40BFL 4: Matilda

So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.

No, not that Matilda. This one. The Matilda who voraciously read, whose family didn't understand her, whose unused intelligence enabled her to do magic, who fell in love with her primary school teacher (didn't you?). How many hours I sat, concentrating on pencils, willing them to rise in the air. Sadly, they never did, but I felt less alone knowing Matilda was reading outside the 5-8 section too ("I'm wondering what to read next." Matilda said. "I've finished all the children's books").

Also: Danny DeVito, I love your work!

What I learned? Books will take you anywhere and everywhere, clever and angry girls will always beat bad grown-ups, and if you really need to, you can make your own family.

Matilda said, "Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable..."