Danny Dunn facts for kids
Danny Dunn is a cool fictional character who stars in a series of American science fiction and adventure books. These popular books were written by Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams, with the first one coming out in 1956. Danny is the main hero of these stories, which are packed with scientific fun and exciting adventures!
Contents
Discovering Danny Dunn's World
The stories about Danny Dunn take place in a made-up American town called Midston. The characters in these books are super interested in science and math, which often leads them into amazing situations.
Who Wrote the Books?
Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams worked together to create the first five Danny Dunn books. Sadly, Abrashkin passed away in 1960. But Jay Williams made sure that Abrashkin still got credit as a co-author for the next ten books. This was because Abrashkin had helped a lot in planning the whole series. Ezra Jack Keats drew the pictures for the first four books, bringing Danny's world to life.
Meet the Main Character: Danny Dunn
Danny Dunn is a boy who starts the series as a fifth-grader. He's really smart and always looking forward to a future in science. Danny is known for being very clever and sometimes a bit stubborn. He has red hair and often finds himself in exciting adventures, usually getting into and out of tricky situations!
Other Important Characters
Danny's adventures wouldn't be the same without his friends and family. Here are some of the other characters you'll meet:
- Professor Euclid Bullfinch: He's a scientist who works at the fictional Midston University. The Professor is also a musician who plays the bass viol, which some people call a "bull fiddle." He's a bit plump and sometimes smokes a pipe. Danny looks up to him a lot, and many of Danny's problems come from the Professor's amazing inventions.
- Mrs. Dunn: This is Danny's mom. She works as a housekeeper for Professor Bullfinch.
- Irene Miller: Irene is Danny's friend and lives next door. She first appears in the third book and is very interested in physics. Her dad teaches astronomy at Midston University.
- Joe Pearson: Joe is another one of Danny's friends. He's the poet of the group and often makes things funny. Joe sometimes gets confused by all the complicated science Danny and the Professor use.
- Eddie ("Snitcher") Phillips: Eddie is Danny's rival and a bit of a school bully.
- Doctor A.J. Grimes: Doctor Grimes is a friend of Professor Bullfinch. He's a bit grumpy and doesn't always take the teenagers seriously. He also likes to tease the Professor. Doctor Grimes plays the piccolo, and sometimes he and Professor Bullfinch play music together. He's tall and thin, which is a big contrast to his friend Bullfinch.
Books in the Series
Here are all the exciting books in the Danny Dunn series:
- Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint (1956)
- Danny Dunn on a Desert Island (1957)
- Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine (1958) (This is where Irene joins the fun!)
- Danny Dunn and the Weather Machine (1959)
- Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor (1960)
- Danny Dunn and the Fossil Cave (1961)
- Danny Dunn and the Heat Ray (1962)
- Danny Dunn, Time Traveler (1963)
- Danny Dunn and the Automatic House (1965)
- Danny Dunn and the Voice from Space (1967)
- Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine (1969)
- Danny Dunn and the Swamp Monster (1971)
- Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy (1974)
- Danny Dunn Scientific Detective (1976)
- Danny Dunn and the Universal Glue (1977)
Danny Dunn on Albums
The book Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine was even turned into a musical album for kids! It was released on Golden Records (Golden LP 239), and the music was created by Julie Mandel.
