The Children's Book Review

Matilda, by Roald Dahl | Book Review

Bianca Schulze

Book Review of Matilda The Children’s Book Review

Matilda by Rolad Dahl: Illustrated Book Cover

Written by Roald Dahl

Illustrated by Sarah Walsh

Ages 6-9 | 192 Pages

Publisher: ‎ Viking Books for Young Readers | ISBN-13: ‎ 9781984836106

Matilda  was the last long kids’ book that Roald Dahl wrote before he passed away in 1990. When Dahl first wrote the book, she was a wicked child and very different from how she is now known to readers worldwide.

Matilda is a very kind-hearted character—she’s a gifted, intelligent, book-loving five-year-old who taught herself to read. She has read every children’s book in the library and a few for adults. Matilda can even do advanced math in her head. Her father (a rotten car salesman) and her mother (obsessed with playing bingo) are completely clueless and treat her almost as terribly as the nasty Miss Trunchbull, the child-hating, ex-Olympic hammer-throwing headmistress at school.

When Matilda meets Miss Honey, a warm-hearted and sweet teacher, she finds her inner strength and uses her newly-discovered exceptional talent to fight back and set more than a few things right in her world. Matilda’s character is certainly one to get behind—she’s empowering, knowledgeable, and brave—and the entire story is freckled with funny bits and peppered with plenty of practical jokes.

This edition contains complete and unabridged text and includes brand-new color illustrations by Sarah Walsh. The artwork brings loads of energy and charisma to the carefully curated cast that Dahl created.

When you read Roald Dahl’s  Matilda,  you’ll be snickering from start to end.

Buy the Book

About the author.

Roald Dahl  (1916-1990) was born in Wales to Norwegian parents. He spent his childhood in England and, at age eighteen, went to work for the Shell Oil Company in Africa. When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force and became a fighter pilot. At the age of twenty-six, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he began to write. His first short story, which recounted his adventures in the war, was bought by The Saturday Evening Post, and so began a long and illustrious career.

After establishing himself as a writer for adults, Roald Dahl began writing children’s stories in 1960 while living in England with his family. His first stories were written as entertainment for his own children, to whom many of his books are dedicated.

Roald Dahl is now considered one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. Although he passed away in 1990, his popularity continues to increase as his fantastic novels, including James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, delight an ever-growing legion of fans.

Learn more about Roald Dahl on the official Roald Dahl website:  www.roalddahl.com .

Roald Dahl Author Headshot

About the Illustrator

Sarah Walsh is an internationally published illustrator whose project range spans from picture books, apparel, home decor, and greeting cards, to name a few. Her work has also been featured on Creative Pep Talk, Buzzfeed, and The Jealous Curator. Sarah has been a working artist since 2001, starting as a designer/illustrator hybrid at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. In 2013 she branched off solo style into the freelance world after connecting with an art agent named Lilla Rogers. Bright color, fashion, mid-century design, the ’80s, fantasy, hand lettering, world culture, and folk art are some of the elements that inform her work. Sarah’s been fortunate enough to collaborate with clients like Chronicle, Blue Q, Nosy Crow, The Guardian, & Frankie Magazine.

Writing and illustrating a children’s book or working with a fashion designer to create an haute couture clothing line are two of her dream projects! When Sarah isn’t busy doing client work, she fills her sketchbook with personal paintings or creates products such as art prints, enamel pins & pillows for Tigersheep Friends, with her husband Colin Walsh, a fellow illustrator.

You can find her work at Sarahwalshmakesthings.com .

Sarah Walsh Illustrator Headshot

Matilda , written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Sarah Walsh, was reviewed by Bianca Schulze. Discover more books like  Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice by following our reviews and articles tagged with Classics , Illustrated Chapter Books , and Roald Dahl .

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Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

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Kid genius gets revenge on mean adults in fun fantasy.

Matilda Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Children will learn some quick facts (titles, auth

Intelligence can matter more than brutal power, ev

Miss Trunchbull abuses Miss Honey and her students

Miss Trunchbull throws children out of windows, pi

There's a lot of name-calling directed from adults

Parents need to know that Roald Dahl's Matilda is about a brilliant, magical little girl who's miserable at home with her nasty, clueless parents and oppressed at school by her mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. However, Matilda finds a loving, kindred spirit in her teacher, Miss Honey, who values her pupil…

Educational Value

Children will learn some quick facts (titles, author names, and some plot summaries) of great books that Matilda reads, including Burnett's The Secret Garden and Dickens' Great Expectations . They'll also learn what times tables are, and how to spell a few words, such as "what" and "difficulty."

Positive Messages

Intelligence can matter more than brutal power, even when power is wielded by a large adult over a small child.

Positive Role Models

Miss Trunchbull abuses Miss Honey and her students, and Matilda's relationship with her parents is one of mutual dislike. However, Miss Honey is a wonderfully warm and encouraging teacher. She's also very brave in her way, and she has the adult perspective to express how adult cruelty affects children. Matilda is a special young hero, avenging adult crimes with her marvelous brainpower. Of course, this is all in the context of Roald Dahl's fantastical imagination, so the physical abuse is cartoonish, and little children can't really do magic, yet there is much to admire in the genius of Matilda Wormwood.

Violence & Scariness

Miss Trunchbull throws children out of windows, picks them up and swings them around by their hair or ears, and locks a child in a tiny room with spikes protruding from the walls. She also has pushed a young girl's head underwater as punishment. Though no one is really injured in this fantastical novel, some sensitive youngsters may be upset by the Trunchbull's cruelty.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

There's a lot of name-calling directed from adults to kids, or between adults, including "stupid," "glob of glue," "ignorant little twit," "gangster," "useless bunch of midgets," and more.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Roald Dahl 's Matilda is about a brilliant, magical little girl who's miserable at home with her nasty, clueless parents and oppressed at school by her mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. However, Matilda finds a loving, kindred spirit in her teacher, Miss Honey, who values her pupil's amazing brain power. Miss Trunchbull inflicts mental cruelty and physical abuse on the students, including name-calling, tossing children out of windows, locking them in a closet lined with spiky nails, and spinning them around by their hair or ears. These exaggerated acts of malice are part of the fantasy, though, along with Matilda's magical mental tricks. This novel was made into a dark yet delightful 1996 movie , and it's available as an audiobook read beautifully by actress Kate Winslet .

Where to Read

Community reviews.

  • Parents say (19)
  • Kids say (77)

Based on 19 parent reviews

Kids are smarter than reviewers are giving them credit for...

Let's read matilda little girl has powers, what's the story.

MATILDA is the story of a little girl genius. By age 4, the title character has read all the books in the children's section of her local library, and moved on to Dickens, Austen, and Hemingway. She can also do advanced math in her head and has a sophisticated understanding of the world. Unfortunately her crooked car-dealer father and bingo-holic mother, TV addicts both, don't appreciate her at all. In fact, they "looked upon Matilda ... as nothing more than a scab." Matilda spends most of her time reading and the rest thinking up clever ways to punish them for their atrocious behavior, such as putting superglue into her father's hat brim, and swapping his hair tonic for peroxide. Things change when Matilda starts school. Crunchem Hall Primary School is run by the horrific Miss Trunchbull, "a gigantic holy terror, a fierce tyrannical monster who frightened the life out of pupils and teachers alike." At the same time, Matilda is taken under the wing of her perfectly sweet teacher, Miss Honey, who needs the little girl as much as the student needs her. Getting back at the Trunchbull will be much more difficult, and dangerous, than punishing her parents, so Matilda's magnificent mind starts developing even more unbelievable talents!

Is It Any Good?

This classic book has been delighting kids and their parents since 1988, appealing both to readers' imaginations and to their sense of justice. The good in Matilda are all good, and the wicked get their comeuppance at the hands of giddy, delighted children. Precocious readers, like Matilda, will recognize in this novel's villainous characters some of the same qualities that define the bad children in what is probably author Roald Dahl's most famous work, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . Mean characters exhibit gluttony and greed, watch too much television, and cheat to get what they want. Good characters are lovable, smart, and triumphant. Matilda is a wonderful romp -- a great read-aloud for young children, and a mild challenge for middle graders to read themselves. Either way, it's tons of fun and immensely satisfying.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the idea of revenge in Matilda . Is it right for Matilda to play tricks on her parents and Miss Trunchbull?

Do you think any real person can do magical tricks like Matilda does?

If you had Matilda's powers to move things with your mind, how would you use them?

