Yes, for beginners who can already manage simple text. Matilda is a children's book in simple, funny prose, and Roald Dahl keeps the story moving so well that you may read further than you would in a graded reader.
- Level
- Beginner
- Format
- Book
- Year
- 1988
Why it works for learners
Written for children, this is real English literature with short chapters and a plain, lively voice. The jokes come from exaggeration, so you can often work out a word from how outrageous a teacher or parent seems. School and family dominate the vocabulary, and you get plenty of adjectives for describing people, mostly unkind ones. Reading it means finishing a real, famous book, and that feeling of achievement is what keeps a learner reading the next one.
What makes it hard
Dahl uses British words and playful, exaggerated expressions that may not be in your dictionary, along with insults you shouldn't copy. Some passages about reading and school are longer than the rest. It is simple for a child who already speaks English, less so for you.
How to use it
Read one chapter at a sitting, looking up only words you see twice. Note the adjectives used for each character. Listen to an audiobook of a chapter you have already read to hear the jokes. Reread your favourite chapter once you finish.
Keep it where you'll see it
Save Matilda and log every episode or chapter toward your English hours. Free for one language.
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