Summary
Danny loves his life. He lives in a gypsy caravan parked behind the filling station his father owns. His father is a car mechanic, the best all around. And by the time Danny is seven years old, he can take apart an engine and put it back together all by himself.
Danny's father also happens to be a pretty spectacular fellow. He builds Danny a co-cart, teaches him to make a kite and a hot air balloon. In fact, Danny's father is Danny's favourite person in the whole world. He'd rather be with him than anyone else.
So, when Danny finds out that his father has a criminal hobby, naturally, he wants to join him.
What I liked
The story was excellent. Probably one of the funniest I've read in a very long time. It was also very well written, and full of rich and witty commentary. For example:
"While I was still a baby, my father washed me and fed me and changed my diapers and did all the millions of other things a mother normally does for her child. That is not an easy task for a man, especially when he has to earn his living at the same time by repairing automobile engines and serving customers with gasoline."
Also, Danny's narration brings childlike wonder and excitement to even the most mundane events. I don't think I have ever read a more suspenseful account of a person changing gears in a standard transmission automobile before.
What I didn't like
Well, morally speaking, I don't think that a man being horribly evil is any kind of justification for stealing from him. And enticing a child to participate in criminal behaviour is reprehensible. Also, for a police officer to participate in and encourage said criminal behaviour is pretty much disgusting.
That being said, there wasn't really anything I didn't like about this book.
Summary
The story was funny, well-written, exciting and wonderful. It was easy to read and very short. I recommend it to anyone who wants to take a vacation from heavy reading and just lay back and read and laugh.
This book gets 5/5 child mechanics.
bah. sergeant samways and danny's dad are operating according to the same principle that robin hood did.
ReplyDeletedanny and his dad are obviously poor. they live in a ramshackle, unmovable, up-on-blocks caravan that the wandering people have abandoned. they don't have a kitchen or bathroom. they're poor, and mr hazell is rich. he's their neighbour, and he's stingy, and he just has the pheasants on his land so he can have hunting parties with other rich misers.
although i agree that stealing is wrong, i disagree that hungry people who steal to eat are "reprehensible" and "disgusting". rather, the people who hoard wealth and turn a blind eye to the needs of others are reprehensible and disgusting.
love you.
i agree that hoarding wealth and turning a blind eye to the needs of others is reprehensible and disgusting, however...
ReplyDeletei disagree that danny and his father are particularly hungry. they seem to be doing quite well for themselves, despite not being wealthy. they have what they need to eat and survive.
This is my favorite Roald Dahl book :) I think I've read it a dozen times.
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