Danny Dunn and the Swamp Monster

Danny Dunn #12

by Williams And Abrashkin, Raymond Abrashkin

Danny Dunn and his friends search for a legendary serpent in Central Africa.

Genres: Childrens, Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, Juvenile

142 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1971

Reviews

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fun to read this series again after forty years. Some of the language is stilted to an older ear, but that isn't who Jay Williams was writing to however. My youngest enjoyed it almost as much as I did, since there was an actual, giant monster in the story and not a sleazy, land grabber in a rubber boat and canvas.

With that spoiler (not much of one though), I leave you to read the book for yourself. It's worth it and your time is going to be well-invested.

Find it! Buy it! READ IT!

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, after Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine (see previous review) was the OTHER important Danny Dunn book of my youth. First, it had a monster... a swamp monster no less (as a kid, and a big monster fan, and living near a swamp, I was fascinated with the idea of "swamp monsters" - Man-Thing, Peremalfait, etc.), second, it was about Cryptozoology (I was big into Charles Fort and Ivan Sanderson at the time) and third, if I've picked the right edition, it had a enticingly colorful and freaky/psychedelic cover.

The book has the "cultural travel" elements of Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor and Danny Dunn And The Voice From Space (flying to Africa, trying new foods, meeting people of new cultures, the discomforts of camping), mixed with the oddly increasing "worries about spies" elements of Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine and a previously unexplored scientific aspect - the field investigation. Basically, Prof. Bullfinch is contacted by rich zoologist Dr. Benjamin Fenster (between this and Danny Dunn And The Voice From Space, I think Williams was a Gerald Durrell fan) about helping him prove or disprove the existence of a "monster" (the deadly & mythical "lau") in the Sudd swamp region of Uganda's section of the Nile river. Due to a serendipitous accident (anytime anyone in a Danny Dunn book is left to observe an experiment that's "going to take a few minutes", and gets distracted, a serendipitous accident is sure to result), The Professor has just invented a material (a new polymer resin/plastic that acts like a superconductor of electricity at room temperature) that can help with setting up recording equipment in a swamp. And so off we go to meet new people (Prof. Ismail, Islamic scientist who says "in nature all things are possible", Cuel, non-leader of the independent Nuer tribe, and the dastardly poacher/exploiter Canigou who actually threatens the kids with violence) and learn about zoology, & biology, as well as electro-magnetism (more useful than you'd think, as it turns out).

The mystery of just what the lau is, and the "spy" subplot, make this an engrossing read, with the actual threat of Canigou a refreshing change for once. There's a very nice, moody sequence where Danny, acting headstrong as usual, charges off into the swamp and gets lost (good sense of isolation and danger), followed almost immediately by the climactic meeting with the lau, which is thrilling (everybody runs for their lives!). Fenster is an odd character (“I’ve never met a real absent-minded professor before,” Danny said. “In fact, I didn’t think there were any outside of books” - he's forgetting the geologist from Danny Dunn and the Fossil Cave and Prof. Bullfinch's own distracted nature) and there's some plot slop-over from SMALLIFYING, in that Irene is still collecting bugs (and Joe says he "can't stand them"). In the face-off climax, there's even a nice ethical moment where the Professor notes that they can't let Canigou possibly be killed simply by doing nothing and not informing him of an inherent danger of which he's unaware. Always nice to see in a kid's book.

The adults get in a few barbs at the kids this time around, as in this moment when Irene is a little too proud with the boys:

“You’re late,” she said smugly. “I’ve been up for hours.”
“Well, minutes anyway,” said the Professor.

And this:

“The boy is a poet,” Dr. Fenster said, “and like all poets, he is always hungry.”

And being in a foreign country, Joe's culinary horizons get expanded:

“Mysterious Africa,” Joe said, with his mouth full. “The mystery is, what’s in this stew? It’s tasty but different.”
“Beans,” said Mr. Rahma, who stood beaming down at them. “Tomatoes. Garlic. Onions. And goat.”
“Goat?” Danny gulped. “Suddenly I’m not so sure it’s so good.”
“Oh, relax,” said Joe. “You must always be ready for new experiences in food. It’s not as if it was something like camel.”
“Oh, yes, also camel,” Mr. Rahma added. “Very nice, eh?”
Joe swallowed with difficulty. “Very nice,” he said sadly.

All in all, a fun trip with a rewarding ending. Would that the search for all swamp monsters turned out so well...

