Matilda is the only nice member of the Wormwood family.
She loves books, while the rest of them hustle, watch TV and do not even know how old she is.
Bored and lonely, she discovers she has the power to make things move just by concentrating on them.
When she starts school, she is captivated by the sweet, kind Miss Honey, but soon finds she needs all her powers, and more, in a battle against The Trunchbull, the horrible headmistress who aims to turn child-throwing into an Olympic event.