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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Currently reading this with my 9-year old son. Loving every chapter of it so far...
I have a hard time rating this book.
On the one hand, I absolutely loved the relationship between Danny and his dad, as described in the beginning. Their bond seems really authentic and strong, with the dad being an extremely caring a loving single parent. I'm sure many children and adults reading this book will secretly yearn for such an awesome dad - I know I did.
Also, as a side note, this book seems to be written for a slightly older audience, perhaps for 10-12 year olds. There's no magic, witches, giants, or chocolate involved. Dahl also creates more rounded characters without adding the usual wackiness. These characters are still quirky, but in a more mature way.
On the other hand, I just can't gloss over the fact that this book's whole plot revolves around this duo's bond becoming stronger over...the dad teaching the son the "art" - as he calls it - of poaching. Yikes! I tried, I really tried to read this keeping in mind the time when it was written and the era in which the action takes place - which seem to overlap, in this case -, but I simply cannot justify teaching a 9 year old to poach pheasants. Dahl's rationale seems to be that poaching birds is a good thing, because the reader is expected to dislike the rich obnoxious man who raises several hundreds of pheasants every year in order to shoot them for fun each autumn, during a party for his fellow rich people. So naturally, teaching the bad guy a lesson involves stealing all the birds in one night, with the intention of distributing them to all the nice villagers (the doctor, the policeman, the vicar), who are also big poaching fans.
I just feel like Dahl could have developed and resolved the plot so differently, without losing any of the precious father-son bonding moments. For instance, they could have plotted stealing the birds in order to release them, which, one may argue, is what happens to them anyway, because most of them manage to run away after being stolen, and the very few that remain are divided between the people who were in on the plan. So I do see Dahl's intention of showing the reader a sort of happy ending, with most of the birds flying away, being free, and only a few dying so that the regular, not greedy people can enjoy a nice meal. It is also quite clear that Danny and his dad are pretty poor, so eating meat is a rarity for them.
I don't know, I just felt so sorry for these birds throughout the entire book, and I kept waiting for a character to come up with a better justification for stealing them, or at least show an ounce of care for them. I kept hoping that the 9 year old would teach his dad and the villagers an empathy lesson by pointing out that the pheasants probably didn't care that much whether they were killed by rich people's guns or by regular people's knives. Alas, the book was published in 1959, so people were not exactly concerned with animal rights back then.
An extra thing that pissed me off: the title. Seriously, Roald Dahl, you couldn't have come up with something that was ever so slightly more illustrative of the book's contents?
On the one hand, I absolutely loved the relationship between Danny and his dad, as described in the beginning. Their bond seems really authentic and strong, with the dad being an extremely caring a loving single parent. I'm sure many children and adults reading this book will secretly yearn for such an awesome dad - I know I did.
Also, as a side note, this book seems to be written for a slightly older audience, perhaps for 10-12 year olds. There's no magic, witches, giants, or chocolate involved. Dahl also creates more rounded characters without adding the usual wackiness. These characters are still quirky, but in a more mature way.
On the other hand, I just can't gloss over the fact that this book's whole plot revolves around this duo's bond becoming stronger over...the dad teaching the son the "art" - as he calls it - of poaching. Yikes! I tried, I really tried to read this keeping in mind the time when it was written and the era in which the action takes place - which seem to overlap, in this case -, but I simply cannot justify teaching a 9 year old to poach pheasants. Dahl's rationale seems to be that poaching birds is a good thing, because the reader is expected to dislike the rich obnoxious man who raises several hundreds of pheasants every year in order to shoot them for fun each autumn, during a party for his fellow rich people. So naturally, teaching the bad guy a lesson involves stealing all the birds in one night, with the intention of distributing them to all the nice villagers (the doctor, the policeman, the vicar), who are also big poaching fans.
I just feel like Dahl could have developed and resolved the plot so differently, without losing any of the precious father-son bonding moments. For instance, they could have plotted stealing the birds in order to release them, which, one may argue, is what happens to them anyway, because most of them manage to run away after being stolen, and the very few that remain are divided between the people who were in on the plan. So I do see Dahl's intention of showing the reader a sort of happy ending, with most of the birds flying away, being free, and only a few dying so that the regular, not greedy people can enjoy a nice meal. It is also quite clear that Danny and his dad are pretty poor, so eating meat is a rarity for them.
I don't know, I just felt so sorry for these birds throughout the entire book, and I kept waiting for a character to come up with a better justification for stealing them, or at least show an ounce of care for them. I kept hoping that the 9 year old would teach his dad and the villagers an empathy lesson by pointing out that the pheasants probably didn't care that much whether they were killed by rich people's guns or by regular people's knives. Alas, the book was published in 1959, so people were not exactly concerned with animal rights back then.
An extra thing that pissed me off: the title. Seriously, Roald Dahl, you couldn't have come up with something that was ever so slightly more illustrative of the book's contents?
one thing i don't like from this book is only about how danny's dad teaches danny how to steal. but other than that this book is amazing. i always love how parents could be so cool
I just read this to Gabriel over the last few weeks. I still love it and Gabriel did too. It was so fun to share the story with him and to hear his reflections about it. Now he wants to read the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) because in Danny the Champion of the World Danny's dad tells him stories about the BFG. Roald Dahl was doing crossover marketing before everyone else. =)
This is my favorite Roald Dahl book. As a kid the story was just exciting. But, now I realize that, even as a kid, I was drawn to anti-Bourgeoisie sentiment.
This is my favorite Roald Dahl book. As a kid the story was just exciting. But, now I realize that, even as a kid, I was drawn to anti-Bourgeoisie sentiment.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Mr Roald Dahl, thank you for this fun trip, a trip of disobedience, a bit of rebel, the hints at how parents are children with responsibilities.
Ah, and the end quote - "A message To the children who have read this book. When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important. A stodgy parent is no fun at all! What a child wants -and DESERVES- is a parent who is SPARKY!"
Ah, and the end quote - "A message To the children who have read this book. When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important. A stodgy parent is no fun at all! What a child wants -and DESERVES- is a parent who is SPARKY!"
Dahl at his least fantastic and least cruel; so, accordingly, his most realistic and most tender. The adventures of a loving family within a poignant, almost elegiac pastoral.
Not my favourite Dahl but a very heartwarming story
I loved this book as a child, and now I've read it with my daughter as a bed time story.
Danny lives with his mechanic dad in an old caravan behind the garage where Danny's dad works. Their lives are pretty idyllic, with no-one to please but themselves, a simple shared time.
But Danny's dad has a secret, and when Danny discovers just what it is then an adventure begins. Danny is about to become a champion.
Danny lives with his mechanic dad in an old caravan behind the garage where Danny's dad works. Their lives are pretty idyllic, with no-one to please but themselves, a simple shared time.
But Danny's dad has a secret, and when Danny discovers just what it is then an adventure begins. Danny is about to become a champion.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No