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Once #3
Now
Set in the current day, this is the final book in Morris Gleitzman's series that began with Once , continued with Then and is . . . Now .
Felix is a grandfather. He has achieved much in his life and is widely admired in the community. He has mostly buried the painful memories of his childhood, but they resurface when his granddaughter Zelda comes to stay with him. Together they face a cataclysmic event armed only with their gusto and love―an event that helps them achieve salvation from the past, but also brings the possibility of destruction.
Now is one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012
Felix is a grandfather. He has achieved much in his life and is widely admired in the community. He has mostly buried the painful memories of his childhood, but they resurface when his granddaughter Zelda comes to stay with him. Together they face a cataclysmic event armed only with their gusto and love―an event that helps them achieve salvation from the past, but also brings the possibility of destruction.
Now is one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
278 people are currently reading
4,753 people want to read
About the author
Morris Gleitzman
110 books950 followersMorris began his writing career as a screenwriter, and wrote his first children's novel in 1985. His brilliantly comic style has endeared him to children and adults alike, and he is now one of Australia's most successful authors, both internationally and at home. He was born in England in 1953 and emigrated to Australia in 1969 so he could escape from school and become a Very Famous Writer.
Before realising that dream, he had a colourful career as paperboy, bottle-shop shelf-stacker, department store Santa Claus, frozen chicken defroster, fashion-design assistant and sugar-mill employee. In between he managed to gain a degree in Professional Writing at the Canberra College of Advanced Education. Later he became sole writer for three award-winning and top-rating seasons with the TV comedy series The Norman Gunston Show.
Morris wrote a number of feature film and telemovie screenplays, including The Other Facts of Life and Second Childhood, both produced by The Australian Children's Television Foundation. The Other Facts of Life won an AWGIE Award for the Best Original Children's Film Script.
He also wrote live stage material for people such as Rolf Harris, Pamela Stephenson and the Governor General of Australia. Morris is well known to many people through his semi-autobiographical columns in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald magazine, Good Weekend, which he wrote for nine years.
But the majority of Morris' accolades are for his hugely popular children's books. One of his most successful books for young people is Two Weeks with the Queen, an international bestseller which was also adapted into a play by Mary Morris. The play had many successful seasons in Australia and was then produced at the National Theatre in London in 1995 directed by Alan Ayckbourn, and also in South Africa, Canada, Japan and the USA.
All his other books have been shortlisted for or have won numerous children's book prizes. These include The Other Facts of Life, Second Childhood, Misery Guts, Worry Warts, Puppy Fat, Blabber Mouth, Sticky Beak, Belly Flop, Water Wings, Bumface, Gift Of The Gab, Toad Rage, Wicked! and Deadly!, two six-part novels written in collaboration with Paul Jennings, Adults Only, Toad Heaven, Boy Overboard, Teacher's Pet, Toad Away, Girl Underground, Worm Story, Once, Aristotle's Nostril, Doubting Thomas, Give Peas A Chance, Then, Toad Surprise, Grace, Now, Too Small To Fail, and his latest book, Pizza Cake. Morris' children's books have been published in the UK, the USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia and Czechoslovakia, Russia and China.
Before realising that dream, he had a colourful career as paperboy, bottle-shop shelf-stacker, department store Santa Claus, frozen chicken defroster, fashion-design assistant and sugar-mill employee. In between he managed to gain a degree in Professional Writing at the Canberra College of Advanced Education. Later he became sole writer for three award-winning and top-rating seasons with the TV comedy series The Norman Gunston Show.
Morris wrote a number of feature film and telemovie screenplays, including The Other Facts of Life and Second Childhood, both produced by The Australian Children's Television Foundation. The Other Facts of Life won an AWGIE Award for the Best Original Children's Film Script.
He also wrote live stage material for people such as Rolf Harris, Pamela Stephenson and the Governor General of Australia. Morris is well known to many people through his semi-autobiographical columns in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald magazine, Good Weekend, which he wrote for nine years.
But the majority of Morris' accolades are for his hugely popular children's books. One of his most successful books for young people is Two Weeks with the Queen, an international bestseller which was also adapted into a play by Mary Morris. The play had many successful seasons in Australia and was then produced at the National Theatre in London in 1995 directed by Alan Ayckbourn, and also in South Africa, Canada, Japan and the USA.
