Matilda was Roald Dahl's last long children's book. The production transferred to London's West End a year later, and in spring 2013 the show opened on Broadway. Rummage through our selection of the best children's books and novels for babies, children and teenagers in our list of the 100 best books for kids. In 2010, The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Matilda The Musical, written by Dennis Kelly and with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, opened in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, to great critical acclaim. Directed by Danny DeVito - who also starred as Mr Wormwood, alongside Mara Wilson as Matilda and Pam Ferris as Miss Trunchbull - the film went on to become a cult classic. In 1996 a film version of Matilda was released.
At first, Matilda was a wicked girl who eventually used her powers to help her teacher solve her financial problems - by fixing a horse race. In the end, though, it became the magical story now known to children the world over. Learn the life story and biography of influencial people: US Presidents, World Leaders, Inventors, Women, Artists, Civil Rights heroes. We researched some of the most loved children's books from top authors, including Margaret Wise Brown, Alice Schertle, Mem Fox, and more that you can read at bedtime, or anytime. Early drafts of the story were very different to the one we now know. There is no better gift to a young child than an enriching book to fuel their imagination. Matilda won the Children's Book Award shortly after it was published in 1988, and it has continued to delight audiences ever since. But what Miss Trunchbull doesn't know is that Matilda has a trick or two up her sleeve. Worse, her horrible headmistress Miss Trunchbull is a bully who makes life difficult for Matilda's teacher, Miss Honey, and her friends.
Unfortunately her parents are too stupid to even notice. Matilda Wormwood is only five years old, but she is a genius.