Gleitzman,
Morris. Now. Macmillan/Henry Holt 184p $16.99
978-0-8050-9378-0 ms/hs VG-BN Realistic fiction
In this novel, the third in his series of
books about Felix (Once) and about Felix and Zelda (Then), Morris
Gleitzman combines several techniques to present the themes of forgiveness,
discovering one’s purpose in life, and survival. To
accomplish his goals in Now, Gleitzman uses the powerful imagery of a fire in the
Australian bush, first-person point of view in the voice of Felix’s grandchild, and parallel-plot events that aptly draw the three books of the
series together. It is helpful if the
reader has read the first two books, only because he or
she will truly understand the horrors that Felix
experienced years before, during the Holocaust, and will appreciate how
resourceful he became while he was
in hiding during the war. In fact, the reader can begin with any of the
books in the series, especially with Then, return to read Once,
and not lose oneself in the sequence of events.
To briefly summarize, the reader finds
himself in the present day watching Felix and his
granddaughter Zelda meet up in Australia because Zelda’s parents
are in Africa practicing medicine. Zelda
becomes the victim of bullies at school when she brags about her family, and
the bullying escalates in the early chapters.
Felix attempts to save her
even though he was unable to save her predecessor (the original Zelda) in
Then, this time from bullying, from missing her parents and finally,
from a raging fire. To tell more would
be a disservice; readers need to read all three books for their message about life and survival, as well as about
death and the destructive things that people do to each other. This book brings the series full circle with
a twist of events that is perfect.
Middle-school and high-school readers will find the journey through
this trilogy to be worth the time. In fact, readers of
all ages will find life lessons
here.
–- Martha Squaresky
Survival – Fiction,
Grandfathers – Fiction, Realistic fiction
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