Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

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 three times—for the big screen in 1971 and 2005, and as an animated direct-to-video-crossover with Tom and Jerry in 2017—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. Dahl began writing a third book in the series, titled Charlie in the White House, but did not complete it.

Plot
The story picks up where the previous book left off, with Charlie and family aboard the flying Great Glass Elevator. The Elevator accidentally goes into orbit, and Mr. Wonka docks them at the Space Hotel USA. Their interception of the hotel is mistaken by approaching astronauts and listeners on Earth (including the President of the United States) as an act of space piracy and they are variously accused of being enemy agents, spies and aliens. Shortly after their arrival, they discover that the hotel has been overrun by dangerous, shape-changing alien monsters known as The Vermicious Knids. The Knids cannot resist showing off and reveal themselves by using the five hotel elevators (with one Knid in each of them) and spell out the word "SCRAM", giving the group time to evacuate, along with the surviving hotel staff. Charlie suggests towing the Shuttle back to Earth, and in the process the Knids are incinerated in Earth's atmosphere. Mr. Wonka releases the Shuttle, and the Elevator 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 called "Wonka-Vite". They take much more than they need, subtracting 80 years. Two become babies, but 78-year-old Grandma Georgina vanishes, having become "−2". Charlie and Mr. Wonka journey to "Minusland", where they track down Grandma Georgina's spirit. As she has no physical presence, Mr. Wonka sprays her with the opposite of "Wonka-Vite" - "Vita-Wonk" - in order to age her again. Mr. Wonka admits that it is not an accurate way to age a person, but the spray is the only way to dose "minuses". Upon leaving Minusland, they discover that Grandma Georgina is now 358 years old. Using cautious doses of Wonka-Vite and Vita-Wonk, the three grandparents are restored to their original ages.

Finally, the President of the United States invites the family and Mr. Wonka to the White House to thank them 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.

Editions

 * ISBN 0-394-82472-5 (hardcover, 1972)
 * ISBN 0-394-92472-X (library servings, 1972)
 * ISBN 0-04-823106-1 (board book, 1973)
 * ISBN 0-14-030755-9 (paperback, 1975)
 * ISBN 0-14-032043-1 (paperback, 1986, illustrated by Michael Foreman)
 * ISBN 0-14-032870-X (paperback, 1988)
 * ISBN 0-670-85249-X (hardcover, 1995)
 * ISBN 0-14-037155-9 (paperback, 1995)
 * ISBN 0-14-038533-9 (paperback, 1997)
 * ISBN 0-375-91525-7 (library binding, 2001)
 * ISBN 0-14-131143-6 (paperback, 2001)
 * ISBN 0-375-81525-2 (hardcover, 2001)
 * ISBN 0-14-240412-8 (paperback, 2005)
 * ISBN 0-141-80780-6 (audio CD read by Eric Idle)
 * ISBN 978-0141357850 (paperback, 2018, colour edition illustrated by Quentin Blake)