If you loved how Matilda’s sharp mind and secret telekinesis blossom under Miss Honey’s kindness—and culminate in that chalkboard show-down with Miss Trunchbull—you’ll adore the way Luna slowly comes into her magic under the care of the loving witch Xan in The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Like Matilda sneaking to the library and outsmarting the Wormwoods, Luna grows from curious child to confident girl, aided by tender, wise adults (and a tiny, very proud dragon). It’s the same mix of wonder, heart, and a girl learning she’s more powerful than anyone expected.

If Miss Trunchbull’s outrageous punishments and the absurdity of Crunchem Hall made you laugh even as you rooted for Matilda, the oddball classrooms in Sideways Stories from Wayside School will feel like home. The teachers are hilariously unhinged in all the best ways—think disappearing instructors and nonsensical rules—echoing the comic bite of Matilda gluing her dad’s hat and the sly, kid-powered victories over ridiculous grown-ups.

If you cheered when Matilda found refuge with Miss Honey after surviving Crunchem Hall, you’ll relish Morrigan’s journey in The Trials of Morrigan Crow. Like Matilda—the underestimated prodigy who turns the tables with chalk and brains—Morrigan is whisked into a world of tests and secret societies, relying on wits and courage to earn her spot. The whimsical trials and found community echo the joy of Matilda discovering a safer, brighter place than the Wormwoods’ living room or Trunchbull’s classroom.

If Matilda’s playful telekinesis—tipping a glass, scaring the Trunchbull with phantom chalk-writing—delighted you, Which Witch? delivers that same impish sparkle. A parade of witches tries to outdo each other with spells that are more silly than sinister, and beneath the antics sits a warm heart—much like Matilda using her powers not for revenge, but to help Miss Honey find happiness.

If the moment Matilda leaves the Wormwoods and finds a true home with Miss Honey made your heart swell, Anne of Green Gables will hit the same note. Anne—imaginative, talkative, and brilliant in her own right—arrives unwanted, then wins over Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Like Matilda escaping Trunchbull’s tyranny, Anne’s journey turns neglect into belonging, with humor, schoolroom scrapes, and a loving home at its center.