All his other books have been shortlisted for or have won numerous children's book prizes. These include The Other Facts of Life, Second Childhood, Misery Guts, Worry Warts, Puppy Fat, Blabber Mouth, Sticky Beak, Belly Flop, Water Wings, Bumface, Gift Of The Gab, Toad Rage, Wicked! and Deadly!, two six-part novels written in collaboration with Paul Jennings, Adults Only, Toad Heaven, Boy Overboard, Teacher's Pet, Toad Away, Girl Underground, Worm Story, Once, Aristotle's Nostril, Doubting Thomas, Give Peas A Chance, Then, Toad Surprise, Grace, Now, Too Small To Fail, and his latest book, Pizza Cake. Morris' children's books have been published in the UK, the USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia and Czechoslovakia, Russia and China.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 596 reviews
February 24, 2017
ONCE I read a book about a boy named Felix. He was a young child living during the terror of the Nazis and escaped an orphanage to find his parents. He met a 6 year-old girl named Zelda. They are just trying to survive and find new parents. THEN I picked up the 2nd book in this series to hear more about these two and was devastated. NOW I see Felix as an old man, still trying to come to grips with all that is in his past.
Now is the third book in this series. (Once is the first, Then is the second) Each book has a one word title, and each chapter in the book begins with that word. In Now, Felix is 80 years old, living in Australia, taking care of his granddaughter....Zelda. Her parents named her after his friend from the earlier books. I don't want to give too much about this book as it does sorta build on the first two books. It's interesting to see a grown Felix, still struggling with his past and what he lived through. He is sad, often distant, and just still remembers everything from his past so vividly and lives with grief and anger each day. Now also weaves in another part of history - a large, devastating, brush fire in Australia. Merging all this together with so much more, bullying, love, grief, a precocious little child, family and more.
These books are geared towards young children. But I do think the content can be a bit much for children. Especially the first two books. I found it interesting that in Now, you get to see how that child, who suffered so horribly by the hands of the Nazis, is grown but still suffers. I enjoy this series and find it heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time. I look forward to reading the final two books in this series. A must read series for anyone who has an interest in the Holocaust.
Now is the third book in this series. (Once is the first, Then is the second) Each book has a one word title, and each chapter in the book begins with that word. In Now, Felix is 80 years old, living in Australia, taking care of his granddaughter....Zelda. Her parents named her after his friend from the earlier books. I don't want to give too much about this book as it does sorta build on the first two books. It's interesting to see a grown Felix, still struggling with his past and what he lived through. He is sad, often distant, and just still remembers everything from his past so vividly and lives with grief and anger each day. Now also weaves in another part of history - a large, devastating, brush fire in Australia. Merging all this together with so much more, bullying, love, grief, a precocious little child, family and more.
These books are geared towards young children. But I do think the content can be a bit much for children. Especially the first two books. I found it interesting that in Now, you get to see how that child, who suffered so horribly by the hands of the Nazis, is grown but still suffers. I enjoy this series and find it heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time. I look forward to reading the final two books in this series. A must read series for anyone who has an interest in the Holocaust.
May 23, 2022
As the title mentioned this story is about current times when Felix is 80 and lives in Australia. His eleven year old granddaughter lives with him. It's clear that Felix still suffers from his war memories but that he has had a successful life as a surgeon and his patients are grateful.
And then the bush fires start...
And then the bush fires start...
April 22, 2010
I'm a big fan of Morris Gleitzman's highly underrated WWII series, and have been anticipating this title since I first read Once and Then over a year ago. Now is set in present day Australia and, though it's not the best of the trilogy, it's a brilliant end to Felix's heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story.
Gleitzman's series has been consistently shocking, funny and important, and has mostly focused on Felix as a young boy. In Now, Felix is an old man, with a successful life and a loving family, including 11-year-old granddaughter Zelda. Her namesake comes from Felix's best friend Zelda, who heavily features in Once and Then, apnd who assists him in his bid to survive the Holocaust. It's a name that carries a lot of history for Felix, and is a name that his granddaughter is desperate to live up to.
A natural disaster strikes Felix's home, forcing both grandfather and granddaughter into confronting their demons, their fears and some home truths. Their relationship grows even more, as Zelda tries to help Felix come to terms with what he lost in the 1940s. It's not quite as heart-wrenching as Then, though I did tear up a few times as Felix relived his nightmare of a past.
As with previous books in the series, I wanted more, and could have read three times the relatively short page count. I love Felix, both as an innocent child and as a wise old man. He's the epitome of the word good, and is a fictional testament to all those people who survived the horrific events of the Holocaust. I'll never forget his story, or the stories of the real survivors who lived on to tell their tales.
