Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is a children's book by British author Roald Dahl. It is the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, continuing the story of young Charlie Bucket and chocolatier Willy Wonka as they travel in the Great Glass Elevator. The book was first published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1972, and in the United Kingdom by George Allen & Unwin in 1973.
Although the original book has been filmed twice, in 1971 and 2005, The Great Glass Elevator has never been adapted on a visual medium; however it was adapted for audio by Puffin Audio Books starring Neil Answych as Charlie Bucket and Gordan Fairclough as Willy Wonka.[1] Dahl began writing a third book in the series, titled Charlie in the White House, but did not complete it.[2]
Plot
The story picks up immediately where the previous book left off, with Charlie and his whole family aboard the flying Great Glass Elevator. The Elevator goes into orbit by accident, where Mr Wonka docks them at the U.S. Space Hotel. Shortly after their arrival, the hotel's elevators open, revealing man-eating monsters, known as Vermicious Knids, which form a letter of the word 'SCRAM'. Recognising the danger, Mr Wonka orders everybody off the Space Hotel. Upon the Elevator's departure, the monsters consumed some people aboard. Charlie suggests towing the shuttle back to Earth. Whereupon Willy Wonka returns the Elevator with the shuttle to Earth, the monsters are incinerated in the atmosphere. Mr Wonka releases the shuttle, and the Elevator then crashes down through the roof of the chocolate factory.
Back in the chocolate factory, three of Charlie's grandparents refuse to leave their bed. Mr Wonka gives them a rejuvenation formula. They take much more than they need, and they each lose eighty years. 78-year-old Grandma Georgina vanishes, having become "-2". Charlie and Mr Wonka journey to 'Minusland', then Mr. Wonka restores her with a sprayable compound that makes people older. Grandma Georgina has become 358 years old. Using a cautious dose, the three are restored to their original age.
Finally, the President of the U.S. invites the family and Mr Wonka to the White House, as a thank you for their space rescue.
Unfinished sequel
A follow-up to the book was planned, called Charlie in the White House. Charlie's family and Mr. Wonka are invited by President Gilligrass to have dinner at the White House, as thanks for rescuing the spacecraft from its attack by the Vermicious Knids. Dahl only wrote the first chapter, which is on display at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden.[3]