Book Details

  • Author : Roald Dahl
  • Illustrator : Quentin Blake
  • Genre : Fantasy
  • Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models
  • Book type : Fiction
  • Publisher : Penguin Group
  • Publication date : May 8, 2005
  • Number of pages : 240
  • Last updated : June 10, 2015

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Review and Summary of Matilda by Roald Dahl

Introduction:.

“Matilda” is a classic children’s book written by Roald Dahl, one of the most celebrated and beloved children’s authors of all time. This review aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the book, its themes, and its literary devices, while also exploring its broader impact on readers. The suggested reading age for “Matilda” is 8 years and older.

Book Summary:

“Matilda” tells the story of a young girl named Matilda Wormwood, who is exceptionally intelligent and has a love for reading. Despite her extraordinary abilities, Matilda faces a challenging life, as her parents and the cruel headmistress of her school, Miss Trunchbull, fail to recognize her potential. The book follows Matilda’s journey as she uses her wit and newfound telekinetic powers to overcome adversity and protect her kind-hearted teacher, Miss Honey. Important themes in the book include the power of knowledge, courage, and justice.

The strengths of “Matilda” lie in its memorable characters, engaging plot, and the use of wit and humor throughout the story. Roald Dahl’s unique writing style keeps readers engaged, while his use of literary devices such as irony, imagery, and foreshadowing adds depth to the narrative. The book is also notable for its exploration of social issues such as child abuse and the importance of education.

One of the weaknesses of the book is its somewhat unrealistic portrayal of Matilda’s telekinetic powers, which may make it harder for some readers to fully relate to the protagonist. However, this element adds a magical touch to the story that can inspire imagination and creativity in young readers.

In relation to the author’s life, “Matilda” was published in 1988, towards the end of Dahl’s career. It is often considered one of his greatest works, as it showcases his ability to create compelling characters and narratives that resonate with readers of all ages.

Evaluation:

“Matilda” is a must-read for children and adults alike, as it offers valuable lessons on courage, resilience, and the importance of standing up for what is right. Fans of other Roald Dahl books, such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach,” will undoubtedly enjoy this heartwarming tale. In comparison to other works in the same genre, “Matilda” stands out due to its unique blend of humor, magic, and real-world issues.

Comprehension and Analysis Questions:

  • While practicing her reading
  • During a confrontation with Miss Trunchbull
  • When she becomes angry at her father
  • Miss Trunchbull
  • Mrs. Phelps
  • Mrs. Wormwood
  • The power of knowledge
  • The importance of friendship
  • The consequences of greed
  • The value of family

1. c, 2. a, 3. a

  • Roald Dahl – Matilda
  • Scholastic – Matilda by Roald Dahl

Awards and accolades:

“Matilda” has won numerous awards, including the Children’s Book Award in 1988. It has also become a best-selling book and has been adapted into a successful movie in 1996 and a popular Broadway musical in 2010.

Functional details about the book:

  • ISBN: 978-0142410370
  • Number of pages: 240
  • Publisher: Puffin Books
  • First publish date: October 1, 1988
  • Adaptations: Movie (1996), Broadway musical (2010)
  • Genre: Children’s fiction, fantasy
  • BISAC Categories: Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories, Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic
  • Suggested Reading Age: 8 years and older

Other Reviews:

  • Common Sense Media – 5/5 stars
  • Goodreads – 4.33/5 stars

Where to buy the book:

Purchase “Matilda” on Bookshop.org

Is this book part of a series?

No, “Matilda” is a standalone book.

About the author:

Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, and screenwriter, who is best known for his captivating children’s stories. Born in Wales in 1916, Dahl’s writing career began in the 1940s with works for adults. He gained widespread fame with his children’s books, which often feature dark humor, fantastical elements, and memorable characters. Some of his other best-selling books include “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach,” and “The BFG.” Dahl has won numerous awards throughout his career and is often regarded as one of the greatest children’s authors of all time. He passed away in 1990.

Final Thoughts and Recommendation:

“Matilda” is a timeless story that will appeal to both children and adults due to its engaging characters, magical elements, and important messages about courage, resilience, and the power of knowledge. It is a must-read for fans of Roald Dahl and those who enjoy imaginative and heartwarming tales.

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Matilda by Roald Dahl - review

‘The best bit was when Matilda used her mind to knock over the water jug with the newt in it and it frightened Miss Trunchbull!’

This story has lots of great characters such as Miss Honey who is Matilda’s teacher, Matilda’s awful Mum and Dad and Miss Trunchbull, who is headmistress at Matilda’s school and hates children.

Matilda has magic powers, which make the book funny except when she uses them at school and Miss Trunchbull tries to put her in the Chokey. Miss Honey is my favourite character in the book because she is so kind and tries to make the lessons fun for the children.

matilda

I really liked the story because it was so good and easy to read. The best bit was when Matilda used her mind to knock over the water jug with the newt in it and it frightened Miss Trunchbull!

I would recommend this book to any reader over 8 years because you can get into the story straight away.

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The Literary Edit

The Literary Edit

Review: Matilda – Roald Dahl

Matilda

When I first decided to work my way through the BBC’s Big Read , I wanted to do a thorough job – thus no half-hearted attempts or unfinished books are permitted. I’m sure that at some point during my childhood I read Matilda, but in the name of being thorough, when placing my most recent order on Amazon, I included Matilda in the line-up.

Without wanting to sound horribly tacky, the first thing that struck me about this book was the similarities between myself and Matilda. I may not have had the ghastly parents, but I did have a love of reading instilled in me from a very young age, much like the protagonist in this novel. Growing up in a small town in Sussex, I remember walking to my local library every Saturday aged seven and stocking up on books for the week; I can still recall the glee I felt when I was told that the borrowing limit had been extended from three books to seven. And while I certainly wasn’t reading Dickens, books absolutely played a big part in my childhood and have continued to do so throughout my adult life.

London’s Evening Standard has recently launched a literacy campaign hoping to ‘get London reading’ on the back of recently published statistics. One in four children under five have a TV in their bedroom, and one in five children leave primary school without being able to read properly. Thus, while this novel was published almost twenty-five years ago, it’s message is as poignant as ever.

The tale is a charming one; Matilda’s parents neither own nor have they read, a single book between them, indeed like much of modern society they spend their time slobbed in front of the TV and have no interest in reading. At school she is befriended by her teacher Miss Honey – the niece of the evil Headmistress Miss Trunchball – who discovers that Matilda has an incredible gift and is far ahead of her years in terms of intelligence.  When Miss Honey tries to notify Matilda’s parents, they remain uninterested, as does Miss Trunchball. And thus forms an unlikely friendship between teacher and pupil, with a very happy ending.

About Matilda

Matilda Wormwood’s father thinks she’s a little scab. Matilda’s mother spends all afternoon playing bingo. And Matilda’s headmistress Miss Trunchbull? Well, she’s the worst of all. She is a big bully, who thinks all her pupils are rotten and locks them in the dreaded Chokey. As for Matilda, she’s an extraordinary little girl with a magical mind – and now she’s had enough. So all these grown-ups had better watch out, because Matilda is going to teach them a lesson they’ll never forget.

About Roald Dahl

The son of Norwegian parents, Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 and educated at Repton. He was a fighter pilot for the RAF during World War Two, and it was while writing about his experiences during this time that he started his career as an author.

His fabulously popular children’s books are read by children all over the world. Some of his better-known works include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG.

He died in November 1990.

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4 comments on “Review: Matilda – Roald Dahl”

Even though I’m a bloke I completely identified with Matilda. This was something Roald Dahl always did brilliantly. His protagonists were always perfect for the young mind reading the book, a bit like how a horoscope can seem to resonate with you.

Hi – glad to hear it – I totally agree and think that Roald Dahl was fantastic at creating characters that readers could idetify with. Thanks for stopping by on my blog – let me know if you have any reading recommendations!

They just put out stamps dedicated to Roald Dahl books in the UK. They’re amazing. I’m kind of obsessed with his book The BFG.

Wow – they sound fab! The BFG is down on my reading list for next month so I’ll let you know what I think – Fantastic Mr Fox was my fae of his when I was younger 🙂

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Friday 19 March 2010

Review: matilda.

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Home / Book reviews / Matilda

Matilda by Roald Dahl

By Roald Dahl

1871 reviews

“A true genius . . . Roald Dahl is my hero” David Walliams Matilda’s parents have called her some terrible things, but the truth is she’s a genius and they’re the stupid ones. Underestimating Matilda proves to be a big mistake as they, along with her spiteful headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, soon find out when Matilda discovers she has a very special power.

