I couldn’t have known it would come to all this when we found that note by W.W. inside an old book at the yard sale:

From there the adventure began to dive deep into one of our all-time favorite books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  My goal, all those years ago, was to explore the world of Willy Wonka in the most interactive, magical, and mesmerizing way. The result was my award-winning book, The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: an enhanced, digital ebook full of Wonkalicious games, facts, activities, and imagination inspiring illustrations.

What We Encountered Along The Way

We won our own golden tickets by sheer wit. 

We entered the jungle to learn how chocolate and gum were made and even got to make some of our very own.

We met Oompa Loompas and even had a wardrobe exchange. We’ve never truly been right since then as they have very short legs.

We learned the true secrets of gobstoppers. We’d tell you but our mouths are full…

Willy Wonka’s factory is a masterwork of mazes. We had to utilize our skill at them to work our way through this enchanting chocolate factory, including but not limited to the ever famous scissor maze where we walked clean through a piece of paper.

Of course, we haven’t kept that info to ourselves but have happily shared it with all of you.

After all that we were truly thirsty and so very glad to discover that fizzy lifting drinks are real. 

Not only that but we came away with many new recipes for you to try as well as the science behind them so you can make up your very own fizzy concoctions. The best part is the burping of course.

Square-candies-looking-round aren’t just for the Chocolate Factory but they can look round your very own home or classroom too.

One of our more hilarious encounters happened to be made in the Nut Room where a bunch of very ingenious squirrels taught us a very fun snatching game. We still play it all the time. No special occasion needed.

The real excitement came when we got to go up and out of the Chocolate Factory in the glass elevator. We had to investigate how it was done. This led to an afternoon of tower and shaft building trying to figure out how such a thing can move up and down, sideways and forwards, and definitely we wanted to know how does one move diagonally? 

Alas, it was now time to go, all that was needed was Willy Wonka’s top hat to make all of our memories complete. Though Willy Wonka wouldn’t give us his top hat, he did provide us with the instructions for our very own.

I thought I’d get you started inside the wonderful pages of this interactive guide with our Chocolate River Covered Pretzels.

Ingredients

24 pretzel rods
12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips
An assortment of your favorite sprinkles
1 tbsp. shortening

Cooking Utensils

waxed paper
Non-metal spatula or spoon
Double boiler, or a pot and a non-reactive heat-proof bowl.

Step 1: Tempering Chocolate

Set a long piece of waxed paper on your work surface. (if it slides too much, place a damp paper towel or dishtowel beneath it.)

Place the chocolate chips and the shortening in a double boiler or in a non-reactive bowl set on top of a pot containing an inch or so of simmering water. It’s very important to make sure the double boiler insert or bowl does not touch the water. Stir the chips and shortening until completely melted and well blended.

Note: Some people may prefer to melt chocolate in a microwave but it is much more difficult to evenly control the heat. Remember, tempering is about heating chocolate very slowly. In a microwave, the chocolate may get too hot in spots and turn into a big clump of unmanageable goo. If you decide to use a microwave, stir the chocolate every 20 seconds or so to more evenly distribute the heat.

Step 2: Dipping the Pretzels

• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. If you don’t have a cookie sheet, just place a sheet of waxed paper on your work surface.
• Take a pretzel rod and hold it by one end.
• Starting at the top of the chocolate River, roll the pretzel down toward the bottom. Repeat until the pretzel rod is well-coated.
• Place the coated pretzel on the waxed paper to cool.
• Continue with the remaining pretzel rods.
• Shake your favorite sprinkles all over them quickly before they dry or they won’t stick.

It’s been almost nine years since our “Charlie” hit the virtual shelves of the iTunes iBookstore and what a ride it’s been!

We have much to celebrate and be grateful for. THANK YOU to everyone who continues to be wild Wonka Fans and keep this classic story alive!

**This book is not affiliated or associated with the author, publisher, or distributors of Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Just in time for back to school too! Charlie will keep your distance learning or homeschooling kids busy for hours with exciting and educational FUN. Go HERE or click the iTunes logo to grab your copy of “Charlie.\”