I've seen the movie three times already and always loved it. However, it wasn't until recently that I finally bought the book. Roald Dahl truly is the master storyteller everyone calls him!

Every book he wrote (of those I've read so far) seems to have a sort of signature style. This style makes the reader recognize the author while at the same time, the tone of the book is different. The characters are unique and have wonderful depth. This is not self-evident since the books are fairly thin. Each story features a completely different topic, but each story has its very own, very wonderful world.

In this case, it's a kind of "normal" world. The world of a little girl with cruel parents (a second-hand car dealer and a housewife) who neglect her. However, that doesn't stop Matilda. She teaches herself to read, spell, and calculate and becomes a wonderful little person. Eventually, she also goes to school, meeting other children and a wonderful teacher. But she also learns of the hardship other people sometimes have to face. Thus, the reader is plunged right into a funny adventure with mischievous children. It was a delight! xD

This edition, just like the one of Witches, features cute little illustrations by Quentin Blake that round off the reading experience.

I think no matter how good the other stories by Roald Dahl, Matilda will always be my favourite. Because it's about a bookish, courageous girl who, despite her young age, knows right from wrong and teaches others a lesson or two. (Also, I taught myself how to read when I was 4 so I can identify with Matilda quite a lot)!

Another Roald Dahl book that I read with my daughter was "Matilda". We would read a chapter most nights before her bedtime.

I found this book to be much more enjoyable than "James and the Giant Peach", "George's Marvellous Medicine", and a little better than "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

My daughter also preferred this one, perhaps because she could identify more with Matilda than the male characters, or maybe because she had seen the stage production that came to our city a few months ago. (Unfortunately, we didn't manage to borrow the book from the library and read it before the production!)

The story of "Matilda" is engaging. Although the book makes Miss Honey seem rather pathetic, with a small child having to change her life, at least it's an extraordinary girl who does it. Dahl is known for creating child heroes who outwit bad adults and have had difficult experiences with their parents or caregivers, and Matilda is no exception. Matilda's parents are unlikable and rather basic, but they are well-described, making it easy to sympathize with Matilda. The classic setup ensures that the reader sides with Matilda because her parents don't like books.

The illustrations in this edition by Quentin Blake are excellent. They capture the characters exactly as I had imagined them from the text and also break up the large pages of text, which is sometimes necessary when it's close to bedtime.

Like the other books, I was surprised that I hadn't read "Matilda" as a kid. I was under the impression that it was much older than it actually is, as it was published in 1988. This explains why I had moved on to other forms of entertainment by that time.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars, but I'm not sure if I can round it up to 5, so I'll give it a 4.