Mostly we see the story through Matilda’s point of view which, as Matilda is only six, provides an interesting perspective. Frances is eleven and Elizabeth is fifteen. Each day is heralded in with news headlines, so we read about new cases in the polio epidemic and the Petrov Affair. Against this backdrop, Frances worries about a school friend with polio, Elizabeth wonders about Mrs Petrov and Matilda observes all manner of things.
“Charly, Falco and Mysan live in one room. Mysan is shy_mostly with girl dog, even though she’s a girl herself. Charlie and Falco are best friends. They are like two policemen who watch over everyone, so no one gets lost on walks. The other dogs don’t see the point. They want to decide on their own whether they are going to get lost or not.”