Name: Matilda

Author: Roald Dahl

Genre: Children’s Fiction

This story talks about an extra-ordinary girl, Matilda, that at a very young age, is capable of a perfect speech and reading skills. Matilda is the daughter of her very ignorant parents, Mr and Mrs Wormwood who only seem to care about themselves and their son, Michael.

Instead of congratulating their daughter on her skills like any parent would, they simply call her a noisy chatterbox and tell her that little girls are only meant to be seen not heard.

Matilda soon decides to go to the public library when her father refuses to buy her a book. She goes all alone every day without her parents’ knowledge since her father is always at work, her mother, playing bingo and her brother goes to school. Matilda who find herself all alone every week day in the house goes to the library where Mrs Phelps, the librarian soon offers to help Matilda in finding a good book despite her astonishment at her abilities.

Soon enough, Matilda is sent to school at a late age(because of her half-witted parents) and put in the lowest form with a few warnings her father told to the headmistress, Miss Agatha Trunchbull also known as The Trunchbull. Matilda soon shows signs of being indeed a precocious child. Her very gentle teacher, Miss Honey is astonished and makes a demand to the headmistress for Matilda to be put in the highest form but she refuses. Miss Honey gives Matilda other books for higher forms for her to study.

One day, when the headmistress comes in Miss Honey’s class, she finds a newt in her glass of water (the newt in the glass of water was part of Lavender, Matilda’s friend’s prank)which freaks her out. She accuses Matilda for the joke and Matilda finds herself in a rage. She feels a sort of electriity in front of her eyes and finds herself capable to overthrow the glass of water on Miss Trunchbull(who accuses her again) using the power of her eyes.

Afterwards, Matilda tells Miss Honey that she threw the glass of water on Miss Trunchbull using her eyes and Miss Honey invites Matilda over for a cup of tea at her place where she then tells Matilda her sad story of how she became so poor and that Miss Agatha Trunchbull is in fact her aunt. Soon Matilda thinks of a plan so that Miss Honey can live a better life and she practises her powers to achieve it and she does. Miss Honey moves back to her own house and a new headmaster runs the school.

Very soon, Mr Wormwood is fleeing the country as he was found guilty of stealing cars and when his daughter pleads to allow her to stay with her teacher, he agrees, happy to have got rid of her.

Matilda soon leads a happy life with her teacher.

THE END

I found this book really amazing and I would rate it 5/5 stars

By Hermione