101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion

Please post your thoughts on this children's classic here.

I *gasp* have never read this one, so I'm looking forward to the experience!

I finally started this one. Been working my way back through the Chronicles of Narnia and they are so engrossing I haven't wanted to pick up anything else.

I was wary of starting this one because I thought it was going to be like Harriet the Spy, which I didn't really care for. Granted, I don't like stories in general where the children are brilliant and all adults are stupid. This may be the case sometimes, but in general, there are plenty of good grown-ups in a child's life. I know, that's not always true, but often. Anyway, Harriet the Spy irritated me so much that another little girls' story made me nervous.

So far, though, I've really, really liked this one. I mean, it's about a little girl who loves to read classics, what's not to like? :) But she seems likeable and sympathetic and like it's all going to work out for her in the end (it is a children's book, after all) so I think it will be alright.

Has anyone else read this, or read it as a child? I'm surprised which how much of a reader I was as a child that I never got around to this one.

I loved Matilda. She's a brilliant girl, but like her teacher Miss Honey thinks, maybe she doesn't even know how smart she is and doesn't act any different than the other kids. Her parents aren't just stupid, they're horribly mean to her so I felt bad for her. The first few chapters had me laughing at how she was getting back at them for being mean to her.

I love that her favourite author was Dickens. How could that school stand to have someone like "The Trunchbull" running the school? Especially with her torture chamber for the children? And of course, she hates Matilda from her very first day at school. Not that she likes any of the other kids anyway, since she hates children! But she gets hers in the end.

I remember reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when I was a kid, but don't remember much of it. That's the only Roald Dahl book I read before Matilda. I look forward to reading the others if they're as good as this one.

I read this today and don't know how I missed reading this as a child or reading it to my kids! I loved it!

Sandra, like you, I finished reading it today and I found it absolutely delightful! I have no idea why I never read it as a child. It's so over the top ridiculous that I can imagine being nervous about it as a parent, but when you're a kid reading stuff like that, it just sounds like your dreams and imagination, all of the "what if?" stuff. Great book!

I was planning on sitting this one out, but I think I'm going to read it over the weekend. The book I'm currently reading, What Works for Women at Work, changed my mind. It's all about the biases that competent women need to overcome to achieve positions of leadership, and from what I know of Matilda, the title character is a great little role model.

I've actually never read Matilda, either, but I've done most other Roald Dahl books when I was young. Matilda was randomly lying in the hallway the day I joined this club. Had to be a sign. Maybe just a sign of how much stuff my kids throw around the house.
I have re-read three or four Dahl books with Maria (3.5 yrs, adores chapter books and all books for that matter) and as an adult I recognize how dark they actually are! James and the giant peach- yikes!

Alana wrote: "it's so over the top ridiculous that I can imagine being nervous a..."
Haha! So this is why I'm keeping this one to myself and not reading it to Maria yet. Don't want to give her any ideas lol

Renee wrote: "I loved Matilda. She's a brilliant girl, but like her teacher Miss Honey thinks, maybe she doesn't even know how smart she is and doesn't act any different than the other kids. Her parents aren't..."

Renee, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of my favourite books as a child. My grade three teacher also read Danny the Champion of the World to us and I absolutely loved it. Roald Dahl is an amazing children's writer in my opinion. I just finished reading The BFG, Matilda, and James and the Giant Peach for the first time. They were all really well done, with in my opinion The BFG being superior to all three. I think an adult would have an amazing time reading that one to their child.