Danny the Champion of the World - Chapters Summary
Chapter 1: The Filling Station
The narrator’s mother died when he was four months old.
He and his father lived in an old gypsy caravan behind a small filling station his father owned.
They lived a simple life, with his father juggling caring for him and managing the filling station.
By his fifth birthday, the narrator was already helping his father in the workshop.
Description of the filling station and the caravan which had a wood-burning stove for warmth.
Description of the apple tree behind the caravan which provided fruit.
Fond memories of being told stories by his father.
Chapter 2: The Big Friendly Giant
The narrator's father was a marvellous storyteller, making up stories every night.
Introduced the story of the Big Friendly Giant (BFG) who makes magic powders from children's dreams.
The BFG catches dreams by hearing the tiny buzzing sound they make and uses the good ones in powders, exploding bad ones.
Chapter 3: Cars and Kites and Fire Balloons
The father was a fine mechanic, with people coming from miles away for repairs.
Narrator fell in love with cars and engines early on, spending time in the workshop instead of school until the age of seven.
Description of creating and flying a kite and later a fire balloon, showcasing the close and creative relationship between father and son.
Mention of various homemade toys and projects, like a treehouse, bow and arrow, stilts, boomerang, and a homemade soap box car for his birthday.
Expressing how fun life was at eight years old while eagerly anticipating turning nine.
Chapter 4: My Father’s Deep Dark Secret
The narrator learns that his father has a deep dark secret which leads to their biggest adventure together.
The narrator awoke one night to find that his father was not in his bed, leading him to worry.
After waiting and becoming panicked, he finally hears his father returning and learns that he has been out poaching pheasants in the woods.
The narrator learns what poaching is and about his father’s deep knowledge of it.
Chapter 5: The Secret Methods
Narrator’s father explains some secret poaching methods, both invented by his own father.
Method 1: The Horsehair Stopper - soaked raisins with horsehair sticking out which gets lodged in the pheasant's throat, causing it to get rooted to the spot.
Method 2: The Sticky Hat - a paper cone smeared with glue, placed in a hole with raisins, which traps the pheasant when it pecks inside.
The narrator’s father shares the excitement of poaching and agrees to take him along someday.
Chapter 6: Mr. Victor Hazel
The grandfather's secrets of poaching extended to methods learned from his own father.
Introduction of Mr. Victor Hazel, a wealthy and unpleasant brewer who owns the land around the narrator’s home, except the small patch with the filling station.
Mr. Hazel hosts shooting parties for the elite, creating conflict with local villagers like the narrator's family.
Describes the conflict between Mr. Hazel and the narrator’s father, showcasing the class divide and personal animosity.
Chapter 7: The Baby Austin
Narrator’s father prepares for another poaching trip despite his broken ankle, determined to teach the narrator the craft.
Description of how the narrator learned to drive a car at a young age and the daring drive he undertakes to Hazel's wood to find his father.
The dramatic journey to and search in the woods to rescue his father from a poacher’s pit trap set by Mr. Hazel's keepers.
Successfully using a rope to get his father out of the pit and deciding to drive him to the hospital.
Chapter 8: The Pit
The narrator finds his father trapped in a pit and uses a rope to help him climb out despite a broken ankle.
Describes their cautious return to the filling station and anticipation of encountering the gamekeepers.
The father instructs the narrator to make sure the filling station looks normal and not to worry about the pain from his ankle before driving him to the hospital.
Chapter 9: Doc Spencer
Doc Spencer comes to help the father with his broken ankle and is revealed to be knowledgeable about poaching himself.
Relief among the characters as Doc Spencer understands the situation and decides not to reveal anything to the authorities.
Setting up an understanding between the father and the doctor, cementing a bond of shared secrets and small-town camaraderie.
Chapter 10: The Great Shooting Party
Narrator’s father returns from the hospital and becomes quieter and more reflective.
Conversation reveals the father's hatred for Mr. Hazel and the desire to disrupt the upcoming big shooting party.
Plan to poach a huge number of pheasants by using drugged raisins (Sleeping Beauty Method) before Mr. Hazel’s shooting party.
The father figures out that a good time to execute their plan is Friday evening, the night before the shoot.
Chapter 11: The Sleeping Beauty
The narrator suggests using Doc Spencer’s sleeping pills to drug the pheasants.
Detailed plan to prepare raisins filled with sleeping pill powder to drug and capture the pheasants during the night.
Excitement builds as they prepped the necessary items and coordinated the timing for the operation.
Chapter 12: Thursday and School
Thursday involved final preparation for Friday’s poaching, including purchasing raisins and excusing the narrator from school.
Encounter with Captain Lancaster, who unjustly punishes the narrator at school.
The father supports the narrator and mitigates his anger to keep focus on their plan.
Emotional preparation for the big night with stories of the father’s past experiences.
Chapter 13: Friday
Detailed description of their meticulous preparation on Friday, ensuring everything was ready for the night's poaching.
Excitement mingled with anxiety as they approached the final hours before setting off to Hazel's Wood.
Chapter 14: Into the Wood
The father and son set off for Hazel 's Wood with loaded raisins and cotton sacks for the pheasants.
Careful strategic maneuvering into the woods to avoid detection by keepers.
Highlight of the risky but thrilling drop of drugged raisins in the pheasant feeding ground.
Chapter 15: The Keeper
Father and son witnessed the success of the plan as pheasants started dropping from the trees, drugged by the raisins.
They carefully collected the pheasants without detection and planned the transport back.
Chapter 16: The Champion of the World
They drag sacks of pheasants out of the wood undetected and hailed a pre-arranged taxi driven by Charlie Kinch for the transport.
Discussion of the extraordinary success and celebrating the narrator's ingenuity.
Return home for a well-deserved rest and planning further distribution of the catch among friends discreetly.
Chapter 17: The Taxi
Arrival of the taxi driven by Charlie Kinch to transport the huge haul of pheasants.
Interaction among characters showcasing the local network of people who understood and participated in the poaching activities.
Transport the pheasants to keepers' cottage for distribution.
Chapter 18: Home
The father and son discuss the success of the operation and further plans to distribute the catch among friendly neighbors.
Introduction to their simple but fulfilling home routines.
Chapter 19: Rockabyebaby
Arrival of Doc Spencer and tumultuous events as the sleeping pills wear off and pheasants start flying again.
The dramatic escape of Mr. Hazel's Rolls Royce being filled with pheasants.
Visiting mrs. Clip Stone and encountering the chaos unleashed by the pheasants.
Chapter 20: Goodbye Mr. Hazel
Spectacular scenes of chaos as the pheasants fly and scatter, causing a commotion in the village.
Engagement with villagers and figures of authority as they try to calm the situation.
Sawyer's encounter with Mr. Hazel and sergeant Sam ways adding to the drama.
Cleverly resolving the situation amongst local camaraderie.
Chapter 21: Doc Spencer's Surprise
Doc Spencer reveals he had retrieved some pheasants, distributing them among key characters.
Further camaraderie and sharing among the local network solidifying the close community ties.
Chapter 22: My Father
Reflect on the successful adventure and the special bond between father and son.
Plans for future exploits and a deep understanding of one another's strengths and bravery.
Emphasis on the father's marvellous spirit and the cherished memories created together.