Matilda by Roald Dahl | Book Review

Matilda is a book that makes every kid (and let’s be honest, every adult too) wish they could telekinetically throw their problems away. This Roald Dahl’s classic is the ultimate underdog story: a tiny, book-smart girl stuck with the world’s worst parents and a principal who’s basically a WWE villain in a tweed skirt. But Matilda fights back with pranks, brains, and eventually, mind powers. It’s darkly funny, surprisingly heartwarming, and packed with the kind of justice that’ll have you fist-pumping.

(Matilda adalah buku yang bikin semua anak (yaa termasuk kita yang udah dewasa juga) pengen punya kekuatan telekinesis buat mengusir semua masalah pakai pikiran. Karya legendaris Roald Dahl ini bercerita tentang gadis cilik jenius yang terjebak di keluarga yang toxic banget dan bertemu kepala sekolah yang kayak villain WWE pakai rok tweed. Tapi Matilda nggak diam aja! Dia balas dendam pakai prank kocak, otak jenius, dan akhirnya, kekuatan pikiran. Buku ini gabungan antara dark humor, wholesome moments, dan justice porn yang bikin kamu auto tepuk tangan.)

TL;DR: A hilarious, heartwarming revenge fantasy about a genius 5-year-old who outsmarts her terrible parents and a child-hating principal with a dash of magic. Packed with dark humor, unforgettable pranks, and a wholesome found-family bond, it’s a classic that makes you cheer for the underdog.

⚠️ SIDE EFFECTS:

Sudden urges to prank rude adults

Obsessive book-hoarding tendencies

Unrealistic expectations of telekinetic powers

⚠️ WARNING:

Villains are extra (abusive parents/teachers)

Dark humor not for everyone

Magic solution feels a bit rushed

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT FOR:

✅ Kids who feel underestimated

✅ Adults who need a nostalgia hit

✅ Fans of dark comedy + justice served cold

AVOID IF YOU:

❌ Prefer subtle, realistic stories

❌ Get squicked by exaggerated meanness

❌ Need trigger warnings for bad parenting

BOOK REVIEW 

Matilda is a tiny five-year-old genius who's basically the coolest kid in literary history. By age three she was reading Dickens while most of us were still eating crayons, but her parents? Total worst. They don't care about her brains at all, they'd rather she just shut up and watched TV like a "normal" kid. So what does Matilda do? She starts playing these brilliant pranks on them that'll have you cracking up while also low-key wishing you'd thought of them first.

Things start looking up when she meets Miss Honey, the teacher we all wish we had. Finally, someone who gets how special Matilda is! Miss Honey lets her skip the baby stuff and dive into real learning. But then there's Miss Trunchbull, imagine your worst nightmare of a principal, then multiply by 100. This woman hates kids so much she calls them "nauseating little warts" to their faces. You'll love watching Matilda stand up to this bully, especially when she discovers her secret weapon (hint: it involves moving things with her mind!).

What makes this story so awesome is how it mixes laugh-out-loud moments with real heart. Yeah, Matilda's parents are terrible and Miss Trunchbull is basically a Disney villain come to life, but the friendship between Matilda and Miss Honey? Pure gold. It's got that perfect combo where you're laughing at the ridiculousness one minute and getting all emotional the next.

At its core, Matilda tells us about way more than just a smart kid, like how books can be your escape, how it's okay to stand up to jerks, and how family isn't always about blood. Matilda shows us that being small doesn't mean you're powerless, and that's a message that slaps just as hard today. 

What’s really cool about Matilda is how Dahl changes the usual kid-vs-grownups story. Instead of waiting around for some adult to save the day, Matilda takes charge, whether she’s tricking her slimy dad, facing down Miss Trunchbull, or even using her mind to move objects (how awesome is that?!). It’s the ultimate power fantasy for kids who’ve ever felt too small or ignored, which shows that brains and guts can beat brute force any day.

Sure, some parts get pretty dark, like Matilda’s parents are straight-up terrible, and Miss Trunchbull is basically a cartoon villain come to life, but Dahl’s wicked humor keeps it from feeling too heavy. Like when Miss Trunchbull rants about kids making her "vomit"? It’s so over-the-top nasty that you can’t help but laugh. That’s Dahl’s genius: he makes the bad guys so ridiculous that when Matilda wins, it feels extra satisfying.