Resources for this book

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I love the part where Miss Trunchball makes the boy eat lots of chocolate

Great story. Great characters. Amanda Threp is my favourite.

She likes books like me

Not quite as funny as the twits. I want to have powers too

I like the book Matilda because Matilda is a brave girl and loves books like me I also like her teacher Miss Honey because compared to all the other teachers at Matilda's school she is the nicest. Miss Trunchbull the head teacher is like the meanest person on earth and I am surprised that she is very very proud of it. Matilda's parents hated Matilda as well.

Matilda didn't give up even though Miss Trunchball was very mean.

I think this book is very good. Definitely read it!

I think it’s a wonderful book because you can learn that even if you’re in a bad situation just stand up for yourself.

My favorite character is the main character which is Matilda because she’s very brave and she’s very smart. My favorite part is when Miss Trunchbull throws a girl by the pink tails.

I like Matilda because she uses her powers to be good and teach Miss Trunchball a lesson

I don’t like Matilda that much but it was adventurous

She is such a brave and clever girl. It’s lovely when she keeps singing.

Loved everything ab out this book and will definitely recommend for others to read.

A classic! I have read this book a number of times and have also seen the film and live show of the same name.

Definitely a classic for a reason! I loved Matilda as a child and I love coming back to it, in every retelling of the story, as an adult. Introducing children to lovable, exciting characters who love to read as much as Matilda does is definitely one way of helping to foster a love of reading.

This book is all about a smart girl who has mean and horrible parents. Her name is Matilda. She goes to a school called Crunchem Hall Primary School. She showed those horrible grown ups that even though she is small, she can be very smart.

One of my favourite books that I could read over and over again.

I love this book. I like Matilda and Miss Honey the best.

I would recommend this book to everybody.

Roald Dahl is one of my favourite authors. This book is very funny and the musical is good.

I enjoyed this book. It is funny.

I like the part where she finds out that she has special powers.

I love the book so much it's like a magnet I keep coming back to it I wish I had the eye power like her to move things with her eyes it's so cool.

I love matilda and enjoyed reading this book

It was a good book, I liked the new home chapter because it was about love.

Matildas cleverness and when Miss Honey suggested to come for tea.

I liked it because at the end I liked it as it turned normal and matilda list her powers

I love miss Honey...she was sweet and most compassionate teacher....she helped Mathilda and Mathilda helped her

I love Matilda because she is just like me and loves to read .

I would recommend this book all day long .

Yes I really liked this book Matilda is very smart girl I really want to read this book again Everyone should read this

I liked this book because I am just about to start school.

very interesting my favourite part was when Bruce eats the cake

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matilda the book review

Book Review

  • Fantasy , Humor

matilda the book review

Readability Age Range

  • Jonathan Cape Ltd. published the book in 1988; this version of the book was published in 2013 by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group
  • Federation of Children’s Book Groups Award, 1988

Year Published

Matilda by Roald Dahl has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Matilda Wormwood is a brilliant child. At the age of 3, she teaches herself to read using old newspapers and cooking magazines. Her parents, however, pay little attention to her. She also has a brother, but though he is kinder than her parents, the two rarely speak. Her father is a used-car salesman who brags about selling broken-down cars under false pretenses. Matilda’s mother often ignores her and leaves her home alone. One day, while Matilda’s mother is gone, the then 4-year-old walks to the library, looking for a book to read.

The librarian is surprised to see such a small child come in alone, but Matilda is so bright and well mannered that she is allowed to stay. Matilda reads all of the books in the children’s section, and on the librarian’s recommendation, begins reading Dickens, Hemingway, Steinbeck and other well-known authors.

Matilda’s parents do not support her reading habit, repeatedly calling her ignorant and stupid. When Matilda asks to be allowed to eat in her room and read, her father yells at her to eat in front of the TV like the rest of the family. Matilda, frustrated with her father’s constant neglect and verbal abuse, decides to retaliate in a small way every time someone treats her poorly.

Matilda’s first act of revenge is to put superglue around the inside of her father’s favorite hat before he leaves for work. Her father is unable to remove the hat all day and night. Matilda’s mother finally cuts it off with scissors, leaving her father with several bald patches.

About a week later, her father comes home to find Matilda reading in the living room. In a fit of rage, he snatches the library book, rips out its pages and throws it in the wastebasket. In retaliation, Matilda borrows a talking parrot that can say “hello” and “rattle my bones” from a child in her neighborhood, with whom she is a friend. She stuffs the parrot and its cage into the chimney of her house. Her frightened parents hear the voice and think it’s a burglar before concluding the house is haunted.

Her father comes home one day and instructs his son to work out a sum so the boy can begin learning about business and finance. Matilda immediately figures out the answer in her head, but when she tries to tell her father, he yells at her, calling her a liar and cheat. The next morning, Matilda replaces her father’s hair product with her mother’s platinum-blonde hair dye. Matilda’s father, who is very proud of his black hair, is deeply distressed by the new color.

At age 5, Matilda begins school. Her teacher, Miss Honey, immediately recognizes the child’s brilliance and goes to the headmistress to discuss moving Matilda to a higher grade level. Headmistress Trunchbull refuses, having been warned by Matilda’s father that if anything bad happens at school, it is likely caused by Matilda.

Ms. Trunchbull physically and verbally abuses her students, both in her capacity as headmistress and when she teaches classes. But she does so in such outrageous ways that none of the children’s parents believe the stories. Trunchbull grabs one girl by her pigtails and throws her across a field. A little boy who steals a piece of cake is forced to eat an enormous cake so he will get sick.

Trunchbull takes over one class period of each grade in the school every week. When she teaches, she expects there to be a cup and a jug of water on the desk. Matilda’s friend, Lavender, offers to get the water; however, before Trunchbull arrives, Lavender places a newt in the jug. Trunchbull comes in and proceeds to scream insults at and physically abuse students who answer questions incorrectly. She finally pours herself a glass of water, and out comes the newt.

Trunchbull immediately accuses Matilda and threatens to expel her. Matilda, outraged by this false accusation, wishes that the glass would tip over, spilling the newt onto Trunchbull. She stares intently at the glass, and something begins to happen. She is able to push the cup over with her mind. Matilda is shocked. Since she is unable to go to her parents with the information, she confides in Miss Honey.

Miss Honey urges Matilda to be cautious and invites the child to her home so they can discuss Matilda’s unique gift. When Matilda arrives, she is shocked by how bare and small Honey’s home is and begins to ask Honey about her life. As a child, Honey lived in a fine house with her parents. After her mother died, an aunt came to live with Honey and her father. The aunt was abusive, and Honey’s father died under mysterious circumstances.

A presumably fake will was produced that left everything to the aunt. When Honey got a job, the aunt took all of her wages, saying that since raising Honey was expensive, Honey owes her a great deal of money. Honey is left with one pound per week. Through careful planning, Honey was able to move out of her aunt’s house, but one pound per week is barely enough to live on. Honey then reveals that Trunchbull is her aunt.

Matilda formulates a plan to help Honey. She begins to practice using her powers, and once she is strong enough, she sets her plan in motion. When Trunchbull teaches Matilda’s class, Matilda picks up a piece of chalk with her mind and begins to write on the whiteboard. Pretending to be the ghost of Honey’s father, Matilda tells Trunchbull to leave town and give back Honey’s house and wages. Trunchbull faints, and when she awakens, leaves town after giving back Honey’s inheritance and wages.

After Trunchbull leaves, Matilda is moved to a higher grade and her powers stop working. Honey thinks that Matilda’s extraordinary mind needs a challenge. When Matilda was stuck in kindergarten, all of her excess mental energy needed somewhere to go, which resulted in her developing powers. Now that she is being academically challenged, she has less excess mental energy. Matilda is not bothered by the loss of her powers.

Matilda and Honey remain close friends and spend a great deal of time together. One afternoon, Matilda returns home to find her parents frantically packing. They inform her that they are moving to Spain in less than an hour. Distraught, Matilda rushes to Honey’s house. Honey explains that Matilda’s father has been selling stolen cars and is probably on the run from the law. Matilda begs Honey to allow her to stay. Honey agrees that Matilda can live with her, as long as Matilda’s parents agree. They raise no objection, and Matilda and Honey live together quite happily.

Christian Beliefs

Trunchbull is described as walking through a crowd of children like Moses parting the Red Sea. Honey says that if Matilda pushed over the glass with her mind, it would be the greatest miracle performed since the time of Jesus.

