Gleitzman, Morris. Now.

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    

Gleitzman, Morris. Then

Gleitzman, Morris.  Then   

Henry Holt/macmillan children's pub group 2011  196p  16.99 978-0-8050-9027-7 ms/jr VG-BN Realistic Fiction      

     When Zelda and Felix escape from a Nazi train, they find an ally in Genia, a Polish woman who takes them in and protects them. All face danger from a variety of enemies.   Many books have been written about the Holocaust.  This novel tells a different kind of story, however. In Then, author Morris Gleitzman brings together the 6 year-old daughter of Nazis who were killed in a Polish uprising and Felix, a Jewish boy of 10 who befriends her and treats her like a sister.  Both have an unusual journey, to stay alive in Nazi-controlled Poland in the harshest of times, when there is little food, little support and lots of fear.  When the children find Genia, she hides them, procures new identities for them and encourages them to stay with her.  Zelda has her own demons; she despises Nazis.  Felix must try to make her see that she is not Jewish, or she will end up in a camp and perish.  Felix’s demons are much easier to understand; he has watched his entire family die.  The author’s style is made for children, yet he has written a book that will find an audience with people of any age.  Parts contain raw emotion and actions that are compelling to read.  Besides having strength in expressing plot and in character development, Gleitzman  creatively begins each chapter with “Then,“ which encourages readers to turn the pages, not that the reader will need a prompt to want to read this book.                    Holocaust children run from death camps     Martha Squaresky

 

Gleitzman, Morris Once

Gleitzman, Morris Once
Henry Holt/macmillan children's pub group 2010 163p 16.99
978-0-8050-9026-0 ms/hs Historical VG-BN
Felix, a gifted storyteller, foresakes the safety of the Catholic orphanage to search for his parents in 1942 war-torn Poland. Each chapter chronicles his growing awareness of Nazi atrocities and the plight of Jewish citizens during the Holocaust.
Each chapter begins with the word, “Once,” and continues a story of Felix’s life that becomes more and more frightening as he comes the realization of what is going on in Poland at the hands of the Nazis. He begins by finding a carrot, which he sees as a sign that his parents are coming to take him out of the orphange where he has been living for the past 3 plus years. Readers realize what the real circumstances are, that his parents are probably dead and that the orphanage is probably the safest place for Felix. But, predictably, he leaves the orphanage and sets out to find his parents. What he finds slowly causes him to lose his naïveté and begin to understand the Nazis’ real intentions include the annihilation of the Jews.

The ending leaves the reader hanging, and is realistic, being neither sugar-coated nor resolving anything. All that is known is that Felix and Zelda have escaped from the train, bringing the other hidden children to a death camp. Links to primary source material related to the story are included at the end of the book. The story is so compelling that most readers will want to research the links.

Pair this with The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Both narrators share a naïveté that makes the horrors of the Holocaust even more poignant. Highly recommended for high school and upper middle school collections. The story is engrossing, characters believable, and a welcome addition to any Holocaust literature collection. Naismith, Pat
Holocaust