One might assume that Matilda is simply the story of an exceptional girl who deserves, and wins, exceptional help and friendship. The deeper story, though, is that all children are exceptional and can do great things, if only their elders respect and nurture them.

Matilda truly is a genius: By age five, she reads at an adult level and can do math in her head. For a time, she also expresses a super-power, the ability to move objects at a distance. On the surface, the story is about how such a girl might escape her distinctly inferior adult caretakers. The book, however, isn’t simply about admiring and rooting for a brilliant kid. It also intends to inspire readers to look inside for their own special brilliance and to use Matilda’s experience as a guide to nurturing that genius in themselves.

Matilda’s parents don’t intimidate her so much as they disappoint her. She wants her father to be noble, but instead he’s a rat who cheats his customers. He even looks a bit like a rat. She wishes her mother would be a sweet person, but Mrs. Wormwood cares only about food, Bingo, and TV.

Matilda instead receives early help with her reading from Mrs.