Gleitzman's series has been consistently shocking, funny and important, and has mostly focused on Felix as a young boy. In Now, Felix is an old man, with a successful life and a loving family, including 11-year-old granddaughter Zelda. Her namesake comes from Felix's best friend Zelda, who heavily features in Once and Then, apnd who assists him in his bid to survive the Holocaust. It's a name that carries a lot of history for Felix, and is a name that his granddaughter is desperate to live up to.
A natural disaster strikes Felix's home, forcing both grandfather and granddaughter into confronting their demons, their fears and some home truths. Their relationship grows even more, as Zelda tries to help Felix come to terms with what he lost in the 1940s. It's not quite as heart-wrenching as Then, though I did tear up a few times as Felix relived his nightmare of a past.
As with previous books in the series, I wanted more, and could have read three times the relatively short page count. I love Felix, both as an innocent child and as a wise old man. He's the epitome of the word good, and is a fictional testament to all those people who survived the horrific events of the Holocaust. I'll never forget his story, or the stories of the real survivors who lived on to tell their tales.
September 22, 2018
This is a nice little book written for children so is quite short, but oh so poignant and heartbreaking. It has a similar feel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The story is about a little Jewish boy called Felix looking for his Mum and Dad after the start of WWII, they have left him in an orphanage in Poland as they could see what was about to happen. He runs away to find them as he does not understand what is happening around him. His adventures are traumatic and tragic.
Its hard to imagine how these children, thousands of them, had to endure these things alone with no idea whether or not they would ever see their parents again!
Its strange that a lot of these little books written for children are so sad and tragic but uplifting at the same time!
I would recommend this book to children's and their parents alike
The story is about a little Jewish boy called Felix looking for his Mum and Dad after the start of WWII, they have left him in an orphanage in Poland as they could see what was about to happen. He runs away to find them as he does not understand what is happening around him. His adventures are traumatic and tragic.
Its hard to imagine how these children, thousands of them, had to endure these things alone with no idea whether or not they would ever see their parents again!
Its strange that a lot of these little books written for children are so sad and tragic but uplifting at the same time!
I would recommend this book to children's and their parents alike
July 18, 2018
Passaram-se 27 anos desde que Félix fugiu dos nazis. Agora ele tem 80 anos e é considerado por todos um herói. Mas as memórias do passado lhe perturbam. Especialmente o rosto da sua melhor amiga Zelda, da qual ele não conseguiu salvar.
Depois da guerra, Félix com ajuda de um amigo consegue ir para Austrália e se torna cirurgião.
É uma menina, do qual os seus pais dera-lhe o nome de Zelda em homenagem a Félix, que conta a continuação da vida deste grande homem. Que inspira os sobreviventes e no fim aceita o passado. E passada o seu testemunho a esta menina, que se torna como uma neta para ele.
Não é obrigatória ler estes livros por ordem. Quem quiser poder começar por ler este. Mas eu manterei a minha ordem. Ansiosa para saber o que acontece de novo na vida de Félix!
Depois da guerra, Félix com ajuda de um amigo consegue ir para Austrália e se torna cirurgião.
É uma menina, do qual os seus pais dera-lhe o nome de Zelda em homenagem a Félix, que conta a continuação da vida deste grande homem. Que inspira os sobreviventes e no fim aceita o passado. E passada o seu testemunho a esta menina, que se torna como uma neta para ele.
Não é obrigatória ler estes livros por ordem. Quem quiser poder começar por ler este. Mas eu manterei a minha ordem. Ansiosa para saber o que acontece de novo na vida de Félix!
May 2, 2012
‘Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad. Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house. Once I made a Nazi with a toothache laugh. My name is Felix. This is my story.'
‘Then I had a plan for me and Zelda. Pretend to be someone else. Find new parents. Be safe forever. Then the Nazis came.’
‘Once I didn’t know about my grandfather Felix’s scary childhood.
Then I found out what the Nazis did to his best friend Zelda.
Now I understand why Felix does the things he does. At least he’s got me. My name is Zelda too. This is our story.’
As you can see, Now continues the story of Felix begun in Once and Then. And true to the meaning of the word, Now takes place in the present. Felix, that charming 10 year old we last saw curled up in a hiding hole to avoid capture by the Nazis, is about to turn 80 years old. He is living in Australia, has had an eminent career as a physician, was married, is now separated from his wife, but on friendly terms, and has one son. His son and daughter-in-law, also physicians, are off in Africa, helping sick children in Darfur and so Felix’s 11 year old granddaughter, Zelda, has come to stay with him in his somewhat isolated home.
