Matilda (Puffin Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Roald Dahl (Author), Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 23, 2004 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 840L (What's this?)

Matilda is a sweet five-year-old with extraordinary mental powers—powers she uses to teach her school’s evil head mistress a lesson she’ll never forget!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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, Mrs. ("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--the big surprise comes when Matilda discovers a new, mysterious facet of her mental dexterity. 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. (Ages 9 to 12) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Matilda is an extraordinarily gifted four-year-old whose parentsa crass, dishonest used-car dealer and a self-centered, blowsy bingo addictregard her as "nothing more than a scab." Life with her beastly parents is bearable only because Matilda teaches herself to read, finds the public library, and discovers literature. Also, Matilda loves using her lively intelligence to perpetrate daring acts of revenge on her father. This pastime she further develops when she enrolls in Crunchem Hall Primary School, whose headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, is "a fierce tyrannical monster . . . ." Adults may cringe at Dahl's excesses in describing the cruel Miss Trunchbull, as well as his reliance on overextended characterization at the expense of plot development. Children, however, with their keenly developed sense of justice, will relish the absolutes of stupidity, greed, evil and might versus intelligence, courage and goodness. They also will sail happily through the contrived, implausible ending. Dahl's phenomenal popularity among children speaks for his breathless storytelling charms; his fans won't be disappointed by Matilda. Blake's droll pen-and-ink sketches extend the exaggerated humor. Ages 9-11.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142402532
• ISBN-13: 978-0142402535
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (508 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Trunchbull: Do villainous names get any better? June 17, 2004

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Originally published in 1988, "Matilda" was one of the last books author Roald Dahl wrote before his death in 1990. Most authors as they age become more cynical and dour. Think of the final writings of Dickens or Twain and how bitter they seemed in their late years. Then look at "Matilda". Here we have a sweet charming little piece of literature about a girl that is both good and interesting. Creating characters that you identify intrinsically with is not only difficult but (in children's books) sometimes near impossible. Reading "Matilda", it becomes clear that Roald Dahl never lost his touch for creating wonderful original characters and situations.

The heroine of this little book also carries its name. Matilda is incredibly intelligent, even as a small child. Living with her boorish parents and oblivious brother, she teaches herself to read from the various magazine and newspapers lying about the house. Her parents are completely indifferent to their only daughter and it is only by playing small tricks on them when they've been particularly nasty that little Matilda is able to keep a hold on her sanity. By age five and a half Matilda has read all the children's books in the library and quite a few of the adult ones as well. On entering school for the first time, our protagonist comes face to face with a very worthy enemy. The Head Teacher, Miss Trunchbull, is the worst kind of dangerous violent adult. It is only through Matilda's cleverness that she is able to come to the aid of her teacher, Miss Honey, and save the school from the Trunchbull's insanity.

As I mentioned before, Matilda is just the nicest kid ever. Intelligent without ever becoming pig-headed. Nice without becomes precious. She's just a swell child all around. Through her, Dahl takes some mighty fine cracks as his fellow kiddie lit authors. I was especially fond of the portion in which Matilda points out that though C.S. Lewis and Tolkien are fine writers, "There aren't many funny bits". And as we all know, Dahl is the master of the funny bit for kids. This book is chock full of them too. It contains all the usual peculiar Dahl touches (like kids being swung out of the playground by their pigtails) as well as practical jokes and nasty adults. The Trunchbull is perhaps THE nastiest adult ever to grace the pages of the Dahl world. Definitely unhinged, she abuses the children around her, coming just shy of actual physical contact. It is amazing then that Dahl doesn't dispatch of her in a violent or crazy fashion. She merely...disappears. Likewise Matilda's parents get their comeuppance by merely fleeing the country to Spain. Dahl was quite soft in his old age, it seems.

Reading this book today I was struck by how much Lemony Snicket owes to Mr. Dahl. Not just the usual adults-are-nasty-cruel-and-possibly-batty take, but the narrative voice as well. It took me a couple minutes to realize that this was Dahl talking and not Mr. Handler. Illustrated by Quentin Blake, the book is perfectly complimented by the illustrators' insane imaginings and concoctions. The Blake/Dahl pairing is often inspired, and it works to its best advantage here. I can't imagine this book without Blake's particular little pointy nosed heroine gracing the pages. For those parents who either don't approve of Dahl or just don't "get" him, I think "Matilda" is the perfect story to win them over. You'd have to be pretty hard of heart not to love its little heroine and the troubles she gets into. A charming treat to be enjoyed for years to come.

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading aloud pleasure. May 20, 2002

By Britt Arnhild Lindland

Format:Hardcover

I'm out of the country with my 6 years old daughter for a week. When we travel together we always bring enough reading stuff, and our main book this time is Matilda - a fantastic book about a fantastic girl. I have read all of the Roald Dahl books for my kids several time, Matilda has always been and still is my favorite :-)

Matilda is a small girl with extraordinary talents. Already when she is three years old she starts visiting the local library and reads all the books there, starting with the children's books, keeping on with the world classics. Matilda's parents are very neglective, and refuse to see any of Matilda's talents. But Matilda is a fighter and finds her own very creative and very funny ways to get revenge.

Matilda is a funny book, showing a girls fight for her individuality, in a typical RoaldDahlish way. I love it, and all my kids have loved it as well. My youngest daughter is only six, and should be a little too young for the book. But still the book works perfectly for her. The chapters are quite long, but none of us manage to stop after just one chapter. Being on holiday, we can sleep long in the mornings, and can read for a long time in the evenings.

An extra pluss with the book is all the fantastic recommandations of future books it gives us. Dahl has made a wonderful list of the books Matilda read at the library.

Britt Arnhild Lindland

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book Ever! January 2, 2001

By Katie Flansburg

Format:Hardcover

I think Roald Dahl is the best children's author ever! I'm 20, and I still read his books. Matilda tells the story of a little girl genius. Matilda taught herself to read from the newspapers lying around her house when she was a baby and she practically exhausts the local library's collection before she even begins school. She is an extraordinary child, but she's not just smart. She has a daring vengeful streak... She gets excellent revenge on her father for horrid things he says to her. Once, he even tears up her library book. You really can't help but laugh and cheer for her when she gives the bad guys a dose of their own medicine!

Dahl's gift for inventing extraordinarily horrid characters is exercised beautifully in this story. Matilda's father is a cheating used car dealer, and her mother regularly leaves 4-year-old Matilda home alone all afternoon so that she can play Bingo in the next town. The Headmistress Trunchbull even throws a small girl across the playground by her pigtails! Matilda's parents ignore her, the Headmistress is a holy terror, and Matilda's only comfort is her kind teacher, Miss Honey. After the Headmistress, AKA the Trunchbull, does some particularly horrid things to the students and Miss Honey, Matilda uses her extraordinary brain to take back some of their own...

Like most of Dahl's books, there is an undeniable element of cruelty woven into this story-- but this is the best kind of cruelty! When the good guys win, like they always do in Dahl's books, kids cheer on the fall of the real evil.

Matilda is my favorite Roald Dahl book, but The BFG and The Witches are close runners-up. I highly recommend all of his books!