I've Got Your Back.

  Growing up can be pretty tough. Just ask any five year old.

But it's a little easier when you have a friend alongside you, someone who really cares for you and will always have your back. They too have a back for you to have, or more specifically a spine. A paper spine. Okay, so this friend is technically a book.

But books can be friends too! 

Just ask Matilda Wormwood and she'll tell you exactly what I'm talking about.

To grow up with a friend like Matilda was something special. She was always a little strange, and a bit of a bookworm, often submersing herself into her books just to escape the pains of real life.  For some people that was a problem, and we were made fun of occasionally. I guess people just didn't quite understand us.

But the thing about Matilda that was so special is that she found ways to still make friends and find people who love her for who she truly is. 

And as I grew older, I found a new friend through her, and that was her new adopted mother named Miss Honey. She helped me realize that life doesn't always turn out the way I would think it would, but that doesn't mean it can't still be a beautiful thing.

The companionship of these two showed me that you can't just sit back and let others run your life, no matter how young or old you are.

For a young girl growing up in a world where being a little different is looked down upon and abuse comes in many shapes and forms, these two women were the best friends I could ask for. It was as though Roald Dahl wrote these two to be there for me through all aspects and ages of my life. And when life has too much to bear, I know I'll always have their lives to run back to and feel safe in their world again.

Sometimes I'm nerdy. Sometimes I'm shy. Sometimes life is hard.

But you know what?

They taught me that's okay.