Other Belief Systems

Honey warns Matilda to use her powers carefully because they rely on mysterious powers. Honey says that she does not think the powers are evil and that they may be good or divine.

Authority Roles

Matilda’s parents are neglectful and cruel. They often leave Matilda home alone, even as a toddler. They disparage her for reading and verbally abuse her, calling her a twit , cheat , liar , and other insulting words. They are also relatively uneducated and always watch television.

Matilda’s father describes how he cheats his customers by rolling back the mileage on cars’ odometers and putting sawdust in the engines, so that they will run smoothly for about 100 miles before breaking down. He teaches Matilda’s brother about business and finance, but refuses to talk to Matilda about it because she is a girl. He often yells at Matilda.

Matilda’s mother leaves Matilda home alone so she can play bingo. Her mother also says that looks are more important for a girl than education. When Honey talks to Matilda’s parents about her education, they are entirely disinterested and dismissive. When the family moves to Spain, they do not hesitate to leave Matilda with Miss Honey.

Ms. Trunchbull verbally and physically abuses her students. She often punishes students without proof of wrongdoing. It is implied that she beat her niece Honey when they lived together. Trunchbull would push Honey’s head underwater in a bathtub and hold it there. Honey states that Trunchbull cowed and dominated her until she was like a slave. It is suspected that Trunchbull killed her brother-in-law. She also stole Honey’s inheritance and wages. She hates the children at the school and has no real interest in their education.

Honey is kind and caring. She is the only adult, other than the librarian, who cares about Matilda’s well-being and education. After Trunchbull refuses to move Matilda to a higher grade, Honey gives Matilda advanced textbooks to study during class time and instructs her to ask questions at the end of each period.

Though Honey is skeptical about Matilda’s powers at first, she listens and gently asks Matilda if she could knock over the glass again. Honey works hard to support herself and is optimistic despite her difficult situation. She does her best to care for and befriend Matilda, and eventually takes Matilda to live with her.

Profanity & Violence

A– is used once. Heck is used a few times. Oh my gawd appears a few times as well.

Matilda’s parents call each other and their children twit , witch , cheat , liar , ignorant , nasty , freak , wart and stupid . The parents also say “shut up” quite frequently. Trunchbull uses a variety of colorful insults throughout the entirety of the book, such as twerp , foul carbuncle , poisonous pustule , ignorant slug , stupid glob of glue , mangled little wurzel and moth-eaten maggot .

Trunchbull threatens to beat a student’s bottom until she can’t sit down for a month. She also has a tall, narrow cupboard in her office called the Chokey. It has spikes and broken glass all around the sides, and she puts children in it for hours. She throws a student out of a second-floor window for eating candy during a lesson. Trunchbull grabs a girl by her pigtails, swings her around faster and faster, and throws her out of the playground and across the playing fields.

She breaks a large china platter over a student’s head. When a boy answers a math problem incorrectly, Trunchbull holds him aloft by his hair until he says the correct answer. She lifts another student up by his ears, which are said to stretch out significantly. Honey states that she doesn’t believe that her father would have killed himself and implies that Trunchbull murdered him.

Sexual Content

Discussion topics.

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About the Book

By Roald Dahl

'Matilda' by Roald Dahl tells the tale of a clever young girl tackling bullies in her life with wit, courage, and miracles.

'Matilda' by Roald Dahl is one of the most popular children's books of all time. It tells the story of a highly intriguing 5-year-old protagonist capable of performing miraculous acts.

Neesha Thunga K

Written by Neesha Thunga K

B.A. in English Literature, and M.A. in English Language and Literature.

‘Matilda’ is the last long children’s book written by Roald Dahl in his lifetime. The book revolves around a precocious young girl named Matilda and the battles she faces against the bullies in her life.

The book was published to near-universal acclaim in 1988 and won the Children’s Book Award soon after. The magical story has captured audiences across the world and has remained a source of delight to readers till today.

Key Facts about Matilda

  • Title: ‘Matilda’
  • Published: October 1, 1998
  • Genre: Children’s Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Humor
  • Point-of-View: First-person peripheral narrator
  • Setting: A small Buckinghamshire village in England
  • Climax: Matilda frightens Miss Trunchbull with her magic powers.
  • Antagonist: Miss Trunchbull

Roald Dahl and Matilda

Roald Dahl would tell his children bedtime stories every night. Though he admits that most of them were pretty bad, several of them ended up as acclaimed children’s books . Published in 1988, ‘ Matilda ‘ is Roald Dahl’s long children’s book.

It took almost 2 years for Dahl to complete the novel. Though the writing is simple and to the point, ‘ Matilda was a work of labor.’ Dahl famously rewrote the entire novel because he was unhappy with the first version.

Lucy Dahl, Roald Dahl’s daughter, received a letter from her father in December 1986 about ‘ Matilda .’ In it, Dahl writes,

The reason I haven’t written you for a long time is that I have been giving every moment to getting a new children’s book finished. And now at last I have finished it, and I know jolly well that I am going to have to spend the next three months rewriting the second half. The first half is great, about a small girl who can move things with her eyes and about a terrible headmistress who lifts small children up by their hair and hangs them out of upstairs windows by one ear. But I’ve got now to think of a really decent second half. The present one will all be scrapped. Three months work gone out the window, but that’s the way it is.

In the first version, Matilda was the villain of the story. She was a wicked girl who used her powers for her sadistic pleasure and helped her teacher financially by fixing a horse race. She also died at the end of the novel at the hands of Miss Trunchbull. This version of events was ultimately overturned in the rewriting , and Matilda was made the hero of the story.

After rewriting the story of ‘ Matilda ,’ Dahl admitted that he was finally happy with the book. In an interview with Todd McCormack, he commented, “Now I’m fairly happy with it. I think it’s ok, but it certainly wasn’t before.”

The plot of the novel begins with Matilda Wormwood, a young girl of remarkable maturity, who finds herself neglected by her parents, Mr. and Mrs Wormwood. The little girl learns how to read grown-up books on her own and begins to play tricks on her parents, involving a parrot and her father’s hair dye. Within her school environment, Matilda encounters an exceptional teacher named Miss Honey, who not only identifies her potential but also endeavors to have her placed in an advanced class. Yet, Miss Honey’s efforts are hindered by the imposing figure of her aunt, Miss Trunchbull.

In due course, Matilda becomes aware of her extraordinary ability—telekinesis, the power to move objects with her mind. Simultaneously, she uncovers a profound secret held by Miss Honey, involving Miss Honey’s father (Magnus) and her aunt. Fueled by this newfound knowledge and her unique powers, Matilda embarks on a mission to take action. Much like Dahl’s other children’s stories, Matilda finds a happy ending in Miss Honey’s cottage, and the story teaches children the vital lesson of standing up to bullies.

The idea for ‘ Matilda ‘ was rooted in a deep fear that Roald Dahl nursed in the late 1980s. The fear was about books going out of existence. This was around the same time that televisions were becoming extremely popular, and nearly every house in the United Kingdom had a television set. Thus, Dahl wrote a book about a genius child who loved reading.

‘ Matilda ‘ was written from a small and cozy hut in Roald Dahl’s garden. He called his hut his “nest” and wrote while sitting on his mother’s armchair, with a specially made desktop spread across his lap. Yellow legal notepaper was his go-to writing tool.

Books Related to Matilda

Roald Dahl has a repertoire of children’s literature under his belt, all of which are similar to ‘ Matilda ‘ in various ways. Some of these include ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine,’ ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ ‘Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator,’ ‘Revolting Rhymes,’ ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More,’ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ ‘The Witches,’ ‘James and the Giant Peach,’ ‘Danny, Champion of the World,’ and ‘The BFG’. 

Some of these novels have connections to ‘ Matilda .’ For instance, the enormous cake that Ms. Trunchbull forces Bruce Bogtrotter (an overweight child in the novel) to eat as punishment for stealing a piece of cake from the kitchen is featured in Roald Dahl’s ‘ Revolting Recipes .’ It is also believed that Bruce Bogtrotter is a more sympathetic version of Augustus Gloop, the glutton from ‘ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .’

There are also parallels between the short story ‘ The Magic Finger ‘ by Roald Dahl (published in 1964) and ‘ Matilda .’ The protagonist of the short story is a young girl who has magic powers in her finger. The powers get activated when she gets too emotional or feels strongly about a cause. The premise of the short story has led people to believe that it might be a precursor to ‘ Matilda .’

