One of my favorite of Dahl's books, mostly because our main character, Matilda, is a lover of books.  I adore the library scenes where Matilda reads entire sections of books with the help of the elderly librarian!  Dahl writes with such vivid words, terrific villains, and outrageous plot lines, but always with a sweet nugget of goodness in the middle.  I love this book more each time I re-read it!

Feb 2022: This time I listened to an audiobook, and it was a complete delight revisiting this story again in a new format!

Miss Honey is such a sweet person. Her story is so tragic, and yet it only made her more compassionate and caring to those around her. She is sensitive and appreciates beautiful things like poetry and nature. She is astonishing and strong!

Matilda really is adorable. She's not just smart, but she also has her own childish type of wisdom that sees through people into their hearts. It's amazing that despite her intelligence, she is also humble and genuine. I love her so much!