Why on earth didn’t the librarian safeguard Matilda?

[BeardofHagrid]

This five-year-old has to cross a busy High Street to get to the library, then comes out with, “Oh yeah, Mum goes to Bingo every day and leaves me alone in the house till night time so I come here. I taught myself to read because of the neglect.”

And all the librarian has to say is, “There’s another Charles Dickens for you, my love, do come back soon”?!

Like…..? Was she not bothered at all?

Because I need the story to happen

I was born in the mid 70s. I was walking home from school with my younger brother once we were at junior school. It was about 1.5 miles. At the weekend we'd be out all day, cycling for miles. We'd go to an animal sanctuary and pet the dogs, no one questioned why these young kids were out on their own. We'd built camps in the woods. Walk along the railway track. Nothing very exciting happened and we didn't come across anyone dodgy, thankfully. I'd take myself off to the swimming pool once I was over 8 and didn't need an adult with me.

My school was quite boring, no child beating or anyone locked in cupboards. Although shouty teachers weren't unusual.

What put a stop to our fun was the bypass that was built around town meaning there was no way to safely get to the countryside we used to roam.

I was always disappointed that none of these adventures and mysteries ever happened to me!

I'm also pretty sure adoptions don't work like that

Plus all the magic

😀

I can't watch home alone for similar reasons. I think the police try knocking on the door once and then do nothing.

Don't forget Enid Blyton Adventures Series.... children going off by themselves and missing sometimes kidnapped for days! And nobody thinks to actually involve the police or have the parents declared unfit...

But I loved the books as a child!

Incidentally, the whole “magic” thing spoiled the story for me, because I thought it could be a true story, until that happened.

Vicar of Dibley is highly separate from reality: the way she just turns up, to her open-mouthed congregation. When a church is “in vacancy” ie. has no vicar, the reality is a long selection process lasting weeks or months.

This is why I much preferred the secret seven although reading them as an adult really shows up with a knobhead, jobsworth Peter was no far flung Islands or trekking half way across the country where there always happened to be a welcoming farmer (why wasn't he busy harvesting?) and his wife with food produce to give away.

Just a shed, a spaniel and an excessive amount of crimes that the inept police weren't able to solve themselves.

So much more realistic.

Yes, I agree. Reepicheep, too, was 'serious' but comic.

Peter is essentially Julian from the Famous Five, but with fewer opportunities for patronising rosy-cheeked farmers’ wives, village bobbies and villainous foreigners. They both grew up to be golf bores who vote UKIP.

Absolutely and pretty much all the seven girls are clones of Anne, even Janet never tells her patronising brother to take a hike. Julian was always described as being big and muscular so he'd definitely be one of those rugby playing young Conservative types.

I've been around a fair few farmers in my time but have never yet met the stereotypical plump, ruddy faced farmers wife.

Ofsted would have had a field day at that school, children being locked in cupboards and force fed cake! As would the union with teachers working for free.

Why was Windy Miller allowed to work the mill when he was shitfaced most of the time? H&S nowhere to be seen

I haven’t read Wuthering Heights for years, but did any of the children go to school or have tutors or governesses?

Is that in the movie? I remember in the book he says “fortunately no one came knocking at our door to ask why I wasn’t attending school”

The librarian is married to the owner of the bingo hall. She knows not to disrupt the steady flow of bingo regulars.

@BeardofHagridhow are we supposed to know what you’re talking about?

Petunia wasn’t on their guardianship list. Dumbledore forced that one through once Lily and James had been killed because he knew that for Lily’s blood magic protection to continue, Harry had to live with a blood relative. And Petunia was the only one.

I think Librarian was keeping Matilda safe. She had a safe place to go everyday rather than wandering the streets.
I also think it was ger who reported that Matilda wasn't in school

For me it's Mrs Medlock in the film (not the book) of the secret garden. She has raging munchausens by proxy yet all is forgiven at the end of the book!

And if the hungry caterpillar was so hungry then why not eat ALL of the fruit instead of wasting it by just eating through it?

Err, it was the very early 80s. No safeguarding, no Children's Act, no Childline, no national curriculum.

If you are worried about realism, it would be more realistic if Matilda didn’t have supernatural powers.

Yes, and never once would they need the toilet. Stuck in caves or dungeons for days due to baddies locking them in. One corner much have been a bit whiffy.

Plus why in so many Enid Blyton books, were all big strong attractive detectives so keen to actively involve young children in his steak outs? Clearly approved statergy seeing at least one of them (think it was the detective in the the Five Finder-Outers) got promoted in eye--wateringly fast succession.

Well, clearly a whole heap of people do! 😂

Why not google the main words and find out?