Dunn is a boy, a fifth-grader when the series starts, although the school year ends at the end of the first book. He is looking forward to a career in science. According to book reviewer Andrew Frederick, Dunn is precocious and headstrong — a
redhead whose adventures mainly include getting into and out of trouble.
Other characters •
Professor Euclid Bullfinch, a researcher at [fictional] Midston University. The Professor is also a musician who plays the
bass viol (also known colloquially as the "bull fiddle"). He is plump and somewhat bald, and smokes a pipe in some of the books. Danny considers him a mentor, and Danny's complicated problems often revolve around inventions by Bullfinch. •
Mrs. Dunn, Danny's widowed mother,
housekeeper for Professor Bullfinch. • Classmate
Irene Miller, Danny's friend and next-door neighbor. Irene's father teaches astronomy at Midston University. Irene made her first appearance in the third book and is particularly interested in
physics. • Classmate
Joe Pearson, Danny's friend. Joe is the
poet of the group, and he often functions as an amusing sidekick to Danny, expressing bafflement at the complicated technology employed by Danny and the Professor. • Classmate
Eddie ("Snitcher") Phillips, rival of Danny and a
school bully. •
Doctor A.J. Grimes, a friend of Professor Bullfinch introduced in the first book,
Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint. Grimes is a curmudgeonly figure, rarely taking the teenagers seriously, and often trying to antagonize the Professor. Doctor Grimes is also a musician who plays the
piccolo; he and Professor Bullfinch occasionally play duets. Tall and lanky, he is in many ways a contrast to his friend Bullfinch. ==Books==