The real heart of the story, though, is Matilda and Miss Honey’s bond. When Matilda’s awful parents ditch her (good riddance!), it’s actually the best thing that could’ve happened because she finally gets the loving, book-filled home she deserves. Their quiet moments together (tea! stories! no more screaming adults!) feel so important just like the big, dramatic scenes. It’s a sweet reminder that family is about who truly sees and supports you.

Decades later, Matilda still rules because it’s got something for everyone. Kids love watching a tiny girl outsmart every bully in her path, while adults grin at Dahl’s sharp humor and the timeless message: never underestimate the small, smart, or kind. Yeah, the world’s full of Miss Trunchbulls and crummy parents, but Matilda proves that with enough courage, and maybe a little magic, you can rewrite your own story. And really, who doesn’t need that reminder sometimes?

(Matilda adalah bocah lima tahun jenius yang bisa dibilang anak paling keren sepanjang sejarah sastra. Dia udah bisa baca karya berat kayak Dickens di umur tiga tahun, sementara kita umur segitu masih suka makan krayon, lol. Tapi ortunya? The worst banget sih! Mereka gak peduli sama kecerdasannya, malah pengen dia jadi anak "normal" yang cuma nonton TV aja. Jadi gimana dong? Matilda mulai bikin prank-prank jenius yang bikin kita ngakak sekaligus iri, "Duh, kenapa gak kepikiran ya?".

Semuanya mulai membaik pas Matilda ketemu Miss Honey, guru impian kita semua! Akhirnya ada yang mengerti betapa spesialnya Matilda. Miss Honey ngasih dia materi belajar level dewa, dan skip pelajaran anak TK. Tapi, muncul Miss Trunchbull, bayangin kepala sekolah paling serem di dunia, terus level kebenciannya ke anak-anak dikali 100. Orang ini sampai manggil murid-muridnya sebagai "kutil menjijikkan" langsung di depan mereka. Seru banget lihat Matilda melawan pembully ini, apalagi pas dia menemukan senjata rahasianya (spoiler: bisa mindahin barang pakai pikiran!).

Yang bikin cerita ini keren banget tuh perpaduan antara kelucuan dan keharuan. Iya, ortunya Matilda sampah banget dan Miss Trunchbull kayak villain Disney yang nyata, tapi persahabatan Matilda sama Miss Honey? Pure gold! Ada momen kita ngakak ngeliat kelakuan absurd para antagonis, eh tau-tiba meleleh liat hubungan mereka berdua.

Intinya, Matilda mengajarkan kita lebih dari sekadar kisah anak pintar. Ini cerita tentang gimana buku bisa jadi pelarian, gak apa-apa melawan orang jahat, dan keluarga gak harus sedarah. Matilda membuktikan bahwa tubuh kecil bukan berarti gak berdaya, pesan yang masih relevan banget sampai sekarang. Slay!

Yang bikin Matilda spesial itu cara Roald Dahl membongkar stereotip cerita anak-melawan-dewasa. Gak kayak tokoh anak biasa yang menunggu diselamatkan orang dewasa, Matilda mengambil alih sendiri, dari menipu bapaknya yang nyebelin, menghadapi Miss Trunchbull, sampai pakai kekuatan pikiran buat mindahin barang (which is totally cool btw!). Ini kayak power fantasy buat anak-anak yang pernah ngerasa diremehkan, yang membuktikan otak dan nyali bisa mengalahkan kekerasan.

Jangan salah, emang ada bagian gelapnya kayak ortunya Matilda itu sampah masyarakat, Miss Trunchbull kayak villain kartun yang kebanyakan minum kopi sianida. Tapi humor tajam Roald Dahl bikin semuanya tetap fun. Pas Miss Trunchbull ngomong murid-murid bikin dia "mau muntah"? Itu lebay banget sampai malah bikin ketawa. Ini kejeniusan Roald Dahl, bisa bikin penjahatnya konyol banget sampai kemenangan Matilda terasa extra!