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Danny Dunn books that I first read in elementary school. In this one, Danny, Irene, Joe and Prof. Bullfinch travel with a very absent-minded professor name Dr. Fenster to Sudan to look for a mysterious creature named the Lau. I learned about the Lau from this book. I also learned about a tribe in the Upper Nile region called the Neur. As is typical of these books, the group is confronted with a dilemma, and Danny comes up with a clever solution.
I wish someone would write more books in the Danny Dunn corpus.

[Marc Hansen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grew up reading the entire series of Danny Dunn books (about a hundred years ago) - - - The stories were pretty good at the time, but now I am re-reading them and I must say that my opinion of most of the characters has changed considerably. Although Professor Bullfinch is still smart, he continues to use the psychological approach when it comes to dealing with Danny Dunn instead of giving him a good hard SMACK when he does something stupid! Mrs. Dunn has two functions only : To serve meals to all and sundry AND to cross her arms and say NO whenever Danny wants to do something that she disapproves of, although we all know that she (and the Millers and the Pearsons) will eventually say YES. Danny Dunn is a jerk who always gets everybody into trouble and then always figures out how to save them - - - You'd think that he would fail JUST ONCE, but no such luck! And WHY OH WHY doesn't someone just slap him silly??? Irene Miller considers herself PRACTICAL in all matters, but in real life, she is a LIAR who loves to exaggerate in multiple ways to show that she is always ahead of the boys. Joe Pearson is a total PAIN IN THE ASS who must suffer from a TAPEWORM or something because all he can ever think of is HUNGRY HUNGRY HUNGRY, which gets old very fast - - - and who cares if he can write a stupid poem for every occasion??? The only people that I like are the various scientific colleagues that Professor Bullfinch associates with, although most of them are absent-minded in one way or other! In conclusion, if you are ten years of age or younger, I would recommend these books - - - if you are older, I would say that you should find something else to occupy your reading time!!! The End.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read some of these as a kid, and even now, as I was reading this aloud to my nine-year-old daughter (it's a pretty easy read, but sometimes it's still nice to read aloud to your child!), I appreciate the focus on science and the fact that there is a friend who is a girl who comes along and is involved, too. Danny Dunn helps the professor discover something new (related to something of the professor's), and they apply their new-found knowledge on a quest for a swamp monster.

My rating isn't for this as an adult book - it's clearly not! - but for the sense of excitement and fun for kids. In the words of my daughter, "It's awesome!"

[Kent Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the 1970s there was a bunch of interest in the idea that there might be a dinosaur in the Central African jungles. This book refers to that but stays on the science side. It is pretty relatable even today. Unlike some kids books from the kind, it has a pretty respectful view of the indigenous peoples there.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun tween-ages book about science and mysteries. Perfect for a stand-alone book, even if you haven’t read the series.

[Jovan Cianci · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Danny and his friends - Joe and Irene - wanted to go to Sudan with their professors to discover a mysterious creature. I really liked this book.

[Pierre Stolte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun nostalgic trip. As a child, in 7th grade, I read all of the Danny Dunns. Loved them.

It holds up surprisingly well, considering.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The jaunt to Africa was quite entertaining though the actual hunting of the swamp monster was a touch dull. Overall a decent one time trip down memory lane.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Long ago … a great naturalist wrote, ‘Out of Africa always come new things.’”

[Modboy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I worried that this might be a bit dated, too boy scout-ish or scooby-doo. While it certainly is from a different era the characters seemed pretty well-rounded. I enjoyed the science background and Danny's friends. Irene is a smart girl who's also into science and Joe (I think Irene's boyfriend at this point in the series), a befuddled poet. They travel to Africa (yes, all the parents let their children travel to Africa with too professors) in order to solve claims of a giant swamp monster that's been spotted in the Nile Valley. The author actually researched the Nuer of the Sudan and I have to say overall I wasn't too offended with their portrayal.
Fun, smart and even intense at times.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 8 year old really liked Danny Dunn. He is a somewhat reluctant reader so I needed something that would get his attention and keep him reading. He finished this one and wants to read more Danny Dunn so I consider that a success! The Mystery aspect as well and the science was what interested him. I got my copy of this on paperback swap. I don't know if they are in print or if LIbrary's still carry them. But they are worth looking at for a boy in 2-4th grades.

[Jo Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine when I was 8--a LONG time ago, it was fun to revisit a favorite literary character from my childhood.

[Jamie Mann]

This is the first book I ever read in just one day and I loved it so much.