Matilda.

Matilda.

I recently stumbled upon a website where you can announce to the Internets which book got you hooked on reading. It's called First Book and although there's some sort of vote-to-get-books-sent-to-some-place thing going on, that's not really why I'm posting.



My "first book" was Matilda, by Roald Dahl, my favorite children's author. It obviously wasn't the first book I ever read - far from it. But it was the first time that I wanted to bunker down and reread over and over again. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to be able to move objects with my mind tricks. Matilda was probably the first book I was obsessed with, which led me into a Roald Dahl obsession. I read everything he wrote, including his not-really-meant-for-9-year-olds autobiographies. Oh, how I was scandalized by the nudists on his cruise ships! I'm guessing on the age, by the way. I assume I was 9, because that's when my copy (first edition!) was printed. I just checked my book, and it unfortunately must have been past the stage in my life where I documented my age and absolute ownership of the books, writing "This book belongs to Julia, age 7" in everything, in total chicken scratch, and sometimes right below a similar proclamation by my older sister, scribbled out by me *evil laughter*.

I know you've all read Matilda and loved it, but I know I had at least forgotten some of the fantastic details to the story and how perfectly every kid could weave themselves into her world (especially the "gormless" parents bit and wanting to have your sweet teacher invite you over for tea). Here's what is printed on the back cover - it makes me want to read it again right this minute:

Matilda is an extraordinary girl. She is sensitive and brilliant. Even before she is five years old she has read Dickens and Hemingway, Kipling and Steinbeck. Matilda's gormless parents are neither sensitive nor brilliant. They think Matilda is just a nuisance, and treat her as a scab - a scab to be endured until the time comes to flick her away.

As if this isn't enough, Matilda has to cope with the odious headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, who terrorizes the whole school, including Matilda's beloved class teacher, Miss Honey. When Matilda is attacked by Miss Trunchbull one day, she suddenly discovers she has an extraordinary power and realizes she can make trouble for the monstrous grown-ups in her life.

After Roald Dahl, there have been two other times in my life where I've gone and bought everything by a particular author and devoured it. The next was J.D Salinger. Le sigh. And then, Chuck Palahniuk, notably, uh, different than Matilda.

[whispers] Twilight doesn't count. It doesn't. Shut up.