Yang bikin cerita ini dalem tuh hubungan Matilda sama Miss Honey. Pas ortunya ninggalin Matilda (goodbye toxic people!), itu malah jadi blessing in disguise, dia akhirnya dapet rumah penuh buku dan kasih sayang. Momen sederhana mereka (ngeteh! bacain buku! gak ada teriakan!) sama berartinya kayak adegan-adegan dramatis. Reminder sweet banget bahwa keluarga itu tentang siapa yang bener-bener ngelihat dan mendukung kamu.

Puluhan tahun kemudian, Matilda tetap hits karena relatable buat semua umur. Anak-anak seneng liat anak kecil ngakalin bully, orang dewasa ngakak sama humor sarkas Roald Dahl. Pesannya timeless: jangan remehin orang kecil, orang pinter, atau orang baik. Iya sih dunia ini isinya Miss Trunchbull dan ortu yang gagal, tapi Matilda membuktikan dengan keberanian (dan sedikit magic), kamu bisa menulis ulang cerita hidupmu. Dan honestly, siapa sih yang gak butuh reminder kaya gitu sesekali?)

WHAT I LOVE

■One of the best things about Matilda is Matilda herself. Matilda Wormwood is the kid we all wish we could’ve been. She’s a five-year-old genius stuck with the worst parents ever, but instead of moping, she fights back with brains and mischief. While most kid heroes wait around for adults to save them, Matilda becomes the hero, outsmarting bullies, pranking her trashy dad, and even developing telekinesis like it’s no big deal. She’s proof that you don’t need size or age to be brave, and that’s why she’s still iconic decades later.

■ Who hasn’t dreamed of putting horrible adults in their place? Matilda delivers that fantasy in the best way whether she’s supergluing her dad’s hat to his head, tricking her parents with a haunted parrot, or using her mind to send Miss Trunchbull running. It’s not just funny, because it’s also cathartic. Dahl gets how unfair the world can feel to kids, and he lets Matilda serve up justice with a side of hilarious chaos.

■ Big feels and bigger messages. Books = superpowers: Matilda uses her love of reading to take control of her life. Take that, TV-obsessed parents! Found family feels: Miss Honey is the warm, book-loving mom-figure Matilda deserved all along. Their bond will melt even the coldest heart. Karma’s a (delicious) bitch: Miss Trunchbull’s downfall? Chef’s kiss. Miss Honey’s happy ending? Even better. This story’s like a moral compass wrapped in glitter.

■ Dahl doesn’t sugarcoat life’s crappy parts (neglectful parents, abusive teachers), but he balances it with so much humor and magic that you never feel weighed down. When Matilda discovers her telekinesis, it’s like the universe saying, "Hey kid, you’ve suffered enough, here’s a fun new power!" It’s weird, hopeful, and totally satisfying.

(■ Matilda itu iconik banget! Kita bayangin aja, bocah 5 tahun yang jenius yang terjebak di keluarga toxic, tapi malah melawan pakai otak dan prank kocak. Gak kayak tokoh anak kebanyakan yang nunggu diselamatkan, dia justru jadi pahlawan sendiri, ngakalin bully, mengusili bapaknya yang norak, sampai bisa mindahin barang pakai pikiran kayak hal biasa aja. Living proof bahwa kita gak perlu jadi besar atau tua buat jadi pemberani!

■ Revenge fantasy yang memuaskan Siapa sih yang gak pernah kepengen ngasih pelajaran ke orang dewasa yang nyebelin? Matilda mewujudkan fantasi itu dengan epic, dari ngelem topi bapaknya, nipu ortunya pakai burung "hantu", sampai mengusir Miss Trunchbull pakai kekuatan pikiran. Gak cuma lucu, tapi juga bikin lega! Roald Dahl paham banget gimana rasanya jadi anak yang diperlakukan nggak adil, dan dia bikin Matilda jadi agen pembalasan dendam paling kocak sepanjang sejarah.

■ Pesan yang dalem tapi relatable. Buku = senjata pamungkas. Matilda buktiin kalau rajin baca bisa jadi senjata melawan dunia sampah. Suck it, ortu pecandu TV! Found family > blood relation. Miss Honey tuh ibu impian yang selalu dia butuhkan, hangat, pengertian, dan suka buku. Relationship goals! Karma is real. Kekalahan Miss Trunchbull? Chef's kiss. Happy ending Miss Honey? Bikin meleleh. Cerita ini kayak pelajaran moral tapi dibungkus glitter!

