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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Re-visiting some of our past themes, we’re once again reading books that have had film/TV adaptations and then comparing the two mediums. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!
Book: “Matilida” by Roald Dahl
Publishing Info: Viking, October 1988
Where Did I Get This Book: The library!
Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound
What We Watched: “Matilda” (1996) & “Matilda: The Musical” (2022)
Book Description: 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, Miss (“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.
Kate’s Thoughts
“Matilda” was my hands down favorite Roald Dahl book when I was a kid. As much as I enjoyed other books of his, there was just something Matilda Wormwood that really connected with me (could it be that she was a strange and lonely little girl who liked to read? Possibly!). But I hadn’t revisited it until it was selected for our book club as our last adaptation read, and oh my goodness am I so glad that we picked this one. Because “Matilda” is still so, so utterly whimsical and a true delight.
Dahl really had a knack for writing such funny books that are funny for kids (eating a giant chocolate cake! A hat stuck on a Dad’s head!) while also being funny for adults (so much dry humor and English witticisms!). I highly enjoyed the over the topness of the experiences that Matilda was dealing with, be it her horrible parents, the INSANE Miss Trunchbull, or even the quirky and strange and oh so amusing classmates at her school. I also enjoyed revisiting the artwork of Quentin Blake, and I had forgotten that there are so many fun illustrations throughout the book, which really just added to my positive experience of revisiting this classic from my youth.
And I actually ended up watching the 2022 film adaptation of the musical, starring Alisha Weir as Matilda, Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, and Emma Thompson as The Trunchbull. I absolutely adored it. I thought that it was a little truer to the spirit of the book than the 1990s film (though that one is still very charming and fun!), and I really love the music and basically all the performances from everyone in it. I also liked the way that it highlights the ways that Matilda was doing small things, or ‘a little bit naughty’ things, to fight back against the oppressive people in her life when feeling like she has no control (things I try to keep in mind these days). And I can definitely say that it’s kid approved, because my daughter watched it obsessively in the days after she watched it with me.
“Matilda” is still absolutely charming and sweet. So witty, so magical, so utterly enjoyable.
Serena’s Thoughts
I mean, can I just say “delightful” and then be done with my review? Sometimes you re-read books from your childhood and are shocked to find that perhaps the rose-tinted glasses have worn off. But then there are others that really just prove they are classics for a reason, and such was the case here! There is just so much to love about this story! The characters, the magic, the “British-ness” of it all! (That last one I may have appreciated more re-reading it now as an adult.)
It’s also the kind of story that is sure to connect with readers of all ages today as well! Though there’s also no denying that this is the sort of story that librarians are especially primed to love. Who can so say no to a story about a love for reading and how it can lead to only good things?? It’s also the sort of story that will likely speak to many kids who may feel out of place or lonely and who turn to books as a source of escape and comfort.
I also re-watched the 90s version of the movie. I watched it once as a kid, but hadn’t seen it since. It, too, was as delightful as ever! One of our bookclub friends mentioned that the movie “Americanized” the story, in that everything was bigger than ever, including the magic, and I think this is spot on. It’s still an excellent adaption, however, and I’m sure my kids will love to watch it whenever I get around to showing it to them.
Kate’s Rating 9 : Matilda Wormwood, icon that you are, you are still a fantastic children’s lit character and I’m so pleased that I was able to revisit your world again!
Serena’s Rating 9: Just as delightful as I remember it being!
Book Club Questions
- Did you read “Matilida” growing up? Did you experience it differently as an adult?
- Did you watch the movie or the musical? How did they compare to the original?
- In the book, the magical elements are a bit more in the background than they are in many of the adaptations. Do you think that one approach worked better than another?
- There is a good cast of secondary characters. Did any stand out to you in particular and why?
- How do you think Matilda will use her magic going forward after the events at the end of the book?
Reader’s Advisory
“Matilda” is included on the Goodreads lists: Favorite books from my childhood and Children’s Books I’ll Re-Read No Matter How Old I Am
Next Book Club Pick: “A Master of Djinn” by P. Djeli Clark
The Library Ladies 