Matilda (novel)

Before I was a book with a bright blue cover, I was just a whisper of an idea. I started in a cozy little hut at the bottom of a garden, where a man sat in a big, comfy chair. His name was Roald Dahl, and he had a yellow notepad on his lap and a sharp pencil in his hand. He would scribble and doodle, dreaming up fantastic things. One day, he dreamed of a small girl with a very big brain. She loved books more than anything, and she had a secret sparkle of magic hiding inside her. He thought and he wrote, and that little spark grew bigger and brighter until it became a whole world full of funny and frightening people. That spark was me. I am a story, a book filled with mischief and wonder. My name is Matilda.

Roald Dahl filled my pages with the most amazing people. First, he created my hero, a brave girl named Matilda Wormwood who could read giant books meant for grown-ups. Her family, the Wormwoods, were so silly. They loved watching loud television shows more than anything and couldn't understand why Matilda always had her nose in a book. To help Matilda, he imagined the kindest teacher in the world, the gentle Miss Honey, who saw how special she was from the very first day of school. But every good story needs a villain, right. So, he dreamed up the scariest, most horrible headmistress you could ever meet: Miss Trunchbull. She was a former athlete who hated children and thought the perfect school was one with no children in it at all. He wrote every word carefully, making sure my story was full of surprises and laughs. After the words were all in place, another clever man named Quentin Blake came along. He took out his special pens and watercolor paints and drew wonderful, wiggly pictures that looked like they were dancing on the page. He drew Matilda with her big eyes buried in a book and the terrifying Miss Trunchbull swinging a girl by her pigtails. His drawings showed everyone exactly what my world looked like. Finally, on October 1st, 1988, I was born. I wasn't an idea anymore; I was a real book with a cover and pages waiting to be turned. My big adventure began when the first child opened my cover, and their eyes danced across my pages, falling right into my story.

My story didn't stay inside my covers for long. It wanted to see the world. Soon, I leaped from my pages and onto a big movie screen, where actors pretended to be Matilda, Miss Honey, and the dreadful Miss Trunchbull. It was amazing to see them come to life. Then, my story jumped onto a giant stage as a musical, with people singing songs and dancing all about the magic of reading and being brave. But my real magic isn't in a movie or a play; it's the message I share with every person who reads me. I whisper to them that books are a superpower that can take you on any adventure you can imagine. I show them that kindness is always stronger than meanness, no matter how big and loud the meanness is. And most importantly, I remind them that even the smallest person can be brave enough to change their own story for the better. I will always be here, waiting on a bookshelf in a library or a bedroom, ready to share my adventure with you. I am ready to remind you that the best stories are the ones you help create yourself.