Matilda at 30: Astrophysicist

I might be stating the obvious but this is the existing book Matilda with a new cover.The covers are of course lovely and the story is very good but I bought this without looking into it assuming the story had been picked up 30 years later with three new endings. I'm sure most will read this and think that's my fault (it is), I'm just writing it in case anyone else was wondering the same.I now own two copies of Matilda.

I bought this for a friend for Christmas and she was delighted with it! So quirky!

I already reviewed the British Library edition, which I had received via NetGalley. However, the book seemed so gorgeous I decided to order the hardback with the cover that appealed to me.

Great addition to the series

Lovely edition to give any Royal Dahl fan.

Now released in a special edition you can own a lovely copy of this great tale with one of three different covers. Quinten Blake has imagined what Matilda would be today, and so came up with different cover illustrations, so you have her as the CEO of the British Library, an astrophysicist and as a world traveller. It seems hard to believe though that this always popular book is now thirty years old and still going strong.I will admit that personally I was grown up when this book first hit the market, but even so I have read it a few times over the years, and it always proves popular with children, and of course with those adults who were children themselves when this was first published. I think everyone must know now the story of Matilda Wormwood, the little girl who taught herself to read at a very young age and shows her intelligence in other ways as well.As we see her develop so we read of how she gets her own back on her dysfunctional parents, especially her father, as well as on Miss Trunchbull when she goes to school. And what with her extra special talent that starts to appear, so I am reminded of Stephen King’s Carrie, although this is better written. There are some really memorable characters here, and I am sure that the Trunchbull lives in my road.Illustrated throughout by Quentin Blake so Roald Dahl really showed his flair for writing and storytelling with this book, giving us a good dose of dark humour with a riveting and entertaining tale, one that is sure to go on pleasing people for many more years to come. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC.

I was a huge Roald Dahl fan as a child, I think I had nearly all of his books and they were stories I'd read over and over again so it's very hard for me to be objective about them now as an adult. It's funny because on the surface Matilda should have been my favourite of his books - its about a little girl who loves reading and spending time in the library which was totally me as a child and if I'm honest still describes me now LOL - but I think my heart had already been stolen by the BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so I only read this one a handful of times. It wasn't until the movie released that I really started to appreciate this story and it's impossible to reread this now as an adult without picturing Mara Wilson as Matilda.There's just something special about all of Roald Dahl's books but Matilda really is one of his most well loved characters and there's a very good reason for that. She's an intelligent child who doesn't fit in at home and whose parents definitely don't appreciate her but she finds a magical place when she discovers the local library and teaches herself to read. Her love of books and reading is something all bookworms will appreciate but I also love her constant search for knowledge and her excitement about getting to attend school for the first time.The relationship she develops with her teacher Miss Honey is heartwarming and desperately needed after we've seen how badly she is treated by her parents. Then of course there is the terrifying headmistress Mrs Trunchbull who runs her school more like a prison until Matilda dishes out some much deserved punishment of her own.I loved revisiting this story and I think I appreciated it so much more now that I'm an adult. The movie will always hold a special place in my heart but now the book does too. It's hard to believe that this story is 30 years old this year and I absolutely love the newly updated covers designed by the original illustrator Quentin Blake. His drawings throughout the book add so much to the story and I love the way he's imagined some of the exciting jobs that Matilda could have chosen for the new anniversary editions. I'm very, very tempted to collect the set but I'm not sure my already straining book cases can take the pressure.

Matilda is a modern classic, beloved by so many readers. It's a book that makes children into avid readers, encourages a love of reading and highlights the escapism that books can provide.Like many bookworms, I adored the story of Matilda growing up and saw myself in Matilda - a bright young girl who loves reading and learning. But, again like many bookworms, I wished that I too had magic powers like Matilda! Being able to control things with your mind is something that many of us have tried growing up, and Roald Dahl's incredible writing really makes you believe that you can.These Matilda at 30 editions are absolutely stunning. It's fascinating to think about how Matilda has grown up and where she would end up. Of the three designs, I personally think that the Chief Executive of the British Library is the most likely, but in reality I would not be surprised to see Matilda as a teacher or a lawyer. Her sense of justice and fairness would be very much suited to these two careers.Matilda is a story that will continue to enchant readers for years to come, and will continue to be a rite of passage for young bookworms.