Matilda vs The BFG: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
Matilda
More
Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.
The BFG
More
This book is a great book for all ages. It is a fantasy/adventure book.The BFG stands for 'Big Friendly Giant'. He isn't like other giants, instead of going out to different countries to eat children he catches dreams.…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The BFG has the widest readership — 539397 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Matilda | The BFG | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (27951) | 4.2 (539397) |
| Hardcover | 4.3 (993) | 4.1 (530) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (3) | 4.0 (19) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (868) | 4.5 (683) |
Reception
| Matilda | The BFG | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 27951 | 539397 |
| Editions | 149 | 136 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 381368 | 198443 |
| Written reviews | 27951 | 13942 |
| Wikipedia attention | 18873 | 10574 |
| Pages | 242 | 207 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Matilda or The BFG?
Matilda has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Matilda 4.3/5, The BFG 4.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: Matilda or The BFG?
The BFG is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The BFG (207 pages, ≈ 3 h 50 m); Matilda (242 pages, ≈ 4 h 29 m).
Which is harder to read: Matilda or The BFG?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Matilda: Moderate; The BFG: Light.
Have both books been made into films?
Matilda: 4 film adaptations; The BFG: 5 film adaptations.