Two readers talk about two of their favourite books today. Matilda by Roald Dahl is a global hit as is many of Roald Dahl’s other books. Mythil’s secret by Prashani Rambukwella is set in Sri Lanka and won the Gratian Award for Literature,2009.
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is one of those authors, who won’t easily leave your mind when it comes to children’s books. He created a different culture in writing that inspired many authors. The most unique thing about Roald Dahl is his ability to think from a child’s point of view when writing.
His imagination led to many wonderful creations such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach and The Twits.
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Roald Dahl
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Matilda was published in 1988 and is one of Dahl’s most famous creations.
Matilda Wormwood is a little girl, born to a family which shows her no affection.
She is consistently abused and ignored by her parents. Matilda started to display extraordinary skills from a very young age, like being able to talk at one and being able to read when she was three-years-old.
By the age of four, she finished reading all the children’s books in the library.
However, her parents ignored this and Matilda pulled off pranks on them to let go of her frustration
Matilda finally entered school and her teacher, Miss Honey, recognised and appreciated Matilda’s talent.
But no story is a Roald Dahl story, unless there is a sudden twist. Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress, was always punishing and terrorising the children in shocking ways, such as locking them in a closet called the ‘chokey’ and throwing children over the fence.
She happened to be Miss Honey’s ‘aunt’ and cunningly managed to acquire the house Miss Honey’s father left to his daughter.
This is when Matilda started to develop unexpected powers. This ability is known as Telekinesis, the power to move something without touching it.
She used this power to help Miss Honey regain her property by scaring Miss Trunchbull off by pretending to be the ghost of Miss Honey’s father.
She lost her powers soon after that and a new headmaster took over the school.
Not soon after, Matilda’s parents and her brother were packing to go to Spain, after learning that the police had discovered Mr. Wormwood’s crimes. Matilda was given permission to live with Miss Honey and the story ends happily, with the Wormwoods leaving, never to be seen again. This book contains a lot of twists and proves to be a whole lot fun than you think it is.
If you are a Roald Dahl fan, this is one of those books you should not miss.
-Imeth De Silva