Matilda Tough-o-Meter

(2) Sea Level

Trust Shmoop when we tell you that his book is a joy to read. How can you not laugh at some of the things the Trunchbull says, or rejoice when Matilda superglues her dad's hat to his head? It's always fun to see people get a taste of their own medicine. The joyful fun from page to page makes this thing a breeze to get through. We never want to put it down.

But Matilda's not the easiest book to read in terms of the language that's used. Dahl frequently makes up his own words, uses a lot of British slang, and doesn't shy away from the five-dollar vocabulary words. But for the most part, the meanings are clear, and the words themselves are plain old fun to say.