Felix is a sad, but understanding grandfather. He doesn’t even get mad at Zelda when he learns she has taken the locket, his most precious possession that had belonged to the first Zelda, the spunky 6 year old who was fleeing the Nazis with him. He is especially not mad after she explains that she thought it would make her brave, but he does guess she is being bullied. Zelda, as the new kid in school, immediately finds herself confronted by bullies and devises a number of ways to avoid and hide from them - shades of her grandfather here.
At the same time, though, Zelda also feels she must deal with her grandfather’s sadness. To cheer him up, she plans a surprise birthday picnic tea for him, attaching hundreds of thank you notes from patients to a tree, and lighting some candles, despite the no fire ban. The entire state of Victoria, Australia was a tinder box because of an intense heatwave. So naturally, when Josh, a boy in her class and the asthmatic brother of her main tormentor, shows up Zelda accidentally sets the letters on fire, when she pushes him away. But later when she hears the bush fires that are raging nearby, Zelda is afraid that she has caused them with the burning thank-yous.
So far their area has not been in danger, but then, the day after the picnic tea fiasco, while in town, they hear that the wind has changed direction. Zelda and Felix race home to save the house and Felix’s dog, Jumble, only to find themselves forced to find safety in a hiding hole while the fire rages about them.
Felix, despite all he has accomplished, has never really come to terms with original Zelda’s death and his failure to protect and save her. That is a heavy burden to carry around for almost 70 years. But now he finds himself confronted by another conflagration and a chance to protect and save another girl named Zelda who also means the world to him. It seems Felix has come full circle - but will he and Zelda both survive this time?
In books 1 and 2, Once and Then, Gleitzman gave the reader a pretty good look at what life was life under the Nazis, the level of cruelty people can be capable of and the level of kindness, too. But the scars left by the Holocaust on those who survived it must be so unimaginably painful, one wonders how any healing can happen. But healing is what Felix needs to do in Now and so, for that matter, does granddaughter Zelda, who feels she can never to good enough to live up the idealized image of her namesake.
Gleitzman has managed to pull this trilogy completely together, yet, interestingly enough, each novel can even stand on it own. So, if you have any interest at all in WWII literature, this is a trilogy not to be missed.
Well, I say trilogy very tongue in cheek. I thought Once, Then and Now would be a trilogy, but maybe , maybe not. Time will tell.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was obtained from the publisher and will be available in the US June 5, 2012.
‘Then I had a plan for me and Zelda. Pretend to be someone else. Find new parents. Be safe forever. Then the Nazis came.’
‘Once I didn’t know about my grandfather Felix’s scary childhood.
Then I found out what the Nazis did to his best friend Zelda.
Now I understand why Felix does the things he does. At least he’s got me. My name is Zelda too. This is our story.’
As you can see, Now continues the story of Felix begun in Once and Then. And true to the meaning of the word, Now takes place in the present. Felix, that charming 10 year old we last saw curled up in a hiding hole to avoid capture by the Nazis, is about to turn 80 years old. He is living in Australia, has had an eminent career as a physician, was married, is now separated from his wife, but on friendly terms, and has one son. His son and daughter-in-law, also physicians, are off in Africa, helping sick children in Darfur and so Felix’s 11 year old granddaughter, Zelda, has come to stay with him in his somewhat isolated home.
Felix is a sad, but understanding grandfather. He doesn’t even get mad at Zelda when he learns she has taken the locket, his most precious possession that had belonged to the first Zelda, the spunky 6 year old who was fleeing the Nazis with him. He is especially not mad after she explains that she thought it would make her brave, but he does guess she is being bullied. Zelda, as the new kid in school, immediately finds herself confronted by bullies and devises a number of ways to avoid and hide from them - shades of her grandfather here.
At the same time, though, Zelda also feels she must deal with her grandfather’s sadness. To cheer him up, she plans a surprise birthday picnic tea for him, attaching hundreds of thank you notes from patients to a tree, and lighting some candles, despite the no fire ban. The entire state of Victoria, Australia was a tinder box because of an intense heatwave. So naturally, when Josh, a boy in her class and the asthmatic brother of her main tormentor, shows up Zelda accidentally sets the letters on fire, when she pushes him away. But later when she hears the bush fires that are raging nearby, Zelda is afraid that she has caused them with the burning thank-yous.
