Matilda
By Roald Dahl
What it is about?
Matilda (1988) is one of the biggest seller amongst Roald Dahl´s books for children. The writer has affirmed many times that this book was one of the most difficult books for him to write. This children´s novel tells the story about Matilda.
The story tells about Matilda, who is a very clever and prodigious girl who lives with a stupid and rude family. Her parents don´t value the high qualities of their daughter, who learnt to read alone when she was three. Her father works like a salesman in second-hand cars and her mother only spend her time playing bingo. To tell the truth, Matilda didn´t seem their daughter.
When she got to go to school, she started to be happier, because she loved to learn more and more. It was at school, when she met her sweet teacher, Miss Honey, who later she is going to adopt Matilda.
But not all will be good. Her headmistress was a really cruel and strict person. Soon, she realized that she has a secret telekinetic powers, and she will use against Miss Trunchbull. But nothing of this will be able with the positivity of this extraordinary girl. And finally, Matilda will have a happy ending with Miss Honey.
The film version
Who is Roald Dalh?
Roald Dalh (1916-1990) is a famous British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter and fighter pilot too. Dahl was born in Llandaff, Wales in a Norwegian family. He had an unhappy time at school. He passed for differents boarding schools. Some years later, he left the school, and he started to work for Shell, the oil company.
When the Second World War broke out, he signed up with the Royal Air Force in Nairobi. He flew to join his squadron in he Western dessert of Libya but crushed en route. When he left the first line of War, he started his career like a writer.
But it was in 1960 when he started to write children books. Roald Dalh was without a doubt the most succesful children´s writer. For him it was very hard to write children´s novels. Some of his famous children´s novels are James and the Giant Peach (1961) Charlie and the chocolate Factory (1964)
Roald Dahl died on November of 1990. He lived an intensed life. Nowadays, his books continue to sell around the World.
Matilda review
In my opinión, this is a fantastic and wonderful novel to enjoy with the reading. It´s a funny story for children, but for me have been quite difficult, because there are a lot of new vocabulary.
In spite of this, the characters are described perfectly, and you can imagine in your mind while you are Reading, and for me this is a good point.
I think it´s an excellent book for children, because they can understand the importance of the reading. For me, Matilda represents the passion of the reading and everything that you can learn with the books. And the parents represent the opposite side.
Finally, if I were a teacher of primary school, I would recommend this book to my students, for the importance that exist about the reading, that nowadays it´s a point to work with the children.
The Characters
Matilda
Matilda is a brilliant girl. She is clever and a sensitive child. she has a special mind abilities. When she was three, she knew to read, because she read all the newspaper and magazines that lay around the house. She loves the books and Reading about everything. She is the child that all families would like to have.
Her family
Mr and Mrs Wormwodd are her parents and Michael her brother. They aren´t a normal family because they ignore the intelligence of their daughter. They are a very special family. In this house each other think about theirselves. They are the opposite of Matilda, because they are foolfish and stupid family and very rude. They don´t recognize the worth of their daugther and they don´t show the love that exist in a normal family.
Miss Honey
She is Matilda´s teacher. She has lived a very hard life too afterwards her parents died. Her aunt, Miss Trunchbull, looked after her, but finally he ran away, because she was a bitch with her. Despite of this, she has a excellent personality and she is a perfect teacher for Matilda, because knows that Matilda is a special girl like she.
Miss Trunchbull
She is the headmistress of Matilda´s school. Her personality it´s completly opposite of her niece. She is cruel with every students and tyrant who terrorizes children. She´s also strict on rules. Despite she works in a school, Miss Trunchbull possess none of the qualities to be a teacher. She had once been a famous athlete, and even now the muscles were still clearly evidence. She is the typical character that everybody hate when you read the book.
Vocabulary
One of the problems that I´ve had when I read this book, it has been the vocabulary. This book have a lot of new words for my vocabulary. Some of these words are:
- Blinded: ciego, invidente
- twaddle: chorrada
- cook up: inventar
- gormless: idiota
- hooked: enganchado
- burst out: saltar, escaparse