What books are similar to Danny, the Champion of the World?

The 10 closest matches to Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl on ReadingList include Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, How to Eat Fried Worms, Banana Twist, and Ramona and Her Father. Each is scored on shared themes (criminals, adventure stories, and poaching), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Danny, the Champion of the World reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like Danny, the Champion of the World

If you liked Danny, the Champion of the World, read Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or How to Eat Fried Worms — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl

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Looking for books like Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (Humor · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of criminals, adventure stories, and poaching. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Charlie and the Great Glass Elevatorgrades 4–6: Is by Roald Dahl, the same author, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory810L: Is by Roald Dahl, the same author and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
How to Eat Fried Wormsgrades 3–6: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Banana Twistgrades 4–6: Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
Ramona and Her Fathergrades 4–6: Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
Runaway Ralphgrades 4–6: Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Daysgrades 4–6: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Breathgrades 2–8: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Flippedgrades 3–8: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissorsgrades 2–8: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Danny, the Champion of the World for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (2–8).
A Lion is a Lion by Polly Dunbar · grades K–0 — Same genre (Humor).
Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems · grades K–2 — Same genre (Humor).
Escargot by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Same genre (Humor).

Books like Danny, the Champion of the World for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Cook-A-Doodle-Doo! by Janet Stevens · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (3–6).
Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (3–5).
Double Fudge by Judy Blume · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Danny, the Champion of the World for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Cook-A-Doodle-Doo! by Janet Stevens · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (3–6).
Double Fudge by Judy Blume · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth by Barbara Park · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Humor) and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like Danny, the Champion of the World for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Ironman by Chris Crutcher · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of fathers and sons and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Humor).
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Humor).
Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of fathers and sons.
Just Like Martin by Ossie Davis · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of fathers and sons.

Common questions

What books are similar to Danny, the Champion of the World?: The 10 closest matches to Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl on ReadingList include Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, How to Eat Fried Worms, Banana Twist, and Ramona and Her Father. Each is scored on shared themes (criminals, adventure stories, and poaching), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Danny, the Champion of the World reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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