Book Concierge's Reviews > Matilda

Matilda is an unusual child. She is clearly a genius, having taught herself to read at age three. By the time she begins primary school at age 5 she has already read all of Dickens’s as well as many works by Hardy, Twain, Kipling, Steinbeck and Austen. She has also memorized the times tables, at least to 12 and maybe more. But all is not perfect for Matilda – far from it. She is saddled with a horrible family – an older brother who denigrates her efforts and calls her names, parents who have no patience with her and not only do not understand her love of books but who destroy her books and insist she watch television. It gets worse. The head teacher at her school is a horrible giant of a woman named Miss Trunchbull, who would prefer that all little children be destroyed. Still, Matilda is a pleasant child, with some good friends. She plots her revenge in secret, and her brain power results in some very creative (and successful) retaliations.

I listened to the book on CD narrated by Joely Richardson. Richardson is wonderful reading this story that children (and adults) will love. The reader/listener cannot help but cheer as Matilda and other students get the best of Miss Trunchbull, and grimace at the expected punishment when they are found out. I was thoroughly entertained. I also really like that Dahl does not shy from using an advanced vocabulary. He knows his young readers will be inspired to find out what these words mean if they can’t figure it out from context. Unlike so many of the adults around Matilda, Dahl does not underestimate the brain power of children.