Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book meant a lot to young me. Reading it again I realize I saw it helped me through some of my darkest times. I imagine for other kids going through similar circumstances as me this book is so helpful and comforting.
Matilda is the hero every single abused and neglected child needs.
Matilda is the hero every single abused and neglected child needs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The message at the heart of Matilda is so hopeful and uplifting. A David vs. Goliath story that encourages kids to fight their bullies and stand up for what's right.
But you have to be ok with descriptions of pretty severe abuse and look past countless other issues, incl. fatphobia and body shaming, sexism and misogyny, classism, and ableist language.
Re-reading this now, I didn't find it particularly funny and had to work hard to connect with the positive message at the story's core.
But you have to be ok with descriptions of pretty severe abuse and look past countless other issues, incl. fatphobia and body shaming, sexism and misogyny, classism, and ableist language.
Re-reading this now, I didn't find it particularly funny and had to work hard to connect with the positive message at the story's core.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Abandonment
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Classism
Minor: Ableism, Suicide
Oooh, yikes. I think I watched the movie version of Matilda a couple months ago and still enjoyed it thoroughly, but reading the book opened my eyes to a lot of troublesome things, and I have to say I didn't enjoy it at all.
Ugh. I'm so disappointed. It's one of those things you loved when you were little, only to discover it's incredibly problematic and lackluster when you grew up.
For one, the tone is so fatphobic it's sometimes hard for me to read the book without contempt. Many of the book's characters the audience are supposed to like are continuously described as "small", "thin", "tiny", etc., while the villains are fat and large and bulging. Fat people are described with such disgust that I'm just revolted by the author. I know this wasn't written recently, but it's just hard to read.
Not only that, but this author seems to project his own anti-feminist, anti-butch lesbian views onto this children's book. Miss Trunchbull is literally the personification of the radical feminist of his time: ugly, manly, large and bulky. She acts like a man, too, participates in what could be seen as stereotypical men's sports, has no need for marriage - in fact, she looks down on it when one of the children sings back Miss Honey's rhyme "Mrs. D Mrs. I Mrs. F F I, etc." and Miss. Trunchbull exclaims "Why are all these women married?".
Miss Trunchbull also hates anything feminine (aka the little girl /growing out/ her pigtails), and hates children. She also literally killed the patriarch of her family so she could be in charge. Reading this as a butch lesbian myself just made me roll my eyes every other page.
The plot started slowly, and then rushed faster and faster until the end just ... happened, and I was left feeling like the book ended without actually finishing, if that makes sense. There was no feeling of an actual conclusion.
And the relationship between Miss Honey and Matilda made me incredibly uncomfortable. The prose even mentions Matilda as a grown-up child rather than an actual child. And that Matilda and Miss Honey were equals. Which could make their relationship ... really weird. It's basically how Miss Honey "opens up" about her past. But she really just blurts out "my father killed himself" to a six-year-old girl. This all reads so awkwardly and worryingly. It doesn't matter if this kid is the most intelligent girl in the world, of all time! She's still a child.
Anyway, yeah ... I didn't enjoy this.
Ugh. I'm so disappointed. It's one of those things you loved when you were little, only to discover it's incredibly problematic and lackluster when you grew up.
For one, the tone is so fatphobic it's sometimes hard for me to read the book without contempt. Many of the book's characters the audience are supposed to like are continuously described as "small", "thin", "tiny", etc., while the villains are fat and large and bulging. Fat people are described with such disgust that I'm just revolted by the author. I know this wasn't written recently, but it's just hard to read.
Not only that, but this author seems to project his own anti-feminist, anti-butch lesbian views onto this children's book. Miss Trunchbull is literally the personification of the radical feminist of his time: ugly, manly, large and bulky. She acts like a man, too, participates in what could be seen as stereotypical men's sports, has no need for marriage - in fact, she looks down on it when one of the children sings back Miss Honey's rhyme "Mrs. D Mrs. I Mrs. F F I, etc." and Miss. Trunchbull exclaims "Why are all these women married?".
Miss Trunchbull also hates anything feminine (aka the little girl /growing out/ her pigtails), and hates children. She also literally killed the patriarch of her family so she could be in charge. Reading this as a butch lesbian myself just made me roll my eyes every other page.
The plot started slowly, and then rushed faster and faster until the end just ... happened, and I was left feeling like the book ended without actually finishing, if that makes sense. There was no feeling of an actual conclusion.
And the relationship between Miss Honey and Matilda made me incredibly uncomfortable. The prose even mentions Matilda as a grown-up child rather than an actual child. And that Matilda and Miss Honey were equals. Which could make their relationship ... really weird. It's basically how Miss Honey "opens up" about her past. But she really just blurts out "my father killed himself" to a six-year-old girl. This all reads so awkwardly and worryingly. It doesn't matter if this kid is the most intelligent girl in the world, of all time! She's still a child.
Anyway, yeah ... I didn't enjoy this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Child abuse, Suicide
also: lesbophobia (specifically anti-butch)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Abandonment
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't know why I never read this book as a child, since the movie is still to this day one of my favorites. I absolutely loved this book and it was so nostalgic to read. I was happy that the movie was very similar to the book.
I loved Matilda's love for books and learning! Miss Honey was of course one of my favorite characters. One of my favorite parts were the pranks that Matilda plays on her terrible parents.
The pacing of this books is a little low, but I highly recommend this books for anyone who loved the movie as a kid.
I loved Matilda's love for books and learning! Miss Honey was of course one of my favorite characters. One of my favorite parts were the pranks that Matilda plays on her terrible parents.
The pacing of this books is a little low, but I highly recommend this books for anyone who loved the movie as a kid.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
ive always heard of this book but just got the chance to read it, and now that i have, im not surprised it's so famous. it was great seeing a main character--and a young one at that--like matilda who's a book lover, and her surprisingly clever yet simple shenanigans to get back at the shitty adults both at home and school were super satisfying.
this book was also hilarious, morbidly so at some parts. dahl's frequent themes of the importance of and love for children, and the failure of adults and the system are once again explored here. my one critcism, however--and this pertains to dahl's other books as well--would be the fact that it negatively reinforces the correlation between a person's physical appearance and their morality, and the fact that many of dahl's antagonists are women, which is a tad disappointing.
this book was also hilarious, morbidly so at some parts. dahl's frequent themes of the importance of and love for children, and the failure of adults and the system are once again explored here. my one critcism, however--and this pertains to dahl's other books as well--would be the fact that it negatively reinforces the correlation between a person's physical appearance and their morality, and the fact that many of dahl's antagonists are women, which is a tad disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Abandonment
Minor: Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent
dark
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love this book, even though, reading it now, I realise how messed up the storyline is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment
Minor: Suicide