Plot: Matilda is extraordinary. At five and a half years old, she can read novels and multiply double-digit numbers. However, her parents think she is stupid, and they take every opportunity they can to tell her so. She eventually decides to discipline her parents through a series of pranks. The efforts seem rewarded, but they do not prepare her for Miss Tunchbull, her school headmistress. Unlike Miss Honey, Matilda's kindly teacher, the headmistress demands fearful submission through threats and violence. Faced with an injustice almost beyond her imagination, Matilda realizes she must use one of her unusual gifts to bring down Miss Tunchbull.
Genere: Fiction
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Similar Titles: James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Twits
Personal Thoughts: While the context is, perhaps, unusual, the novel follows some of Dahl's favorite themes. An unlikely hero manages to overpower strong opponents to bring justice. Apparently, the novel was banned by several libraries, presumably for its reference to psychic power. It also became a basis for a movie in 1996. The film differs greatly from the novel and received mediocre reviews. However, some favor the movie, so it has become a minor cult classic.
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