50 Fun Facts About Matilda

In which year was the novel published?

Jonathan Cape published it, two years before the author's death.

Which publisher brought out the original book?

Its author had been with the same London house for most of his children's titles.

What is the heroine's surname?

Her parents are a crooked used-car salesman and a woman who thinks cleverness is unattractive in a girl.

At what age could the heroine read, according to the book?

By four and a quarter she had cleared the children's shelves at the library and moved on to Dickens and Steinbeck.

Which two grown-up classics does she read as a small child?

She works through the entire children's section first, then starts on the adult shelves.

What is the kindly teacher called?

She tries to have the child moved up a class and is blocked by the headmistress.

What is the tyrannical headmistress's first name?

Her surname, Trunchbull, is one of the most quoted villain names in British children's fiction.

What is the nail-lined punishment cupboard called?

Its punishments are deliberately over the top so that no parent will believe a child who describes them.

Why does the headmistress hurl Amanda Thripp over the playground fence?

She dislikes long hair throughout the book, and the throw is described as a hammer throw.

What is Bruce Bogtrotter forced to do in front of the school?

He manages it, so the headmistress smashes the platter over his head, which he barely notices.

What does Lavender put in the headmistress's water jug?

The heroine is blamed for it, and that injustice is what first triggers her telekinesis.

Which power does the heroine discover she has?

She first uses it to tip a glass of water, complete with amphibian, over her tormentor.

In which English county is the village of the novel set?

It is described as forty minutes by bus from Reading and eight miles from Aylesbury.

What is the father's trade?

He finds a great many ways to cheat his customers, and eventually the police catch up with him.

Where did the novel place in the BBC's 2003 Big Read poll?

School Library Journal later ranked it 30th among all-time best children's novels.

What honour did the heroine receive from the Royal Mail in 2012?

Time magazine also put the book on its list of the 100 best young-adult books of all time.

Who directed the 1996 film?

He also produced it and appeared in it, opposite Rhea Perlman as the mother.

Which child actress played the lead in that film?

Pam Ferris played the headmistress and Embeth Davidtz the gentle teacher.

Which actress played Miss Trunchbull in 1996?

Rhea Perlman, meanwhile, played the mother opposite her real-life husband.

What did the 1996 film take at the box office, against a $36m budget?

It only became a genuine favourite later, through television and home video.

What is the school called in the 1996 film?

The headmistress buys her way into a deal with the father over a faulty car.

Which studio label released the 1996 film?

It came out on 2 August 1996 through Sony Pictures Releasing.

Who wrote the music and lyrics for the stage musical?

Dennis Kelly wrote the book, and the Royal Shakespeare Company staged it first.

Which theatre organisation first staged the musical?

It announced the plan in December 2009 and opened the show in Stratford-upon-Avon.

How many Olivier Awards did the musical win in 2012?

That was, at the time, the most ever won by a single show.

How was the 2012 Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical awarded?

Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram, Eleanor Worthington-Cox and Sophia Kiely all took a share.

Which London venue hosted the musical's West End debut in 2011?

Building work delayed previews from 18 to 25 October, and opening night from 22 to 24 November.

Who directed the stage musical and the 2022 film of it?

Dennis Kelly wrote both, and Tim Minchin came back to write new songs for the screen.

Who played the title role in the 2022 musical film?

It premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October that year.

On which streaming service did the 2022 film land in the United States?

It arrived there on Christmas Day, after a limited cinema run on 9 December.

Where did the 2022 adaptation have its premiere?

That was on 5 October, ahead of a UK release seven weeks later.

Which country was the author born in?

His parents were affluent Norwegian immigrants, and he spent most of his life in England.

What did the author do during the Second World War?

He later became an intelligence officer, rising to acting wing commander.

Roughly how many copies of his books have sold worldwide?

He has been called one of the greatest storytellers for children of the twentieth century.

What was the schoolboy prank he later called the Great Plot of 1924?

He and four friends were caned for it by the headmaster of his Llandaff school.

Which three actresses have recorded audio readings of the novel?

BBC Radio 4 also broadcast a two-part adaptation of the story.

What did the mother say about cleverness in girls?

Both parents refuse to acknowledge their daughter's abilities when the teacher raises them.

Where was the musical staged before it reached the West End?

Its working title at that point was simply Matilda, A Musical.

Which School Library Journal ranking did the novel receive in 2012?

It also made Time magazine's list of the hundred best young-adult books ever written.

Who wrote the screenplay for the 1996 film?

Critics praised how closely it stuck to the book, and DeVito's direction of it.

Which pattern do critics identify in his books for young readers?

His short stories for adults, by contrast, are known for their unexpected endings.

Who illustrated the original 1988 novel?

For the book's 30th anniversary in 2018 he drew a grown-up Matilda as an explorer, an astrophysicist and a British Library librarian.

Which actress played Miss Trunchbull in the 2022 film of the musical?

Sony Pictures released the film in cinemas while Netflix carried it in the United States.

In the novel, which country are the Wormwoods fleeing to when Matilda asks to stay with Miss Honey?

The police had discovered Mr Wormwood was disguising stolen cars for resale, on top of the sawdust-filled engines.

In the 1996 film, the portrait of Miss Honey's father Magnus is actually a picture of whom?

Miss Trunchbull's house was played by the Crank House in Altadena, and the library by Pasadena Public Library.

Who wrote the book (script) of the stage musical alongside Tim Minchin's songs?

Comedian Bill Bailey had been asked to write the songs but turned the project down.

Which actor won the 2012 Olivier for Best Actor in a Musical for playing Miss Trunchbull?

He reprised the role on Broadway in 2013 alongside Lauren Ward as Miss Honey.

Which real-life sweet shop owner from Dahl's boyhood in Cardiff inspired Miss Trunchbull?

Mr Wormwood, meanwhile, was based on a real person from Dahl's home village of Great Missenden.

In the novel, which deputy head takes over the school after Miss Trunchbull vanishes?

He proves capable and good-natured, and Miss Honey learns her father's savings and house are hers after all.

Which American editor reshaped Dahl's first draft, in which the heroine was a wicked child?

In that draft she used her powers to help an unethical teacher win at horse racing; the innocent book-lover was the editor's idea.