Roald Dahl: Matilda

Almost 14 years after his death, Roald Dahl continues to be one of the most popular children's authors in the world and the parents of today, who had the pleasure of growing up with his books, take great delight in introducing their own children to Dahl's much-loved characters.

In the Whitcoulls Kids' Top 50 List, which was voted for by New Zealand children, three titles by Dahl appear in the top six and eight are in the top 35.

Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 to Norwegian immigrant parents. His father died when he was three years old and his mother, Sofie, was left to bring up six children. Sofie was a great storyteller who entertained her children with Norwegian folklore, and this love of stories was handed down to her only son.

Dahl did not enjoy his school years, particularly the time spent in boarding school, and this was also to greatly influence his writing.

Dahl joined the airforce in 1939 and became a pilot, and after the war he moved to the United States and became a writer. He published his first children's book, James and the Giant Peach, in 1961. A string of bestselling titles quickly followed and his books have now been translated into 34 languages. This year is the 40th anniversary of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and we can look forward to seeing not only a special edition of this title but also a new movie version, rumoured to star Johnny Depp.

Matilda is the top-ranking Dahl title in the Whitcoulls Top 50, coming in at No 3. First published in 1988, it also happens to be the biggest selling Dahl title in the world.

Matilda Wormwood is a child genius with an insatiable appetite for books. By the time she is 18 months old she can speak perfectly and has the vocabulary of an adult. By the age of three, Matilda has taught herself to read by studying newspapers and magazines and at the age of four she is reading Charles Dickens and George Orwell.

But instead of being proud of their daughter, her parents think she is a dreadful nuisance. Mr Wormwood is a untrustworthy car salesman, and Mrs Wormwood is hooked on bingo and television. They are often nasty to Matilda and she retaliates by coming up with wonderful, inventive punishments for them.

Matilda finally gets to go to school when she is five and a half and her teacher, Miss Honey, is the best in the world as far as Matilda is concerned.

However, Miss Trunchball, the principal, is truly terrifying. She is a cruel, domineering woman who takes great delight in persecuting the students and bullying the teachers.

Miss Trunchball decides that Matilda is a troublemaker and sets out to make her life a misery. However, not only is Matilda exceptionally intelligent, but she also discovers that she has supernatural powers. She uses her abilities to punish Miss Trunchball and to right an old wrong, helping Miss Honey in the process.

In all his books, Dahl reveals his special gift for seeing the world through the eyes of children but nowhere is this more evident than in Matilda, where "small" is seen to overcome "big".

Official Roald Dahl website

Publisher: Puffin

Price: $14.99

Age: 6-10

Recommended by: Dorothy Vinicombe