Readers who wish to explore books by other authors similar to ‘ Matilda ‘ can read ‘ Demon Dentist’ by David Walliams, ‘The Worst Witch’ by Jill Murphy, ‘Gangsta Granny’ by David Walliams, ‘ Pippi Longstocking’ by Astrid Lindgren and Tony Ross, ‘ Rose’ by Holly Web, ‘ Charlotte’s Web’ by EB White, ‘Green Eggs and Ham ‘ by Dr. Seuss and ‘Ballet Shoes’ by Noel Streatfeild.

The Lasting Impact of Matilda

‘Matilda’ has been frequently hailed as one of the best children’s books of all time . It is especially renowned for how Matilda stands up to her bullies and fights for the right things and people in her life. As such, the novel has resonated with both children and adults around the world.

In 1996, a film adaptation of the novel was released. Directed by Danny DeVito and starring Mara Wilson, the film received critical acclaim. However, it turned out to be a box office bomb.

A musical version of ‘ Matilda ‘ was produced in the Redgrave Theatre in Farnham in 1990. Adapted by Rony Robinson and with music produced by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, the musical version toured the UK. A second musical version opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in 2013. The stage version of the novel is massively successful with audiences and has won multiple awards in the United Kingdom and the United States.

In 2012, a set of six stamps were issued by Royal Mail featuring the original illustrations by Quentin Blake in ‘ Matilda.’ The protagonist of the story was featured on the 76p stamp.

An audiobook of the novel has been released, with actress Kate Winslet providing the narration. In 2018, Netflix announced that it would adapt ‘ Matilda ‘ as an animated series along with other books by Roald Dahl.

In October 2018, the original illustrator of ‘ Matilda ‘, Quentin Blake, celebrated 30 years of the publication of the book by imagining what Matilda would be as a grown-up. He drew illustrations of her in various professions, including astrophysics and exploration.

Matilda Review ⭐️

‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl is one of the most popular children’s books of all time. It tells the story of a highly intriguing 5-year-old protagonist capable of performing miraculous acts.

Matilda Historical Context 📖

‘Matilda’ is one of Roald Dahl’s most popular children’s novels in the contemporary period. It was published in 1988 to great critical acclaim.

Matilda Quotes 💬

Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’ is a story about a precocious 5-year-old girl with magical powers, as she takes on the bullies in her life.

Matilda Characters 📖

The characters in Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’ are vividly drawn and highly memorable. Each of them has a role to play in Matilda’s overall growth and development. 

Matilda Themes and Analysis 📖

‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl is jam-packed with intriguing themes which range from exploring the power of books to righteousness and bravery.

Matilda Summary 📖

‘Matilda’ is a children’s book by Roald Dahl. It revolves around the story of a 5-year-old girl with advanced intellect and magical powers.

It'll change your perspective on books forever.

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Summary and Study Guide

Roald Dahl’s 1998 children’s fantasy Matilda tells the darkly humorous story of a brilliant and kindly little girl who reads grown-up books, plays pranks on her emotionally abusive parents, and uses her telekinetic ability in her battles with a tyrannical school principal.

Dahl is widely considered one the greatest children’s storytellers. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide; they include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Many of Dahl’s tales, including Matilda, have been made into feature films. The 2007 Penguin edition includes illustrations by Quentin Blake; its ebook version forms the basis for this study guide.

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Plot Summary

Often left alone at home by her neglectful, self-involved parents, Matilda Wormwood teaches herself to read at age three; by age five, she’s read all the children’s books at the local library and more than a dozen adult classics like Great Expectations and The Grapes of Wrath. Matilda also has a knack for math and can do arithmetic in her head.

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Her parents have no interest in books and think Matilda’s wasting her time. Her father, Harry Wormwood, dresses garishly and sells run-down used cars faked-up as nearly new; he proudly teaches his young son, Michael, the fine points of cheating customers. Matilda’s mother spends afternoons playing Bingo and evenings watching TV. Both parents are self-important and small-minded; they regard their daughter as an annoyance, and they treat her rudely.

Matilda decides to get even with them. She puts superglue into her father’s porkpie hat, and it takes him a day to get it removed, along with a lot of his hair. She borrows a neighbor’s parrot and positions the caged bird in the chimney; when the parrot speaks during dinner, it terrifies her parents, who believe it’s a burglar or a ghost. She switches her mother’s platinum hair dye with her father’s hair lotion, causing him to convert his hair from black to ashy white.

Matilda enters Crunchem Hall Primary School , where her teacher is the kind and lovely Miss Honey , who quickly recognizes Matilda’s genius and gives her advanced schoolwork. She tries to convince Matilda’s parents to take seriously their child’s brilliance, but the Wormwoods dismiss the idea.

The headmistress, Miss Trunchbull is powerfully built and mean to the children, whom she despises. A former Olympic hammer thrower, Trunchbull has a knack for lifting up children who annoy her and throwing them through windows or over fences. One boy is caught stealing her lunchtime dessert; she calls an assembly, where she forces the boy to eat an entire giant chocolate cake. The boy succeeds, which frustrates Trunchbull.

The tyrannical woman hates Matilda on sight. When the girl’s pal, Lavender, sneaks a newt into Trunchbull’s water glass, the startled headmistress accuses Matilda of the deed. Furious, Matilda’s eyes somehow send energy toward the glass and tip it over, newt and all, onto Trunchbull.

Matilda confesses to Miss Honey that she made the glass fall; to prove it, she concentrates and makes the glass tip over again. Amazed, Miss Honey agrees to work secretly with Matilda to understand her new power.

They walk to the teacher’s tiny countryside cottage , which has no running water and no furniture. Miss Honey explains that when she was a little girl named Jenny, her mother died young, and her father, Magnus, brought in Jenny’s aunt Agatha to help raise the child at Jenny and Magnus’s beautiful house. The aunt, though, was cruel; she murdered Jenny’s father and framed it as suicide, then enslaved the girl for housework. Jenny later attended a nearby teacher’s college, and she got hired at Crunchem Hall, but the aunt still forced her to sign over her salary. Miss Honey escaped by moving to the cottage, which the owner rents to her for pennies a week. Her aunt Agatha is Headmistress Trunchbull, who still lives in Jenny’s old house as though it is rightfully hers; she forged the deed.

Matilda decides to help Miss Honey. Each day after school for a week, she practices making one of her father’s cigars levitate and move about. At school, when Trunchbull teaches Miss Honey’s Thursday class, Matilda telekinetically makes a piece of chalk write on the board, saying that it’s Magnus, who has come back to warn Agatha to give Jenny her house and salary and leave town—or he’ll get her like she got him. Trunchbull faints and must be carried to the sick-room.

The next day, Trunchbull’s assistant, Mr. Trilby, goes to Trunchbull’s house to find it unlocked. He enters to see that everything is in place except that it is vacant. Miss Honey then gets a letter from a law firm that says her father’s will has suddenly appeared. It gives the estate to her, including the family house where Trunchbull lived.

Miss Honey moves into her old house. Matilda visits her every afternoon. Miss Honey gets the girl transferred to the top grade, where she’s an excellent student.

Matilda’s father gets into trouble with the law for his crooked business operations, and the Wormwoods pack hurriedly to escape to Spain. Matilda doesn’t want to go; she hurries with Miss Honey to her house, where the teacher offers to care for the girl while the rest of the Wormwoods escape. Harry and his wife shrug and accept the deal. They pile into a car with their son and drive away. Matilda jumps into Miss Honey’s arms, and they hug. 

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Look Inside

The Chocolate Cake Edition

Broadway Tie-In

By Roald Dahl Illustrated by Quentin Blake

By roald dahl illustrated by quentin blake and daniela jaglenka terrazzini, by roald dahl read by kate winslet, part of puffin modern classics, category: children's middle grade books, category: children's media tie-in books | children's middle grade books, category: audiobooks | children's middle grade books.

