Danny the Champion of the World

Information

Information on identifying editions is from Richard Walker’s “Roald Dahl – A Guide to Collecting His First Editions”.

First editions:
- Knopf, 1975, USA.
  - Illustrated by: Jill Bennett
  - To identify: Used a numberline with jacket priced at $5.95
- Jonathan Cape, 1975, UK.
  - To identify: Used single statement as per normal practice (‘First published’ followed by the date with later printings stated underneath) with a jacket priced at £2.25
  - Illustrated by: Jill Bennett
Later editions:
- Jonathan Cape, 1994, UK.
  - To identify: Used a number line and a jacket pricing of £8.99
  - Illustrated by: Quentin Blake
- Knopf, 2002, USA.
  - To identify: Used a number line in a non-priced jacket
  - Illustrated by: Quentin Blake
Connections:
- Pheasant poaching plot is very similar to previous short story “The Champion of the World”
- Danny’s father tells him a bedtime story about The BFG

Related books:
Movies:
- Danny the Champion of the World (TV movie - 1989)
Theater:
- Danny the Champion of the World adapted by David Wood
Audio Books:
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Nigel Anthony and Joanna David
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Timothy West
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Nathaniel Parker
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Jimmy Hibbert
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Will Young
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Robert Powell
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Peter Serafinowicz
- Roald Dahl Audio Books read by David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Kate Winslet, Chris O'Dowd, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Peter Serafinowicz, Miranda Richardson, Richard Ayoade, Douglas Hodge
- Roald Dahl Audio Books (10 CD Collection) read by Simon Callow, Miriam Margolyes, Geoffrey Palmer, James Bolam, Andrew Sachs, June Whitfield, Timothy West, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Martin Jarvis
TV Shows:
- Jackanory (1965)

Buy this book:

Description

Can Danny and his father outsmart the villainous Mr. Hazell?

Danny has a life any boy would love—his home is a gypsy caravan, he’s the youngest master car mechanic around, and his best friend is his dad, who never runs out of wonderful stories to tell. But one night Danny discovers a shocking secret that his father has kept hidden for years. Soon Danny finds himself the mastermind behind the most incredible plot ever attempted against nasty Victor Hazell, a wealthy landowner with a bad attitude. Can they pull it off? If so, Danny will truly be the champion of the world.

Reviews

“The middle ground” by Isabel Quigly from the December 6, 1975 issue of The Spectator (UK) (read online)

Awards

Surrey School award (UK 1978)
California Young Reader Medal (USA 1979)

Fun Stuff

Danny the Champion of the World Word Find

Merchandise

: Charm – Gypsy Caravan

Elsewhere on the web:
- Limited edition prints by illustrator Jill Bennett
- Danny and the Champions of the World – a rock band from London!

Teacher Ideas

Danny the Champion of the World – Chapter 12
- PDF with activities to explore and develop strategies to write a script
Danny the Champion of the World – Chapter 5
- PDF with activities to analyse, design and evaluate a new pheasant-catching trick
Danny the Champion of the World – Chapter 7
- PDF with activities to make a word-picture describing a story entitled: "The first time I..."
Danny the Champion of the World – Chapter Study Guides
- Vocabulary words and questions for each chapter of the book, along with a suggested final project (note: Archive.org)
Danny the Champion of the World – Literature Guide
- PDF including Initiating Activity, Mini Lessons, Critical Thinking Questions, Related Activites, and more
Danny the Champion of the World – Novel Study (Preview)
- PDF preview of Novel Study including everything you need to teach the novel (full version available for purchase on novelstudies.org)
Quick Student Workbooks
- Designed to get students thinking critically about the text they read and provide a guided study format to facilitate in improved learning and retention