by Whitney Matheson)
Last week I posted my chat with Roald Dahl's grandson, Luke Kelly, about the 50th anniversary of Dahl's most popular work, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
"In a way, it's a classic fairy tale, but it's incredibly fresh and inventive," Luke told me. "The language is remarkable but also quite spare; it speaks directly to kids in a way (books) didn't in the '60s. ... You throw in chocolate and things like Oompa Loompas, and it's so layered but, at the same time, quite pure and simple."
One could argue that Charlie Bucket is even more popular today than he was in 1964. This year's anniversary festivities include Puffin's publication of a new edition of the book with Quentin Blake's delightful illustrations.
This week I'm giving the 50th anniversary paperback edition (on sale now) to three Pop Candy readers. To enter, please answer the following question:
If you could only eat one candy for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I'm not even sure what my answer to this one would be! Send your responses to popcandy@usatoday.com by April 8 at 4 p.m. ET with the subject line "CHARLIE." Winners will be selected at random, and I may share some of my favorites on the blog.
USA TODAY'S complete contest rules.
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