When I began working at the place I do know, I would sit at my desk and see five copies of this book staring back at me. Every time I looked back, I'd tell myself I have to read that book before too long. I'd tell myself that for three years. Now that the classroom is mine and I've inherited all of the books, I rearranged them. This book faces the door people walk in, which caught the attention of a co-worker who made the comment of it being appropriate to be in my classroom. I had never read it nor knew anything about it to give her an answer; so I read it in order to give a better answer. My answer is this:

This is one of the best books I've read all year. This book has been a comfort to me during a year that has sucked beyond suckage. The topics in this book are too mature for some of my students, yes. But if it could be a comfort to one person the way it was a comfort to me then it is worth holding onto.

I used to watch this movie a lot as a child but had never actually read the book until now. Matilda's story is one that I will cherish and share with others for my entire life.

“Funny, isn't it, how quickly the future becomes the past.”

This became my favorite book a couple of years ago when I listened to the audiobook. I bought the book on a whim a while ago and it sat on my shelf. As it sat, I began to forget why this book had mattered so much to me. When I started a book club, I decided that this would be the first book. I was quickly reminded why this book means so much to me.
Everyone keeps asking me if this book is scary; I always struggle for a response, never sure of how I should describe this book. Yes, this book has ghosts, but no it isn't scary, but yes it is scary in the sense that life can be terrifying, but that has nothing to do with ghosts, and by terrifying I really mean life is one big depressing struggle and yet we somehow find solace in things and people. Really I just end up telling them, "you just have to read it." And that's what I'm going to tell you.
If you want a synopsis of the book, you can find that very easily. If you want my opinion of the book: it is a really good book. But you have to read it and decide what this book means to you. This book is not what it appears on the surface.