Nov 01, 2022 | ISBN 9780593527498 | 5-1/16 x 7-3/4 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780593527498 --> Buy

Apr 09, 2019 | ISBN 9781984836205 | 5-1/16 x 7-3/4 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9781984836205 --> Buy

Feb 07, 2013 | ISBN 9780142425381 | 5-1/16 x 7-3/4 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780142425381 --> Buy

Aug 16, 2007 | ISBN 9780142410370 | 5-1/16 x 7-3/4 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780142410370 --> Buy

Sep 23, 2004 | ISBN 9780142402535 | 5 x 7 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780142402535 --> Buy

Sep 06, 2016 | ISBN 9780425287675 | 5-1/8 x 7-1/2 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780425287675 --> Buy

Feb 07, 2013 | ISBN 9780142424278 | 5-1/16 x 7 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780142424278 --> Buy

Oct 01, 1988 | ISBN 9780670824397 | 6 x 9 --> | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780670824397 --> Buy

Aug 16, 2007 | ISBN 9781101654316 | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9781101654316 --> Buy

Jul 03, 2013 | 259 Minutes | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9781101632574 --> Buy

Buy from Other Retailers:

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Nov 01, 2022 | ISBN 9780593527498 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Apr 09, 2019 | ISBN 9781984836205 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Feb 07, 2013 | ISBN 9780142425381 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Aug 16, 2007 | ISBN 9780142410370 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Sep 23, 2004 | ISBN 9780142402535 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Sep 06, 2016 | ISBN 9780425287675 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Feb 07, 2013 | ISBN 9780142424278 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Oct 01, 1988 | ISBN 9780670824397 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Aug 16, 2007 | ISBN 9781101654316 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Jul 03, 2013 | ISBN 9781101632574 | Middle Grade (8-12)

259 Minutes

Buy the Audiobook Download:

  • audiobooks.com

About Matilda

Now a musical on broadway and streaming on Netflix! Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she’s just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a menacing, kid-hating headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It’ll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it! Here is Roald Dahl’s original novel of a little girl with extraordinary powers. This much-loved story has recently been made into a wonderful new musical, adapted by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.

One of Roald Dahl’s most loved stories, now available in a newly designed scented package which smells like chocolate! Now a musical on Broadway and streaming on Netflix! From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG comes the story of a girl with extraordinary abilities. Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she’s just a nuisance. She expects school to be different, but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating terror of a headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull, she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It’ll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves, and Matilda may be just the one to do it!      ”Matilda will surely go straight to children’s hearts.” — The New York Times Book Review

From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG ! Now a musical on Broadway and streaming on Netflix! Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she’s just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating terror of a headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It’ll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it! “Matilda will surely go straight to children’s hearts.” — The New York Times Book Review Cover may vary.

Now a musical on Broadway and streaming on Netflix! Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she’s just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating terror of a headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It’ll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it! “Matilda will surely go straight to children’s hearts.” — The New York Times Book Review

This collectable hardcover edition will feature a beautiful cover and deluxe packaging, including blue interior text and illustrations! Now a musical on Broadway and streaming on Netflix! From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG comes the story of girl with extraordinary abilities. Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she’s just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating terror of a headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It’ll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it! “Matilda will surely go straight to children’s hearts.” — The New York Times Book Review

This beloved Roald Dahl title is now available in a gorgeous hardcover classic edition. Now a musical on Broadway and streaming on Netflix! Matilda is a brilliant and sensitive child, but her parents think of her only as a nuisance. When one day she is attacked by her odious headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, Matilda suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to avenge herself!

Listen to a sample from Matilda

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About Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was born in Llandaff, South Wales, and went to Repton School in England. His parents were Norwegian, so holidays were spent in Norway. As he explains in Boy, he turned down the idea of university in favor of a… More about Roald Dahl

About Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake’s first book, Patrick, was published in 1968 and was followed by classics such as Mister Magnolia, All Join In, and Clown. He is best known for illustrating Roald Dahl’s books. A patron of the Association of Illustrators, he was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal… More about Quentin Blake

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Category: children’s middle grade books, category: children’s media tie-in books | children’s middle grade books, category: audiobooks | children’s middle grade books, you may also like.

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Roald Dahl has done it again. . . . Matilda will surely go straight to children’s hearts. ( The New York Times Book Review )

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matilda the book review

Everything you need for every book you read.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Roald Dahl's Matilda . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Matilda: Introduction

Matilda: plot summary, matilda: detailed summary & analysis, matilda: themes, matilda: quotes, matilda: characters, matilda: symbols, matilda: theme wheel, brief biography of roald dahl.

Matilda PDF

Historical Context of Matilda

Other books related to matilda.

  • Full Title: Matilda
  • When Written: 1987
  • Where Written: England
  • When Published: 1988
  • Literary Period: Postmodernism
  • Genre: Children’s Novel; Fantasy
  • Setting: An English village
  • Climax: Matilda uses her secret power to make the Trunchbull believe that Miss Honey’s father’s ghost wants Mrs. Trunchbull to return the family home and fortune to Miss Honey.
  • Antagonist: Mrs. Trunchbull and Matilda’s Parents
  • Point of View: Third Person

Extra Credit for Matilda

Great Welshmen. Dahl and poet Dylan Thomas (whose poem “In Country Sleep” appears in Matilda ) are sometimes considered the best-known Welsh writers. Though the men never met, they were born only 40 miles and two years apart. Thomas died at age 39 (having already achieved fame and recognition for his poetry and radio work) not long after Dahl’s career took off, and Dahl developed a great love for Thomas’s poetry—one of Thomas’s poems was read at Dahl’s funeral.

Fixed It! Dahl wrote Matilda twice—and the first time, he wrote Matilda as the villain. He’s quoted in interviews as saying that he knew after finishing the first draft that he’d gotten Matilda wrong. The rewrite paid off: Matilda won the Federation of Children’s Book Group Award in 1988.

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The child has one intuitive aim: self development

Book Review: Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda by roald dahl.

Reviewer: Lin Ding aged 7

The main characters in this book are Matilda, Miss Honey and Miss Trunchbull. I liked Matilda because she was very wise and  curious and I liked Miss Honey because she was helpful and kind.

Matilda is a little girl who loves reading. She has superpower eyes. She can use them for lifting and breaking things. She protected the other children in the class from Miss Trunchbull and she helped Miss Honey get her mansion back. At the end she defeated the evil Miss Trunchbull and it is a really happy ending (but you need to read the book to find out what happens).

This book is amazing. There is a lot of fantastic creative imagination. My favourite part was when Matilda poured the water all over Miss Trunchbull to make her swallow the lizard that was in the water. It was super funny. I learnt kindness, bravery and diligence from Matilda.

I strongly recommend this book to all children from ages 7 to 12 I believe they will enjoy the funny story.

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Tom Pelphrey Shares Sweet Valentine's Day Selfies with Kaley Cuoco and Daughter Matilda: ‘My Girls’

The couple, who started dating in 2022, share 10-month-old daughter Matilda

matilda the book review

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Kaley Cuoco isn’t the only Valentine in Tom Pelphrey ’s life nowadays.

The actor, 41, shared two adorable selfies on his Instagram Stories on Wednesday in honor of Valentine's Day as he and Cuoco, 38, posed with their 10-month-old daughter, Matilda .

The infant was dressed in a cute pink shirt that said “Be Mine.” In one of the selfies, Pelphrey kissed her forehead while Cuoco smiled at the camera. In the next, the actress kissed her daughter’s cheek while her boyfriend smiled wide.

“♥️ My girls♥️,” Pelphrey wrote over the first selfie. He added three red heart emojis over the second.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Flight Attendant star shared an adorable shot of Matilda with her first-ever Valentine’s Day gift — which included the pink “Be Mine” shirt she wore in the family’s selfies.

"Tildy's first Valentines gift from her future hubby Jonah 🥺😭," Cuoco wrote across the photo, which saw Matilda in a pink and red heart necklace and pink onesie holding a pink book.

Cuoco and Pelphrey welcomed Matilda in March 2023, and the actress told PEOPLE in January that her baby makes her laugh more than anyone else .

“I love her so much, I really do,” she said at a screening of her Prime Video movie Role Play . “She is very funny. I think selfishly what I love the most is she finds me hilarious. I think she’s my best audience.” 

She continued, “I never had more laughs than I do in our house with this baby. And I used to feel like I got a lotta laughs, but now with her, I am her 24/7 clown entertainment, and I love nothing more.”

Kaley Cuoco/Instagram

Cuoco also gushed over her boyfriend, who she started dating in early 2022 , and his talent at being a father. 

“Whenever he walks in the room, she only wants to be with him. She is a total daddy’s girl,” she told PEOPLE of the 10-month-old.

Cuoco called him “incredible” as she revealed that the Ozark actor had “stayed home with [Matilda] so I could be here.” She added, “He loves her more than anything in the world.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Big Bang Theory star’s emotions tend to run high as a mother . 

"Tom and I were sitting with Matilda the other day, and she was literally staring at us, and she touched both of our faces, and just gave us this innocent, just really joyful, 'Hi' smile," she told PEOPLE in December.

"I mean, I could cry right now," she continued. "We both looked at each other and we started tearing up. He goes, 'Is this our life now, where we just cry at everything she does?' "

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Article Contents

Book review of matilda arvidsson and emily jones (eds.), international law and posthuman theory.