■ Dark but hopeful. Roald Dahl gak mengedit realita pahit (ortu neglectful, guru abusive), tapi dia selipkan humor dan magic biar tetep uplifting. Pas Matilda menemukan kekuatan telekinesisnya, rasanya kayak alam semesta bilang: "Udah cukup kamu menderita, nih hadiah buat kamu!". Absurd? Iya. Bikin seneng? Banget!)

WHAT I DON'T REALLY LIKE

■ That telekinesis came outta nowhere. Matilda’s sudden mind-powers were so cool, but also kinda random? Like, she spends the whole book being a genius, then BAM! she can move stuff with her brain in the last act. It’s fun, sure, but it feels like a quick fix instead of something woven into the story. Imagine if she’d discovered it earlier and had to practice (hello, Hogwarts-style struggles!). Missed opportunity, Dahl.

■ The humor’s hit-or-miss. Look, Dahl’s got that signature dark, snarky style, and tons of people love it. But some jokes felt too exaggerated for me like the adults are so over-the-top awful they border on cartoonish. (We get it, her parents are trash.) Humor’s super subjective, though, so your mileage may vary.

■ Trunchbull’s straight-up unhinged. I know villains need to be nasty, but yikes, Miss Trunchbull’s not just strict, she’s a full-on child-tossing monster. The violence (and some of the insults) felt extra for a kids’ book. Sure, it’s exaggerated for laughs, but little kids might not get the satire. Like, are we sure this lady wasn’t a rejected Disney villain?

(■ Kekuatan telekinesisnya tiba-tiba banget. Tiba-tiba aja Matilda bisa mindahin barang pakak pikiran di akhir cerita? Keren sih, tapi kok kayak dadakan gitu? Selama ini kan ceritanya fokus ke kecerdasannya, eh taunya pas final act dia langsung punya superpower. Seru sih, tapi rasanya kayak solusi instan. Coba aja kalau kekuatannya dikembangkan pelan-pelan kayak di Hogwarts gitu, kan bisa lebih keren! Sayang banget kesempatannya, mbah.

■ Humornya kadang gak nyambung. Aku ngerti sih gaya khas Roald Dahl itu dark dan sarkastik, emang banyak yang suka. Tapi menurutku beberapa jokesnya terlalu dipaksain kayak kelakuan orang dewasa di sini yang lebay banget sampai kayak karakter kartun. (Iya dah aku tau ortunya sampah, gak perlu diulang-ulang). Tapi ya selera humor kan emang beda-beda, mungkin kamu bakal lebih nyambung.

■ Miss Trunchbull itu keterlaluan banget. Aku juga tahu antagonis emang harus jahat, tapi ini mah udah level gila, kepala sekolah yang melempar anak-anak kayak bola? Kekerasan dan hinaannya itu berasa too much buat buku anak. Emang sih dibikin lebay buat lucu-lucuan, tapi anak kecil bisa aja gak nangkep kalau itu cuma satire.)

CONCLUSION

Matilda is still a total banger decades later, not just because it lets us live out that childhood fantasy of outsmarting every jerk adult in the room, but because it’s got heart to match its humor. Sure, the villains are cartoonishly awful, and yeah, the magic kinda shows up fashionably late to the party, but who cares when it’s this much fun? At its core, it’s a love letter to bookworms, misfits, and anyone who’s ever been told they’re "too small" to matter. And honestly? We could all use a little of Matilda’s chaos, courage, and unshakable belief that even the littlest person can change their story. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go practice glaring at objects until they move.

(Puluhan tahun berlalu, tapi Matilda tetap ngehits banget, nggak cuma karena memuaskan fantasi kita buat ngejahilin orang dewasa nyebelin, tapi juga karena ceritanya mengharu biru. Iya sih antagonisnya lebay kayak tokoh kartun, dan kekuatan magic-nya agak last-minute, tapi seru kok! Intinya, ini buku yang didedikasikan buat kutu buku, kaum nyentrik, dan siapa aja yang pernah diremehkan karena "terlalu kecil". Jujur aja, kita semua butuh sedikit keberanian, kekacauan, dan keyakinan ala Matilda bahwa siapa pun bisa mengubah nasibnya. Sekarang aku mau latihan melototin gelas biar bisa pindah pakai pikiran!)