Danny the Champion of the World - Roald Dahl

Dannys mom had died when he was just a baby so it was just Danny and his father. They owned a petrol station/ garage where dannys dad worked fixing cars and they also lived there in a caravan. Danny loves engines and at an early age new his way around one well enough to be able to help his dad. Mr Hazell owned all the land in the area except the garage owned by danny and his dad but he wanted that too, this caused conflict between them. Danny and his dad poach phesant from mr hazells land, one night dannys dad falls down a hole and breaks his leg, danny rescues him but this is just before the pheasant shoot mr hazell has organised ...  Read the complete review

One of Roald Dahl's books that sticks in my mind the most is Danny, Champion of the World. It is a book that nearly every boy will be able to relate to, and it examines the relationship between a boy and his father in very subtle ways. Speculation is that the book was based on Dahl and his relationship with his son Theo. Danny lives in a gypsy caravan with his dad, who brings him up on his own. Danny thinks the world of his dad, and is very proud of him. When he wakes up one night to find his dad gone, he gets upset and catches him coming back from poaching. The thought of roast pheasant for tea appeases Danny and tells his dad he can go out for more, but when ...  Read the complete review

“This book is about a most private and secret habit my father had, and about the strange adventures it led us both into……” Danny lives with his father in an old gypsy caravan behind the filling station they own, it had been this way since Danny’s Mother had died when he was just four months old and Danny would not have it any other way. His father taught him so many things, from being able to strip and clean an engine in the workshop to the names of all the local flora and fauna. But Danny’s father had a secret, a longing that he had kept in check all the while he raised Danny but eventually gave in to when Danny was nine years old. Danny awoke one night to ...  Read the complete review

I’m terrible, granted not the best introduction to a review, but it’s true. I have no will power whatsoever, my local Tesco has a charity table on the outward door with books on it. Books for me are what Donuts are for Homer Simpson, “hmmmm books”, so you can imagine what I’m like walking past a table full of dodgy old paperbacks going for a small charitable donation. The trouble is I never find the time to read them. I try to be strong but when I saw Roald Dahl’s Danny Champion of the World I couldn’t help myself, I justified myself by thinking I’d write a review on it, so this is my justification. Danny was ...  Read the complete review

Danny, Champion of the World is one of my favourite of Roald Dahl's books. It tells the story of Danny, who lives with his father in a caravan. His father is an inspirational figure to him: he tells stories of wonder and enchantment, he knows all there is to know about most things, and he is a loving caring father. There is talk of the way he has magic in his eyes, a sparkle that if you've seen in the eyes of someone you know, trust and admire, you will understand completely. Danny's father has a secret though- he is a poacher! Danny deals with wanting to know more about this part of his father's life as a number of bigger problems arise. How ...  Read the complete review