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Rong Wen, Shisong Jiang, Book Review of Matilda Arvidsson and Emily Jones (eds.), International Law and Posthuman Theory , Chinese Journal of International Law , 2024;, jmae003, https://doi.org/10.1093/chinesejil/jmae003

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1. The book under review is Matilda Arvidsson and Emily Jones (eds.), International Law and Posthuman Theory , Routledge, 2024, xviii, 316 pp., index; ISBN 978-1-032-04404-0. It offers a unique and timely perspective on international law by bringing posthuman theory into conversation with various topics and issues in the field. As outlined in the introduction by editors Emily Jones and Matilda Arvidsson, posthuman theory is situated at the intersection of critiques of humanism and anthropocentrism. It calls into question exclusionary notions of the “human” subject in law while also challenging the human/nature divide that enables the instrumentalization of the environment. The two editors have compiled an impressive collection of chapters that challenge traditional assumptions in international law and imagine new ontological, epistemological, and ethical foundations that are not centered on the liberal humanist subject.

2. The book is divided into three main parts, spanning methodological, historical, and environmental themes. Twelve chapters in total offer a rich interdisciplinary engagement, drawing on fields like philosophy, anthropology, geography, and more. While diverse in subject matter, the contributions are united in their commitment to advancing more inclusive and less violent global legal arrangements.

3. The first part focuses on methodological and theoretical frontiers in posthuman international legal theory. Matilda Arvidsson leads this part with a chapter framing posthuman feminism as a simultaneous critique of humanism and anthropocentrism that can serve as both a theoretical and methodological approach for rethinking international law. She highlights how posthuman feminism attends to both the discursive and the material, which allows for analyzing the performative power of legal categories while also tracing their tangible effects (p. 34). Anna Grear’s defense of Jane Bennett’s “flattened ontology” in Chapter 2 responds to criticisms of new materialism’s insensitivity to questions of structural power. She ultimately argues that Bennett’s work holds promise for building alliances with Indigenous resistance to the violence of Eurocentric international law (p. 75). Delaney Mitchell then uses the conceptual art piece Depreciation by Cameron Rowland to illustrate how aesthetic methodologies are shaping understandings of law in Chapter 3. She deploys Karen Barad’s notion of “intra-action” to trace how matter becomes legally significant material (p. 87), while also cautioning that the isolation technique in Rowland’s artwork risks reiterating masculine colonial abstraction (p. 93). This part concludes with Emily Jones, Cristian van Eijk, and Gina Heathcote “reworlding” the principle of common heritage into a more ecological “common heritage of kin-kind” (Chapter 4). Though finding promise in this speculative method, they note the constraints of international law’s perpetual deference to precedent and the past (p. 125).

4. The second part turns to questions of political economy, history, and colonialism. In Chapter 5, Jessie Hohmann and Christine Schwöbel-Patel use the curious story of a plaque commemorating Edward Gibbon Wakefield in Adelaide to examine alignments and tensions between new materialism and historical materialism (p. 141). Their dialogue illustrates how both theoretical traditions criticize the erasure of physical matter through abstraction (p. 155). Next, Hedvig Lärka uses Chapter 6 to provide a fascinating posthumanist analysis of tax law, tracing how contemporary forms of State sovereignty emerge through global corporate tax regimes that enable large-scale profit shifting (p. 171). She also explains how the OECD’s proposed global minimum corporate tax will likely diminish the tax sovereignty of non-OECD countries (p. 174). Shifting the narrative to the colonial histories that have shaped contemporary international law, Vanja Hamzić then interrogates in Chapter 7 the violent making of the “human” through gendered and racialized capitalist worldmaking in 18th-century Senegambia (p. 182). Complex Indigenous conceptualizations of human, nonhuman, and more-than-human relationality are contrasted with the Enlightenment science that produced rigid taxonomies enabling oppression and exploitation under racial capitalism (p. 184).

5. The book’s final part deals explicitly with posthuman perspectives on the environment and the nonhuman. Gina Heathcote deploys feminist and queer theory alongside Indigenous epistemologies in Chapter 8 to reimagine “terraqueous” frames for the international law of the sea (p. 203). Through examining the map, the ship, and the robot, she argues for the ocean as a posthuman legal subject in order to displace anthropocentric and patriarchal governance (p. 217). In Chapter 9, Marie Petersmann then analyzes the “posthumanist commoning” exemplified by the collective ecological resistance around Rome’s “insurgent lake” (p. 223). This practice of becoming common, she suggests, might offer conceptual resources for reconfiguring international legal categories like property and subjectivity (p. 232). Kojo Koram and Oscar Guardiola-Rivera provide a compelling argument that the war on drugs should be understood as a war on the nonhuman in their chapter connecting posthumanism with Indigenous cosmologies (Chapter 10, p. 244). Next, Maneesha Deckha reviews legislative efforts to regulate intensive animal agriculture through the lens of posthuman feminism (Chapter 11). She highlights the potentials for advancing animal rights while also noting the pliability of the rule of law discourses for either protecting or entrenching anthropocentric norms. Finally, in Chapter 12, Jasmijn Leeuwenkamp offers an immanent critique of dominant rights talk on climate change by explaining conceptual limitations around the universalized yet exclusionary figure of “the human” (p. 279). Noting historical connections between human rights and colonialism, she argues for more complex understandings of human embeddedness and connection to the nonhuman.

6. A key strength of this collection is its breadth, both in terms of topics and theoretical frames. The editors expressly aimed to avoid advancing a single “theory of international law” under the banner of posthumanism, and this comes through in the pluralism across chapters (p. 4). Feminist theory features prominently, with insightful engagements with Rosi Braidotti and Donna Haraway (p. 9), yet there is diversity in how feminist commitments take form. Historical materialism, Indigenous epistemologies, queer theory, new materialism, and various other critical approaches are likewise put to use in creative combination (p. 7). This multiplicity speaks to the generative possibilities when commitments to social justice are bridged with ecological and posthuman concerns. It also mirrors the commitment to intersectionality running throughout the book, attentive to gender, race, colonialism, and other vectors of oppression as inextricable from environmental violence.

7. At the same time, the book stays focused in its mission of bringing posthuman theory into direct conversation with international law. All contributors share a dual commitment to this theoretical tradition alongside imagining concrete legal reforms or alternatives (p. 5). There is also continuity in the overarching ethical orientation toward promoting less violent, more equitable political orders that account for human, nonhuman, and material relations. This sustained engagement with the posthuman in application to various legal subfields distinguishes the collection from more abstract philosophical debates. It also gives the book accessibility and utility for those desiring to stay grounded in legal doctrine and practice.

8. With its emphasis on intersectional analysis bridging critical theory and international law, the book makes important contributions across several dimensions. First, many chapters productively center ecological concerns by questioning assumptions of human mastery and extraction that are embedded in international legal rules and norms (p. 3). Second, there is creative interdisciplinary work that promises to push legal methodologies (p. 7). Third, an analysis of global power relations shines through, with both historical accounting for persisting imperial and colonial logics alongside contemporary capitalist exploitation. Finally, commitments to affirmative world-building come through, as authors seek legal reforms capable of promoting more just relations for human and nonhuman entities alike (p. 14).

9. The threads pulled across chapters also suggest some tangible reforms and innovations. For instance, conceptualizing the ocean as a rights-bearing subject provides grounding for litigation defending the marine environment through a rights-of-nature approach. Recognizing electronic waste as a posthuman legal subject with rights might compel expanding the Basel Convention to consider robotic “perspectives” in risk assessments of e-waste dumping. Additionally, examining spiritual ties between Indigenous groups and land through cosmologies supports codifying rights of nature within human rights instruments.

10. Like any project that tries to open new ground, there are also some limitations that could seed future areas of research. One is the question of whether meaningful legal change can occur by working within the State system to “revolutionize from within”, or if more radical forms of political imaginaries and actions are needed that displace the State (p. 126). Related to this, the book focuses almost exclusively on international law itself without examining social movements, grassroots activism, and other sources driving progressive shifts that might compel legal reforms. Engagement with movements like Buen Vivir, solidarity economies, transition towns, and the rights of nature could reinforce the glimpses of hope sprinkled across the chapters. Additionally, the dominance of Eurocentric thought in shaping posthuman discourse, despite intentions to be non-hierarchical, is rightly noted – raising questions of how to better center epistemologies and models from the Global South.

