Book Review: Matilda
What Parents Should Know
Like much of Dahl's work, this delights children even as it
troubles adults. Were it not in a humorous fantasy, Miss
Trunchbull's behavior would be considered abuse, where it is
not downright impossible. The relationship between Matilda and
her parents is one of mutual dislike. And children exact
revenge on adults. But it's all played for fun and laughs,
young readers certainly know not to take it seriously, and they
mostly consider adults who do take it seriously to be silly.
Discussion topics include fairness, revenge, adult/child power
relationships, and the nature of intelligence.
Common Sense Media Review
Here at CSM we have a yellow "Pause" button, which means
"know your kids." This book, like most of Dahl's, should be
labeled "know yourself." Some adults hate it for the same
reason that kids love it -- it shows a good, smart child
overcoming evil, dumb adults. It has ridiculous, cartoon
violence, not meant to be taken seriously, where no one
actually gets hurt. It has a black and white view of the world:
the good are all good, and the wicked get their comeuppance at
the hands of giddy, delighted children. If any of this bothers
you, if you think children's books should always have a
respectful attitude to adults in general and parents in
particular, keep it out of your house, because griping about it
will make you look just as nasty and clueless as Matilda's
parents.
If, on the other hand, you can enjoy this type of humor, it's a harmlessly guilty snicker you can share with your kids. It's a silly romp, a good read-aloud, and a mild challenge for middle graders to read themselves. Either way it will have them giggling and feeling immensely satisfied at the ending (which bothers some adults even more than the rest of the book). So make your choice and then live with it, because railing against this book is not going to do you any good at all.
From the Book:
"I have discovered, Miss Honey, during my long career as
a teacher that a bad girl is a far more dangerous creature than
a bad boy. What's more, they're much harder to squash.
Squashing a bad girl is like trying to squash a bluebottle. You
bang down on it and the darn thing isn't there. Nasty dirty
things, little girls are. Glad I never was one."
"Oh, but you must have been a little girl once, Headmistress. Surely you were."
"Not for long anyway," Miss Trunchbull barked, grinning. "I became a woman very quickly."
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