Student Saturday: Matilda - Roald Dahl

Student Reviewer: Madison

From Goodreads:

Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world. For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived. Then there's the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Mrs. ("The") Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.

She warms up with some practical jokes aimed at her hapless parents, but the true test comes when she rallies in defense of her teacher, the sweet Miss Honey, against the diabolical Trunchbull. There is never any doubt that Matilda will carry the day. Even so, this wonderful story is far from predictable. Roald Dahl, while keeping the plot moving imaginatively, also has an unerring ear for emotional truth. The reader cares about Matilda because in addition to all her other gifts, she has real feelings

Student Thoughts:

This book is about a girl named Matilda who lives in a not so good house and she does not really have a good family.  Matilda loves school just like me.  She is smarter than a lot of people.  She is like my friend Ally.  She figures out her principle isn’t very nice throughout the year.  She loves her teacher.

I think the lesson of the book is never conclude something about someone.  Because, Matilda figures out a secret of her teacher’s life.  It turns out Matilda’s life isn’t so bad.

If you want to figure out the secret and why Matilda’s life isn’t so great, check out the book at your nearest library.