Roald Dahl’s novel Matilda features the exceptionally intelligent child Matilda Wormwood.
Published in 1988, the book follows Matilda as she copes with neglectful parents and the frightening headmistress Miss Trunchbull. Matilda’s love of reading, sharp intelligence, and developing telekinetic powers help her challenge the adults who mistreat children.
The novel became one of Dahl’s most widely adapted works. A 1996 film directed by Danny DeVito brought the story to a broad international audience, and the stage musical Matilda the Musical premiered in 2010 before its 2022 film adaptation.
Matilda is sometimes confused with The Witches because both feature children confronting threatening adults. Their central characters are different: Matilda is a book-loving schoolgirl, while The Witches centers on a boy targeted by a secret society of witches.