You will learn as you get older, just as I learned that autumn, that no father is perfect. Grown-ups are complicated creatures, full of quirks and secrets. Some have quirkier quirks and deeper secrets than others, but all of them, including one’s own parents, have two or three private habits hidden up their sleeves that would probably make you gasp if you knew about them.
— Roald Dahl, Danny the Champion of the World
Although I love nearly all Dahl books, if pressed I say - Danny is my favorite. I adored my father, but he wasn't like Danny's father. He was sweet and silent, and worked a lot, and rubbed the back of his neck. My mom was more like Danny's dad - always up for an adventure. Sometimes she would keep me out of school so we could toodle around and get Big Macs and Cokes and talk. Gah. I miss her. But, she wasn't perfect, of course. At some point, children realize that parents and teachers aren't.
Of the million reasons I love this book is that I get to read this to children who are at an age where they are very black and white thinkers. They see good and evil in very strict terms. So when they first learn (with Danny) that his father has a secret, that he is a poacher, they need to grapple with a few things. How can someone as wonderful as Danny's father, do something that Danny knows is wrong (legally, morally, even leaving the question of hunting aside), and dangerous. Not only that, he is doing it not out of need, but because it is "thrilling."
Children don't often end up naming this as one of their favorites, although they do like the adventure parts very much. It's exciting! But it isn't as funny or zany as some, or have lots of magic like in others. It's pretty realistic (as Dahl goes) and certainly respects young readers. I'll be interested to read the reviews. I know what my rating will be.
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