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Matilda

by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Interest age: 7+
Reading age: 8+

Published by Puffin, 2016

  • Adventure
  • Classics
  • Fantasy
  • Funny

About this book

Matilda is not yet five years old, and already she is a very unusual child. Teaching herself to read, she works her way through all the books in the children's library and then gets started on the adult section, to the amazement of the librarian. Her narrow minded parents don't notice that they have a genius in their midst - but is soon becomes clear that underestimating Matilda is a big mistake.

When she starts school at Crunchem Hall, Matilda meets the frightening and bullying headmistress, Agatha Trunchbull, and witnesses her terrible temper. Soon, she puts her very special talents to work to get the better of Miss Trunchbull and the other unpleasant grown-ups around her - as well as to help warm-hearted class teacher Miss Honey.

This modern fairy-tale with a brilliantly inspiring young heroine is one of Roald Dahl's best loved stories. Full of magic and mischief, children will love witnessing Matilda pit her strength, courage and cool intelligence against the nasty and spiteful adults in her life, and ultimately coming out on top.

About the author

Sitting in a hut at the bottom of his garden, surrounded by odd bits and pieces such as a suitcase (used as a footrest), his own hipbone (which he'd had replaced) and a heavy ball of metal foil (made from years' worth of chocolate wrappers), Roald Dahl wrote some of the world's best-loved stories including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, The Witches, The BFG, Fantastic Mr Fox, James and the Giant Peach and lots more.

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