Common Sense Note
Like much of Dahl's work, this delights children even as it troubles adults. Were it not in a humorous fantasy, Miss Trunchbull's behavior would be considered abuse, where it is not downright impossible. The relationship between Matilda and her parents is one of mutual dislike. And children exact revenge on adults. But it's all played for fun and laughs, young readers certainly know not to take it seriously, and they mostly consider adults who do take it seriously to be silly. Discussion topics include fairness, revenge, adult/child power relationships, and the nature of intelligence.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
Here at CSM we have a yellow "Pause" button, which means "know your kids." This book, like most of Dahl's, should be labeled "know yourself." Some adults hate it for the same reason that kids love it -- it shows a good, smart child overcoming evil, dumb adults. It has ridiculous, cartoon violence, not meant to be taken seriously, where no one actually gets hurt. It has a black and white view of the world: the good are all good, and the wicked get their comeuppance at the hands of giddy, delighted children. If any of this bothers you, if you think children's books should always have a respectful attitude to adults in general and parents in particular, keep it out of your house, because griping about it will make you look just as nasty and clueless as Matilda's parents.
If, on the other hand, you can enjoy this type of humor, it's a harmlessly guilty snicker you can share with your kids. It's a silly romp, a good read-aloud, and a mild challenge for middle graders to read themselves. Either way it will have them giggling and feeling immensely satisfied at the ending (which bothers some adults even more than the rest of the book). So make your choice and then live with it, because railing against this book is not going to do you any good at all.
From the Book:
"I have discovered, Miss Honey, during my long career as a teacher that a bad girl is a far more dangerous creature than a bad boy. What's more, they're much harder to squash. Squashing a bad girl is like trying to squash a bluebottle. You bang down on it and the darn thing isn't there. Nasty dirty things, little girls are. Glad I never was one."
"Oh, but you must have been a little girl once, Headmistress. Surely you were."
"Not for long anyway," Miss Trunchbull barked, grinning. "I became a woman very quickly."
Plot Summary:
Matilda is a genius: by age four she has read all the books in the children's section of her local library, and moved on to Dickens, Austen, and Hemingway. She can also do advanced math in her head and has a sophisticated understanding of the world. Unfortunately her crooked car-dealer father and bingo-holic mother, TV addicts both, don't appreciate her at all. In fact, they "looked upon Matilda ... as nothing more than a scab." Matilda spends most of her time reading, and the rest thinking up clever revenges on them for their atrocious behavior, such as putting superglue into her father hat brim, and swapping his hair tonic for peroxide.
Things get worse when she starts school, Crunchem Hall Primary School is run by the horrific Miss Trunchbull, "a gigantic holy terror, a fierce tyrannical monster who frightened the life out of pupils and teachers alike." Getting back at the Trunchbull will be much more difficult, and dangerous, than her parents, so Matilda's magnificent mind starts developing even more talents -- unbelievable talents!
Related Books:
Other Books by Roald Dahl
Boy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Danny, the Champion of the World
Esio Trot
Fantastic Mr. Fox
George's Marvelous Medicine
James and the Giant Peach
The BFG
The Magic Finger
The Minpins
The Twits
The Witches
Skin and Other Stories
Related Movie
Matilda
Related Websites
Roald Dahl Site
Quentin Blake site
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ViolenceMiss Trunchbull throws children out windows, picks them up and swings them around by their hair, and locks them in a tiny room with spikes in the walls, though no one is actually harmed by any of this. |
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Social BehaviorThere is no love between Matilda and her parents, upon whom she exacts revenge for their awful behavior toward her. |
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