner Table.  Jill shares ideas for table decorations for you special dinner.

Menu

For your yummy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Menu, head over to Daisy at Home.

And please snap a picture and share with us on our Family Dinner Book Club Facebook page.  We will also be talking about the book and how the club is going on the page too.  We’d love for you to join us!

Don’t forget to enter below for a chance to receive a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES To enter the giveaway you will need to complete the Rafflecopter section below.  That’s it!  You have from 5/15/14 at 12:00a.m. (EST) until 5/21/14 at 11:59p.m. (EST) to enter.  Two entrants (must be 18 years or older) will be randomly drawn and sent an email (make sure to check your junk folder) on or about 5/21/14.  The winner has 48 hours to respond with a mailing address (US only).  If the information is not sent by the deadline, another entrant will be selected.  Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check back on June 1st to see which book we will be featuring for the new month! Is there a book you would like to see us feature this year?  Please share your ideas below in the comments or on our Facebook page.