All the times Matilda was the hero every little girl needed

I'd like that very much Miss Honey

Some things change with the years, but the heroes who children fall in love with through reading, (or watching) have a kind of immortality to them. To celebrate 20 years since Matilda was first released (yes, we feel old too) the film is being re-screened. Which seemed like the perfect excuse to reminisce on one of the most inspiring young heroines of all time.

Books are friends, adventures and companions, and it's perfectly fine to prefer them to people (at least some of the time). Given how many of the role models we look up to when we're kids are all about tiaras and falling in love, it's a pretty refreshing message.

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Your family don't have to be your actual family. So many stories for children centre around finding your 'real' parents, but Matilda tells the truth: sometimes your biological family aren't the greatest, but that doesn't mean you can't find a home and have a different kind of family.

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Being clever isn't always easy. Neither is being different. Matilda learned early in life that people are often afraid of anyone who is different from them, but that's not a reason to hide who you are. And we got to learn that same lesson along with her. 

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Life is full of bullies and it might take you a while to stand up to them, but however long it takes, it's always worth doing. 

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Your parents are not always right. Particularly if they tell you that you're not good enough. Lots of us don't manage to learn that lesson into our adult years, so the fact that Matilda grasped it at six was pretty impressive. But then she was an actual super-genius. 

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But the most important lesson we got from Matilda? That being clever is a super power, not something to hide, or something to be ashamed of. 

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