Dahl, Roald. Matilda. Illustrator: Blake, Quentin. 240 pages. ISBN: 978-0142410370.
Subject/Genre: Magic, RealismAges: 9-11
Plot: A four-year-old girl, named Matilda is the child genius of two very boring parents. Matilda's parents have no idea about her mental capacity. At an early age, Matilda discovers the library and a kind librarian. She learns about the library and begins to enjoy reading books. Instead of sitting at home bored and in front of the television, watching her mother play Bingo, Matilda spends her afternoons reading classic works of literature. She enters school ready to read, solve math problems, and spell. Miss Honey is her elementary teacher, notices her smartness and would like to promote her to the top, but Miss Trunchbull has been warned by Matilda's father that Matilda is a trouble-maker. Miss Trunchbull is the headmistress, who hates children and places children in a special closet for punishment in her office. So Matilda stays with Miss Honey, who offers her extra work and lessons to supplement what she is teaching. Matilda has telekinesis, the ability to move things with her mind, and uses her gift to plaly tricks on her parents.
Review: This is a great story about a little girl who finds comfort and support outside of her family--Ms. Honey and the Librarian are two positive figures in Matilda's life. Matilda is misunderstood as a troublemaker, by her parents and the headmistress when she is really a genius. The story is humorous because the characters represent extremes: Matilda's parents are stupid, but Matilda is very smart; Ms. Honey is nice, but Miss Trunchbull is mean. There are embarrassing scenes in the book, that show how children are punished for events that they did not cause. Tweens will be able to relate to the hardships of Matilda, and enjoy the magical tricks she plays in the book.
Book-a-like: James and the Giant Peach
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