Read this to the kids. They give it 5 stars "because she moved" -Jesse and "because she went to live with Ms Honey and also Ms Trunchbull is gone!" - Jane.
I enjoyed this book, but the cruelty is a bit over the top. A common Roald Dahl theme.

My absolute favourite childhood book!

I enjoyed this short book. It was hard not to compare it to the movie, which was more focused on Matilda developing her powers and which included more scenes than were in the book. Matilda never goes to the Trunchbull's house, for example. I felt like the book moved too quickly toward the end, but that could also be because I expected more from the movie to happen. Regardless, Matilda is such an endearing character to whom I slightly relate. I like how much more savvy she is depicted in the book ; the Trunchbull is simply another bully Matilda takes down. (The Trunchbull is horrible, I know, but she's pretty hilarious in the book). The illustrations accompany the story well and make the book a do-able read for reluctant readers. This is an enduring and fun classic I would recommend as a read-aloud, especially for a third-grade class.

The girls and I really loved this book and wish it hadn't ended! But what a great ending it was!

I first read Matilda in grad school, in my Children’s Literature class. It didn’t make that much of an impression on me but for some reason I kept it. This is one instance where I liked the movie better than the book. I know all children are supposed to consider themselves to be exceptional and their family to be morons and to dream of finding a better, worthier family, but this book just seems so ... obvious. I know it’s a classic and all that, but I don’t think this would have been my cup of tea even if I’d read it as a child.

Elokuvan ja musikaalin jälkeen oli korkea aika vihdoin lukea alkuperäinen kirja. Jälkikasvulle toimi kuin häkä. Välillä (taas kerran) Dahlin ilmaisu tuntui rajulta nykyajan lasten korviin, mutta ehkä syy on ennemminkin ylihuolehtivissa vanhemmissa. Tässäkin kirjassa on oikeastaan vain pari aika pitkää kohtausta, mutta silti se toimii hyvin kokonaisuutena.

Actually read this ages ago when I first started selling books in Boston in Harvard Square. Loved it then and still do. First of my tour of Dahl all the titles I read as a youngin and a young adult.

***Spoilers***

Once again, I read a Roald Dahl book to compare the two two movies it inspired (the 1996 Danny Devito vehicle and the new musical on Netflix) that my daughter is obsessed with. This time it's the older one, so we decided to read the book each night out loud. In the end, I mistakenly let her stay up too late to finish it and her overtired brain got a little freaked out about Trunchbull likely murdering Miss Honey's father (I guess she hadn't picked up on this point in the various movie versions!) but, hopefully, she still looks back at it as a fond memory. I know I will.

Anyway, I loved the book and thought it topped both adaptations. It's much less complicated than the movies, both of which must have felt the need to embellish the story to make it more entertaining, but I loved the simpler story here.

In the book, the focus is really on Matilda and Miss Honey's relationship: Miss Honey saves Matilda by bringing her to school, tirelessly advocating for her, nurturing her advanced intellect and ultimately adopting her, but Matilda saves her as well. Miss Honey becomes so childlike as she relates her devastating story of growing up that Matilda feels compelled to use her telepathic abilities to help her, honing her skills to manipulate chalk so she can get Miss Honey her home and money away from the hands of the horrible Trunchbull. This partnership between two sweet, intelligent, vulnerable people who use their inner strength to make each other's lives so much better is a lovely story, told with all the quirks, whimsy and little corners of darkness we expect from Roald Dahl. I'd highly recommend reading it for yourself!