Helpful Score: 3
I was over 60 when I discovered Roald Dahl and this is my favorite book by him. With all the books being written nowadays that seem to want to rub young people's noses in the grim realities of life, there is a place for Dahl's sort of fantasy, in which right wins out for a happy ending. There is something very satisfying in Dahl's savage, yet humorous, treatment of hateful people of all sorts.
Helpful Score: 1
I began reading Roald Dahl's books as an adult. I really love them. This is quite possibly his very best. Little Matilda is ignored by family but puts it all to good use to become a genius and maybe something more. Dad's hat gets superglued to his head and his black hair turned platinum. Mom is sure there are ghosts in the house. But the fun really starts when gestapo type school headmistress Miss Trunchbull thinks she can bully Matilda and her friends.
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book when I was in 4th grade and I loved it then.
Anytime I feel down or upset I will pick it up and read some of it. So I've probably only read the book cover to cover 10 or so times but it's probably my favorite story ever. I;ve read parts of it so much that my copy is falling apart. Scotch tape works wonders....
I find it hard to critique this book as it is one of my favorites and when I read it I just get lost in the story. I think that being it's one of the books that has stayed with me from childhood I have a very special bond with the characters in this book.
Anytime I feel down or upset I will pick it up and read some of it. So I've probably only read the book cover to cover 10 or so times but it's probably my favorite story ever. I;ve read parts of it so much that my copy is falling apart. Scotch tape works wonders....
I find it hard to critique this book as it is one of my favorites and when I read it I just get lost in the story. I think that being it's one of the books that has stayed with me from childhood I have a very special bond with the characters in this book.
Helpful Score: 1
Easy, fun and super cute! I would definitely recommend this for younger kids!
Helpful Score: 1
This is my favorite of all of Roald Dahl's books. With humor and a good plot, it is for all ages. Matilda is a brilliant girl who knows how to outwit others in a funny and clever way. I've read this several times, but I re-read my favorite parts over and over again. Roald Dahl is amazing with what he writes, and I can not describe how delighted I am with the book Matilda.
Helpful Score: 1
I love this book.
No matter what age, Matilda is always a great read.
No matter what age, Matilda is always a great read.
About a girl named Matilda who has unconcerned parents, and an annoying brother named Michael who follows after his father. At her school there is a horrible Head Mistress named Miss Trunchbull that doesn't like small children, but Matilda get even with her magic.
My favorite Dahl novel. And not at all because I can identify with the book-loving protaganist. *wink*
Ahh what a classic. this book about an overly smart girl in a family of crooks and cheaters! When she find she has powers she is sooo surprised she uses them for evil will. great book moive too.
Another must-read for elementary school-aged children... Roald Dahl is singularly my favorite author from my childhood.
"Funny, witty, fresh....Dahl at his outrageous best!" Baltimore Sun
Another Roald Dahl masterpiece. I can see why it's a national best seller.
One of the greatest stories of all time of a young girl who realizes that she has telekinetic powers. A great story for any young girl whom has ever felt the urge to break free from anything!
Great book for kids... Easy to read and also easy to read aloud. You will enjoy this favorite!
Incredible Book, It's 240 pages long with some pictures
Roald Dahl's great classic about a misunderstood little girl with genius propensities and magical qualities.
Wonderful book which will appeal to children or adults.
Wonderful book to read to children...much better than the movie
A winner for boys and girls by the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
A truely wonderful story.
This was one of my favorites as a kid. When I was little, I wanted to be Matilda. Maybe that's why I read so much now. I recently re-read it as a "grown up" and found I loved the story and characters even more. A great book for childern and adults, Matilda is lightheard, but also touches on some deep themes and I think deep down we all wish we had her abilities.
This is a wonderfully funny book that children and adults can both enjoy. The pranks that she pulls on people are funny and ingenious!! It becomes even funnier when you know they deserve it too!!!
A lovely book by the genius writer, Roald Dahl. This book is a sure favorite for children everywhere! Matilda is a bookworm in a tv watchers world. Perhaps you can relate? Very creative and great imagery.
A brilliant, lonely little girl copes with her foolish parents and tyranical headmistress in this tale by the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The book was funny, and got even more funny when Matilda gets smarter than her parents
Typically funny Roald Dahl....
Winner of the Childern's Book Award
Wonderfuly funny, very entertaining, a book that is hard to put down.
A funny book with a precocious child's perspective on the world.
Matilda is a genius with idiot parents and she plays tricks on them when they are mean to her.
Matilda is a genius with idiot parents and she plays tricks on them when they are mean to her.
its a good book and is a mostion picture!
I got this book for my 11 yr old daughter and she loves it. Just as I did when I was her age.
Most people probably know this from the popular movie which came out quite a few years ago, but this is also a wonderful modern fairy tale about an unappreciated wunderkind kindergartener who has some amazing abilities, but is totally ignored by her family. Her father is a crooked used car salesman, and her mother an absentee princess who completely ignores and frequently leaves her savant daughter to fend for herself. This is technically classified as adolescent literature, but it's certainly a charming if quick read for just about anyone.
I like that it also speaks to the children who read it, in that they are unique and gifted, even if the world doesn't appreciate them. As other reviewers have noted, it conveys several important messages to children: be courageous, and stand up to bullies, even adults; be self-sufficient and take initiative to learn, because a love of learning leads to independence and confidence, even if your parents are less than desirable; and find like-minded allies, as family can consist of those who aren't necessarily related to you, but who share your passions and who support you. Some readers have stated that it's more a statement regarding poor parenting, but I think that's just means to an end to the real messages to children, which are far more hopeful and uplifting.
One of the most powerful messages in the book was the passage: "books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone." That speaks volumes, pardon the pun, to many of the children who read this delightful tale. I was an avid reader as a kid, who spent many hours at the local library, preferring to spend time at home reading than engaging with other people, so this would have been a book I was inspired by as well.
I like that it also speaks to the children who read it, in that they are unique and gifted, even if the world doesn't appreciate them. As other reviewers have noted, it conveys several important messages to children: be courageous, and stand up to bullies, even adults; be self-sufficient and take initiative to learn, because a love of learning leads to independence and confidence, even if your parents are less than desirable; and find like-minded allies, as family can consist of those who aren't necessarily related to you, but who share your passions and who support you. Some readers have stated that it's more a statement regarding poor parenting, but I think that's just means to an end to the real messages to children, which are far more hopeful and uplifting.
One of the most powerful messages in the book was the passage: "books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone." That speaks volumes, pardon the pun, to many of the children who read this delightful tale. I was an avid reader as a kid, who spent many hours at the local library, preferring to spend time at home reading than engaging with other people, so this would have been a book I was inspired by as well.
My daughter read this at age 7 and it is still her favorite book 3 years later.
School market edition. a child's perspective of an adult world. Will go straight to a childs heart.
TG
TG
When little Matilda goes off to school for the first time, she already has a wealth of knowledge. How? Reading! If you're a bookworm who loves to read about fictional bookworms, this is for you. It's one of my FAVORITE books.
There are people who may like this sort of book, but I am not one of them. It is one thing to have clear heroes and villains, but Dahl goes overboard, the villains so over-the-top repugnant in all things and the good guys so wonderful and perfect that credibility is stretched, even for a children's book, something like a bad fanfic. I had to quit halfway through, the book made me cringe just like the squeal of braking with severely worn brake pads. Our children deserve better than this.
