Matilda (novel) facts for kids
 First UK edition
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| Author | Roald Dahl |
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| Illustrator | Quentin Blake |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature, Fantasy |
| Published | 1 October 1988 |
Matilda is a super popular book written by the British author Roald Dahl. It was first published in 1988 in London. The book has 232 pages and features amazing drawings by Quentin Blake.
Matilda has been turned into many cool things! There's an audio version read by actress Kate Winslet. It also became a movie in 1996 directed by Danny DeVito. Plus, it was a two-part radio show and a super successful musical that started in 2010.
This book is one of the most loved children's stories ever. It has sold over 17 million copies all around the world! It's even more popular than some of Dahl's other famous books.
Contents
What the Story is About
In a small village in Buckinghamshire, we meet Matilda Wormwood. She's only five and a half years old but is incredibly smart for her age. Sadly, her parents and older brother, Michael, often treat her badly or just ignore her.
To get back at them, Matilda plays some clever pranks. She glues her father's hat to his head. She hides a friend's parrot in the chimney to make them think there's a ghost. She even secretly bleaches her father's hair!
Matilda loves to read. By the time she was four, she had already read tons of books in just six months. When she starts school, Matilda quickly becomes friends with her teacher, Miss Jennifer Honey. Miss Honey is amazed by how smart Matilda is. She tries to move Matilda to a higher class, but the mean headmistress, Miss Agatha Trunchbull, says no. Miss Honey also tries to talk to Matilda's parents about her intelligence, but they don't care.
Matilda and Miss Honey become very close. Matilda sees how Miss Trunchbull scares her students with crazy punishments. One day, Matilda's friend, Lavender, plays a trick on Miss Trunchbull. She puts a newt (a small lizard-like animal) in Miss Trunchbull's water jug.
When Miss Trunchbull finds the newt, Matilda uses a special power. It's called telekinesis, which means she can move things with her mind! Matilda uses this power to tip the glass of water, newt and all, right onto Miss Trunchbull.
After this, Matilda tells Miss Honey about her powers. Miss Honey then shares a secret. She grew up with a very mean aunt after her father died mysteriously. It turns out her aunt is Miss Trunchbull! Miss Trunchbull has been keeping Miss Honey's inheritance, forcing her to live in a poor, rundown cottage.
Matilda decides to help Miss Honey get revenge. She practices her telekinesis at home. Later, during a lesson taught by Miss Trunchbull, Matilda uses her power again. She makes a piece of chalk float to the blackboard and write a message. The message pretends to be Miss Honey's dead father. It demands that Miss Trunchbull give Miss Honey her house and money back. It also tells Miss Trunchbull to leave the area forever.
Soon after, Miss Trunchbull disappears! The school's deputy head teacher, Mr. Trilby, becomes the new head. He is kind and good at his job. Because of this, Matilda gets to move up to the highest level of schooling.
Matilda is also relieved to find she can no longer use her telekinesis. Miss Honey explains that Matilda is now using her mind on more challenging schoolwork. This means she doesn't need her special power anymore.
Matilda keeps visiting Miss Honey at her house. One day, she finds her parents quickly packing to run away from the police. Her father has been selling stolen cars. Matilda asks if she can live with Miss Honey, and her parents don't really care, so they agree. So, Matilda and Miss Honey both get their happy ending! The school also becomes a much better place under Mr. Trilby.
Did you know? Mr. Wormwood, Matilda's dad, was based on a real person from Roald Dahl's village in Great Missenden.
How the Story Was Adapted
The Matilda book was made into a movie in 1996. It starred Mara Wilson as Matilda. Danny DeVito directed the movie, and he also played Mr. Wormwood and told the story. Even though the movie didn't make a ton of money at first, critics really liked it. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a great score of 90%!
There have been two musical versions of Matilda. The first one was in 1990 at the Redgrave Theatre, Farnham. It toured the UK but got mixed reviews.
The second musical, Matilda the Musical, is super famous! It was written by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin. The Royal Shakespeare Company asked them to create it. It first opened in November 2010 and then moved to the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End in November 2011. It also opened on Broadway in New York City in April 2013.
Matilda the Musical has toured the US and opened in Australia. It's incredibly popular with audiences and critics. It has won many awards, like the Olivier Awards in the UK and Tony Awards in the US. One critic even called it "the best British musical since Billy Elliot"!
The famous actress Kate Winslet recorded the English audiobook version of Matilda. In 2014, she was even nominated for an award for her amazing performance!
Connections to Other Roald Dahl Books
In Matilda, Miss Trunchbull forces a boy named Bruce Bogtrotter to eat a huge chocolate cake. He was caught stealing cake from the kitchen. This scene is so famous that there's a recipe for that cake in a cookbook called Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes! Bruce is a bit like Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, who also loves to eat a lot. But Bruce is seen as more of a hero because he finishes the whole cake without getting sick.
Another book by Roald Dahl, The Magic Finger, might have given him ideas for Matilda. In The Magic Finger, a young girl has a special power in her finger. She can do things to other people when she feels very strongly about something. This is similar to Matilda's telekinesis!
See also
In Spanish: Matilda para niños
