Matilda

Book review by Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media
Matilda Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 8+

Kid genius gets revenge on mean adults in fun fantasy.

Roald Dahl Fantasy 2005
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Parents say

age 9+

Based on 24 reviews

Kids say

age 8+

Based on 88 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

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What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Roald Dahl's Matilda is about a brilliant, magical little girl who's miserable at home with her nasty, clueless parents and oppressed at school by her mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. However, Matilda finds a loving, kindred spirit in her teacher, Miss Honey, who values her pupil's amazing brain power. Miss Trunchbull inflicts mental cruelty and physical abuse on the students, including name-calling, tossing children out of windows, locking them in a closet lined with spiky nails, and spinning them around by their hair or ears. These exaggerated acts of malice are part of the fantasy, though, along with Matilda's magical mental tricks. This novel was made into a dark yet delightful 1996 movie, and it's available as an audiobook read beautifully by actress Kate Winslet.

Community Reviews

lmtrav
lmtrav Adult
June 13, 2018
age 6+

Kids are smarter than reviewers are giving them credit for...

Is this book dark? Yes. Is it a bit scary? Yes. Is it for everyone? No. However, no book is for everyone, and some reviewers on here are making it sound as if this book is a manifesto for children to be horrid and immoral. It is NOT. Matilda is a little girl who is a genius and has an evil headmistress and horrid parents who if real would be abusive (they leave her alone at home, call her names, set a bad example, etc.). However, Matilda does not let this stop her. A lot of people are saying Matilda only is saved by her powers. In the end, she overcomes a final obstacle by her powers. But, she uses her own cleverness and strength to overcome obstacles before then. She glues her fathers hat to his hair, scares her parents into thinking a talking parrot is a ghost, encourages and supports a classmate who is being bullied by their headmistress, and helps her teacher find strength. Matilda is not a cheery, happy Disney strong, but it is so much better because it helps children learn that, even though the world can be very dark and scary, there can be light by looking to strength inside. Children know magic is not real. Children know there is darkness in the world because they see it even from a young age, but I think this book provides a fun and cool way to teach them about how to find power and strength within themselves. Roald Dahl is known for being quite dark, but I like his writing because it knows how smart and clever children are. That is why I love the fact Matilda is 5 and reading Charles Dickens. Kids today need that.
2 people found this helpful.
kjobrien82
kjobrien82 Adult
July 9, 2021
age 7+

Let's read Matilda! Little girl has powers!

The book is about a girl that is very smart and she has magic power. She can move things with her eyes! I liked Matilda because she is smart and she used her magic powers to scare away the mean principal, Ms. Trunchbull. One thing I didn't like was when the principal yelled at Matilda when Matilda didn't do anything. My favorite part of the book was when the principal was never to be seen again.

This title has:

Educational value
Great role models
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What's the Story?

MATILDA is the story of a little girl genius. By age 4, the title character 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 ways to punish them for their atrocious behavior, such as putting superglue into her father's hat brim, and swapping his hair tonic for peroxide. Things change when Matilda 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." At the same time, Matilda is taken under the wing of her perfectly sweet teacher, Miss Honey, who needs the little girl as much as the student needs her. Getting back at the Trunchbull will be much more difficult, and dangerous, than punishing her parents, so Matilda's magnificent mind starts developing even more unbelievable talents!

Is It Any Good?

This classic book has been delighting kids and their parents since 1988, appealing both to readers' imaginations and to their sense of justice. The good in Matilda are all good, and the wicked get their comeuppance at the hands of giddy, delighted children. Precocious readers, like Matilda, will recognize in this novel's villainous characters some of the same qualities that define the bad children in what is probably author Roald Dahl's most famous work, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Mean characters exhibit gluttony and greed, watch too much television, and cheat to get what they want. Good characters are lovable, smart, and triumphant. Matilda is a wonderful romp -- a great read-aloud for young children, and a mild challenge for middle graders to read themselves. Either way, it's tons of fun and immensely satisfying.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the idea of revenge in Matilda. Is it right for Matilda to play tricks on her parents and Miss Trunchbull?

  • Do you think any real person can do magical tricks like Matilda does?

  • If you had Matilda's powers to move things with your mind, how would you use them?

Book Details

Our Editors Recommend

For kids who love foolish fantasies and kids' classics

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