Author: Roald Dahl
Series: -
Genres: YA, Childrens
Publisher: Puffin Books
Release: 2007 (First published 1988)
Source: Paperback
Pages: 240
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BLURB: Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world. For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived. Then there's the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Miss ("The") Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.
She warms up with some practical jokes aimed at her hapless parents, but the true test comes when she rallies in defense of her teacher, the sweet Miss Honey, against the diabolical Trunchbull. There is never any doubt that Matilda will carry the day. Even so, this wonderful story is far from predictable. Roald Dahl, while keeping the plot moving imaginatively, also has an unerring ear for emotional truth. The reader cares about Matilda because in addition to all her other gifts, she has real feelings.
EXPECTATIONS: I was only 9 years old when I was gifted this book so I had no expectations back then. I didn't even know who Roald Dahl was.
THE WORLD: Our world. The book takes place near Buckinghamshire, England.
CHARACTERS: The main character is of course Matilda Wormwood, a very smart little girl who has the curse of living with very inefficient parents who don't care for her at all and she has an older brother who seems to not care much either. Because Matilda is a genius whose brain is not being used to its full potential she ends up developing some telekinetic powers which then she uses to set things right with everyone who wrongs her. When she starts school she encounters Miss Trunchbull, the headmaster of the school, who is an absolute bully and hates kids more than anything else in this world. But she also meets Miss Honey, a very sweet teacher who is the only one that cares about Matilda. The book tells the story of how she used her powers to fight the bullies, basically.
ROMANCE: No romance. This is a children's book so it's not relevant.
GOOD: Everything. This is my favorite book of all times. I know it's a children's book but that doesn't make it any less than awesome. It's a classic already and in fact much better than those classics considered to be "the best." I think Matilda's character portrait is absolutely precious, she is a sweet little girl but at the same time she's very independent and intelligent. On the other hand, the villain portrait is a little bit cliché-ish (specially in the children's category, it's like a Disney villain) but I can understand why it is like that and I don't mind.
BAD: Nothing.
OVERALL: 5 stars and goes to favorites. If you haven't read the book (or watched the movie) I highly recommend that you do! It's very family friendly, has a great message, and it's entertaining. Age doesn't matter, it might be targeted to children but everyone can enjoy this masterpiece of a book.
OVERALL: 5 stars and goes to favorites. If you haven't read the book (or watched the movie) I highly recommend that you do! It's very family friendly, has a great message, and it's entertaining. Age doesn't matter, it might be targeted to children but everyone can enjoy this masterpiece of a book.
What do you think about MATILDA?
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