Matilda

Roald Dahl is a world-famous children's author, but surprisingly, I had never read one of his books. 

Shameless, I know. 

I decided to listen to this children's classic and lucked out having Kate Winslet narrate. Her spot-on narration with different intonation and accents for each character was amazing. At one point, I couldn't detect her own voice when she spoke as the gruff Trunchbull.

This is a delightful, fantastical book about a strong and brilliant five-and-a-half-year-old girl named Matilda Wormwood who has horrible parents and a nasty head mistress but thankfully has the support and encouragement from a kindly librarian and her schoolteacher to balance out the animosity and selfishness she's experienced in her young life. 

Matilda is a bit odd, but a sweet, witty, and exceptional child by all accounts, with an insatiable love of books, a unique ability and a strong rebellious side, particularly if she feels someone has been slighted. When she's sent to school, she meets her nemesis in the over-the-top evil school mistress, Ms. Trunchbull - the critical and just plain mean woman (who I immediately pictured as British actress Pam Harris' portrayal of Harry Potter's Aunt Marg - only nastier).

Overall, this is a fun, whimsical, and empowering read for kids about standing up to bullies, being yourself and the power of friendship. 

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Roald Dahl

Genre: Children's

Type and Source: eAudiobook from public library

Narrator: Kate Winslet

Run Time: 4 hours, 18 minutes

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio

First Published in Print: October 1, 1988

Opening Lines: Occasionally one comes across parent who 

show no interest at all in their children. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood are two such parents.

Book Description 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.