11. Nevertheless, International Law and Posthuman Theory undoubtedly breaks ground and seeds what will hopefully become a thriving domain of critical legal scholarship. In addition to the above areas that could be expanded upon with more concrete legal instantiations, as briefly outlined in the prior paragraphs, there are abundant possibilities for future inquiries in this vein. For instance: How would key principles like peace, justice, and sustainable development be redefined from a posthuman perspective? How would a greater consideration of nonhuman perspectives reconfigure the rules and practices surrounding global trade, investment law, and human rights institutions? How might geographic and cultural situatedness lead to divergent regional articulations of posthuman legal theory in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East? Ultimately, the book excels in opening the door to rethink the theoretical and ethical foundations of the global legal order through this original approach. Both sophisticated in its critical analysis and ambitious in its vision of more just worlds, International Law and Posthuman Theory represents a major step toward and beyond the limits of humanism in international law.

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COMMENTS

  1. Matilda, by Roald Dahl

    4 min Matilda was the last long kids' book that Roald Dahl wrote before he passed away in 1990. When Dahl first wrote the book, she was a wicked child and very different from how she is now known to readers worldwide. Matilda is a very kind-hearted character—she's a gifted, intelligent, book-loving five-year-old who taught herself to read.

  2. Matilda Book Review

    Parents need to know that Roald Dahl's Matilda is about a brilliant, magical little girl who's miserable at home with her nasty, clueless parents and oppressed at school by her mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. However, Matilda finds a loving, kindred spirit in her teacher, Miss Honey, who values her pupil… See all Parents say (19) Kids say (77)

  3. Matilda by Roald Dahl

    Matilda by Roald Dahl - review 'Miss Trunchbull's unique reprimands to the children such as 'blithering idiot' and 'stagnant cesspool' will leave you in stitches' Sim Sat 31 Aug 2013 04.00 EDT...

  4. Matilda by Roald Dahl

    931,204 ratings23,055 reviews "The Trunchbull" is no match for Matilda! 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.

  5. Matilda Review: Roald Dahl's Magical Children's Novel

    Rating: 4.4/5 Review By Roald Dahl 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl is one of the most popular children's books of all time. It tells the story of a highly intriguing 5-year-old protagonist capable of performing miraculous acts. Written by Neesha Thunga K B.A. in English Literature, and M.A. in English Language and Literature.

  6. Matilda by Roald Dahl

    Evaluation: "Matilda" is a must-read for children and adults alike, as it offers valuable lessons on courage, resilience, and the importance of standing up for what is right. Fans of other Roald Dahl books, such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "James and the Giant Peach," will undoubtedly enjoy this heartwarming tale.

  7. Matilda: Full Book Summary

    Miss Trunchbull is mean and abusive to students. She grabs a student by her hair and throws the girl over a fence, just because Miss Trunchbull does not like the girl's pigtails. She also forces a student to eat an entire cake in front of all the students, hoping that it will make him sick. Matilda wants to punish Miss Trunchbull for being a bully.

  8. Matilda: Full Book Analysis

    Roald Dahl Study Guide Summary Chapters 1-3 Full Book Miss Honey Mr. Wormwood Literary Devices Themes Motifs Symbols Quotes Quotes by Theme Full Book Analysis Previous In the introduction of Matilda, the first person narrator expresses his views on parenting.

  9. Matilda by Roald Dahl

    children's user reviews Grace, Millennium RIOT readers: 'The best bit was when Mathilda used her mind to know over the water jug withg the newt in it and it frightened Miss...

  10. Review: Matilda

    The tale is a charming one; Matilda's parents neither own nor have they read, a single book between them, indeed like much of modern society they spend their time slobbed in front of the TV and have no interest in reading.

  11. Kids' Book Review: Review: Matilda

    It is one of my all-time favourites. In this book, Matilda discovers her love of books and by the age of three, has taught herself to read. At four she has read all the children's stories in the library. She is oblivious to her brilliance and her parents are less than encouraging.

  12. Matilda

    Matilda Book As seen: By Roald Dahl avg rating 1871 reviews "A true genius . . . Roald Dahl is my hero" David Walliams Matilda's parents have called her some terrible things, but the truth is she's a genius and they're the stupid ones.

  13. Matilda by Roald Dahl

    ISBN-13 - 978-0241378694. Format - ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio. Review by - Stacey. Rating - 5 Stars. This post contains affiliate links. Matilda is the world's most famous bookworm, no thanks to her ghastly parents. Her father thinks she's a little scab. Her mother spends all afternoon playing bingo.

  14. Matilda by Roald Dahl Summary

    Rating: 4.4/5 Summary Matilda By Roald Dahl 'Matilda' is a children's book by Roald Dahl. It revolves around the story of a 5-year-old girl with advanced intellect and magical powers. Written by Neesha Thunga K B.A. in English Literature, and M.A. in English Language and Literature.

  15. Matilda

    1988 Book Review Matilda by Roald Dahl has been reviewed by Focus on the Family's marriage and parenting magazine. Plot Summary Matilda Wormwood is a brilliant child. At the age of 3, she teaches herself to read using old newspapers and cooking magazines. Her parents, however, pay little attention to her.

  16. Matilda by Roald Dahl

    Published in 1988, ' Matilda ' is Roald Dahl's long children's book. It took almost 2 years for Dahl to complete the novel. Though the writing is simple and to the point, ' Matilda was a work of labor.'. Dahl famously rewrote the entire novel because he was unhappy with the first version. Lucy Dahl, Roald Dahl's daughter, received ...

  17. Matilda Summary and Study Guide

    Roald Dahl's 1998 children's fantasy Matilda tells the darkly humorous story of a brilliant and kindly little girl who reads grown-up books, plays pranks on her emotionally abusive parents, and uses her telekinetic ability in her battles with a tyrannical school principal. Dahl is widely considered one the greatest children's storytellers.

  18. Matilda by Roald Dahl

    Author Crystal Hall View bio Instructor Mary Evans View bio Learn about ''Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. Read a summary of the children's book, review the characters, study an in-depth analysis,...

  19. Matilda by Roald Dahl: 9780593527498

    When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It'll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it! "Matilda will surely go straight to children's hearts." —The New York Times Book Review Cover may vary.

  20. Matilda: Study Guide

    Matilda, the last work of children's literature written by best-selling British author Roald Dahl, won the Children's Book Award shortly after publication in 1988.Illustrated by Quentin Blake, to date it has sold over 17 million copies. Matilda was made into a feature film in 1996, directed by Danny DeVito, who also starred as Mr. Wormwood.A critically acclaimed musical based on the novel ...

  21. A Book Review on Matilda by Roald Dahl • itcher Magazine

    In this book review on Matilda by Roald Dahl, I will try and convince you that it is worth while. Matilda, like all of Roald Dahl 's books, is a joy to read for the language alone. I defy anyone to read the opening couple of pages and not crack a smile, at the very least, as he suggests to teachers various ways of describing unpleasant ...

  22. Matilda Study Guide

    Like Matilda, many of Roald Dahl's children's novels feature adult characters who are evil and cruel, magic and nonsense, and bright young children as protagonists.For his children's books, Dahl drew inspiration from Lewis Carroll's Alice books, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.Published more than a century before Matilda, the Alice novels brought the ...

  23. Book Review: Matilda by Roald Dahl

    Reviewer: Lin Ding aged 7. The main characters in this book are Matilda, Miss Honey and Miss Trunchbull. I liked Matilda because she was very wise and curious and I liked Miss Honey because she was helpful and kind. Matilda is a little girl who loves reading. She has superpower eyes.

  24. Millennium Media President Jeffrey Greenstein Steps Down: EFM

    Millennium is in post on comic book adaptation, Red Sonja, starring Matilda Lutz, Wallis Day and Robert Sheehan, Hellboy: The Crooked Man starring Jack Kesy, Subservience starring Megan Fox, and ...

  25. Tom Pelphrey Shares Sweet Selfies with Kaley Cuoco and Daughter Matilda

    The couple, who started dating in 2022, share 10-month-old daughter Matilda Tom Pelphrey/Instagram Kaley Cuoco isn't the only Valentine in Tom Pelphrey's life nowadays. The actor, 41, shared ...

  26. Book Review of Matilda Arvidsson and Emily Jones (eds.), International

    The book under review is Matilda Arvidsson and Emily Jones (eds.), International Law and Posthuman Theory, Routledge, 2024, xviii, 316 pp., index; ISBN 978-1-032-04404-. It offers a unique and timely perspective on international law by bringing posthuman theory into conversation with various topics and issues in the field. As outlined in the ...