Danny the Champion of the World (A Play) [Paperback]

Roald Dahl (Author), David Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1999

Nine year old Danny lives happily in a gypsy caravan with his father but his world is turned upside-down when he learns that his father poaches pheasants from the estate of the nasty, greedy Victor Hazell. One night his father doesn't return from a poaching run and Danny fears the worst. Danny sets off on a courageous journey to find his father and with a little help from the village soon finds himself masterminding the most incredible and exciting plot ever attempted against Victor Hazell.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Baker (1999)
• ASIN: B0012NA3Y2
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was born in Llandaff, South Wales, and went to Repton School in England. His parents were Norwegian, so holidays were spent in Norway. As he explains in Boy, he turned down the idea of university in favor of a job that would take him to"a wonderful faraway place. In 1933 he joined the Shell Company, which sent him to Mombasa in East Africa. When World War II began in 1939 he became a fighter pilot and in 1942 was made assistant air attaché in Washington, where he started to write short stories. His first major success as a writer for children was in 1964. Thereafter his children's books brought him increasing popularity, and when he died children mourned the world over, particularly in Britain where he had lived for many years.The BFG is dedicated to the memory of Roald Dahls eldest daughter, Olivia, who died from measles when she was seven - the same age at which his sister had died (fron appendicitis) over forty years before. Quentin Blake, the first Children's Laureate of the United Kingdom, has illustrated most of Roald Dahl's children's books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, One of My Favorites as a Child as Well as a Parent, February 16, 2008

By 

Barb Mechalke (in the lovely Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Danny the Champion of the World (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book when I was a child. It was one of my all-time favorites and I couldn't wait to read it to my daughter when she was old enough...We just finished it today and it is as wonderful as it was 30+ years ago.

This is the story about the love between a father and a son. Danny and his father run a filling station and live in a very modest "gypsie" caravan next to the station's workshop, Danny's mother died when he was a baby. Danny's father adores him, one night he takes him into his confidence and tells him that he been out poaching pheasants from the rich and unlikable Victor Hazell's property. Well, of course, Danny wants to be included and masterminds a wonderful scheme to poach a record number of Hazell's pheasants.

My daughter and I certainly talked about the fact that poaching is stealing and stealing is wrong and that it would never be okay for someone to steal in real life...

But that certainly didn't stop us from rooting for Danny and his father and enjoying their triumph over the hated Victor Hazell.

We loved the wonderful story telling, the sweetness of the love between a parent and a child and the good old fashioned triumphing of the underdog.

If you are looking for a special book to read with your child I would urge you to try this. I loved it when I was a child and I loved reading it to my daughter, I can't wait to read it to my son.


Update July 2011: I recently read this with my son and it was just as wonderful as I remembered it. He loved listening to the story, every night we read it he begged for me to read more. He says it's his favorite book. I still highly recommend this book, reading it is presents opportunities to talk about your values with your children.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best, June 20, 2000

By 

kennedy19 "kennedy19" (wakefield, ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Danny the Champion of the World (Paperback)

"Danny the Champion of the World" is a masterpiece. For my money it is Dahl's best book, (though "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Fantastic Mister Fox" come close.) I think that although the intended audience of kids is sure to enjoy it, adults too would appreciate the tale. It is not only a ripping good adventure story, about a boy and his father who attempt to poach pheasants from a wicked landowner, but an atmospheric one as well - we can feel the palpable thrills in the early fall air as the characters plot the fine art of poaching for the pure private pleasure of it, like any great artists. As with all of Dahl, this book has moments of great comedy as well as a love for food and freedom, all of which appeal to its audience. There is also the subtly tender relationship between Danny and his father that add depth to the story. Well, we could go on. All I can say is that anyone who can read, adult or child, will thank themselves for reading this one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ethical challenges?, January 18, 2010

By 

dawlism (Richfield Springs, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Danny the Champion of the World (Mass Market Paperback)

I just want to chime in here and express what a fantastic book this was for me growing up. It was the first full book I read as a child that had a real, engaging plot and wasn't a comic book.
The primary reason for my review is to share with potential parents that the only thing I ever remembered about this book (keep in mind that I only read it once) was the relationship the son had with the father and that poaching is bad. I've seen a few reviews that make mention of this ethical topic in the story and I feel THAT is what keeps it from being one of Dahl's more popular stories. So, from my inner child's mind, I assure you that the story is stronger than the message. And that if you're a good parent you can be there to answer any questions that the child may have. But, like I said, I read it without supervision from my school's book club over 30 yeas ago and I never poached any pheasants nor judged rich people as being evil along the way. I am looking forward to reading it again. Maybe to my own child someday.
That is all.