i originally purchased this copy of roald dahl's matilda because it is absolutely adorable and i wanted to turn it into a book clutch. however, if was too small, but still adorable so not a total lost. it has been on my to-reread list but i hadn't gotten around to it. the last couple of days, life has been overwhelming so decided to read matilda because i needed a light-hearted and easy read.
i loved matilda as a child and loved it even more as an adult. i always loved matilda for her love of reading and as an adult i decided to christian her a patron saint of readers. i was amazed at how well-read matilda was for a child. check out her reading list:
she more well-read than most adults i know!
matilda also name-checked the secret garden and great expectations; the former which i just purchased and the later which i had recently checked out from the library so they will be the next two books that i read in honor of matilda.
and since matilda was bookish, matilda is filled with some great bookworm quotes.
"the books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. she went on olden-day sailing ships with joseph conrad. she went to africa with ernest hemingway and to india with rudyard kipling. she travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an english village."
"she knew it was wrong to hate her parents like this, but she was finding it very hard not to do so. all the reading she had done had given her a view of life they had never seen. if only they would read a little dickens or kipling they would soon discover there was more to life than cheating people and watching television."
there is another great quote that i saw a print of on etsy but i couldn't find it in the book. it shows up on the Internet as a dahl quote but i searched the book and didn't see nor do i remember coming across it while reading. i think it came from the movie version. if anyone knows its true source, let me know:
"so matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. these books gave matilda a hopeful and comforting message: you are not alone."
and like all dahl novels, this book is filled with little gems on life. like matilda's mom telling her that "i'm afraid men are not always quite as clever as they think they are. you will learn than when you get a but older, my girl."
i also enjoyed all the talk about the overpraising of kids which is something i have discussed prior in this blog. the delusional environment kids are reared in when they are constantly praised and everyone is a winner. i loved how dahl talked about telling parents the honest harsh truth about their kids, as a substitute teacher there are definitely times i would love to send an honest note home to parents about how their kids really are.
also taking it one step further, matilda can also be a critique on administration in schools. unfortunately, there are probably some trunchbulls in schools, individuals who do not understand kids yet are in charge of their futures.
but back to matilda, she really is a wonderful role model for girls! she is intelligent and kind and can serve up her own karma!!!! you have to admire her how she punished her father for his wrongdoings. she also saved the day when it came to miss honey! and last but not least but how happy of an ending that matilda was able to live with miss honey!!! such an extrordinary girl deserves an extrordinarily happy ending!! i should change your patronage, matilda the patron saint of readers and extrordinary girls!
ps i really want to see the broadway musical now!
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