So far their area has not been in danger, but then, the day after the picnic tea fiasco, while in town, they hear that the wind has changed direction. Zelda and Felix race home to save the house and Felix’s dog, Jumble, only to find themselves forced to find safety in a hiding hole while the fire rages about them.
Felix, despite all he has accomplished, has never really come to terms with original Zelda’s death and his failure to protect and save her. That is a heavy burden to carry around for almost 70 years. But now he finds himself confronted by another conflagration and a chance to protect and save another girl named Zelda who also means the world to him. It seems Felix has come full circle - but will he and Zelda both survive this time?
In books 1 and 2, Once and Then, Gleitzman gave the reader a pretty good look at what life was life under the Nazis, the level of cruelty people can be capable of and the level of kindness, too. But the scars left by the Holocaust on those who survived it must be so unimaginably painful, one wonders how any healing can happen. But healing is what Felix needs to do in Now and so, for that matter, does granddaughter Zelda, who feels she can never to good enough to live up the idealized image of her namesake.
Gleitzman has managed to pull this trilogy completely together, yet, interestingly enough, each novel can even stand on it own. So, if you have any interest at all in WWII literature, this is a trilogy not to be missed.
Well, I say trilogy very tongue in cheek. I thought Once, Then and Now would be a trilogy, but maybe , maybe not. Time will tell.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was obtained from the publisher and will be available in the US June 5, 2012.
March 30, 2017
Now is the third book in the Once series, charting the way one Jewish boy manages to survive the Second World War, against incredible odds.
***Spoilers ahead for the first two books***
At the end of the second book, poor Felix has just seen his foster mother and friend hung in the town square for what amounts to 'looking at the Nazi officers a bit funny'as far as I could tell.
In Now, we jump straight to modern day Australia, which kind of surprised me. It's also narrated by a young girl, instead of Felix. It quickly turns out that the girl is Felix's granddaughter and her name is Zelda too. Zelda has come to live with Felix while her parents are in Africa and she's having a hard time with bullies at school.
If you've read Once and Then, you'll know that Felix also has some experience of bullies. The people that bullied Felix were six million times more deadly than the bullies who are being mean to Zelda, but Zelda's bullies still sound pretty awful.
So obviously we find out that Felix survived the war and we also find out how he managed to survived
and what he did after the war. I was really glad because holy shit, did that kid have some evil crap thrown at him in the first two books, so it was nice to see that Felix had managed to rise above the things that had happened to him (as much as anyone can) and had made a success of his life.
As the book progresses, we see that maybe the things that happened to Felix in the war are still affecting him today and when a natural disaster strikes he and Zelda have to work out what's most important.
I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book as much as the first two. I preferred Felix's narration to Zelda's and Zelda's situation, although horrible, couldn't really compare to the horror of what Felix went through.
I guess Morris Gleitzman initially meant for this to be the final book in the series. It has a lot of closure about it. So when I found out that there were two further books, it kind of spoiled them a little for me. After all, the majoity of the tension in the first two books comes from not knowing whether Felix will survive. I think I'm still going read the next two books though - the writing and characters are so good as I really want to see what will happen.
3.5 stars
***Spoilers ahead for the first two books***
At the end of the second book, poor Felix has just seen his foster mother and friend hung in the town square for what amounts to 'looking at the Nazi officers a bit funny'as far as I could tell.
In Now, we jump straight to modern day Australia, which kind of surprised me. It's also narrated by a young girl, instead of Felix. It quickly turns out that the girl is Felix's granddaughter and her name is Zelda too. Zelda has come to live with Felix while her parents are in Africa and she's having a hard time with bullies at school.
If you've read Once and Then, you'll know that Felix also has some experience of bullies. The people that bullied Felix were six million times more deadly than the bullies who are being mean to Zelda, but Zelda's bullies still sound pretty awful.
So obviously we find out that Felix survived the war and we also find out how he managed to survived
and what he did after the war. I was really glad because holy shit, did that kid have some evil crap thrown at him in the first two books, so it was nice to see that Felix had managed to rise above the things that had happened to him (as much as anyone can) and had made a success of his life.
As the book progresses, we see that maybe the things that happened to Felix in the war are still affecting him today and when a natural disaster strikes he and Zelda have to work out what's most important.
I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book as much as the first two. I preferred Felix's narration to Zelda's and Zelda's situation, although horrible, couldn't really compare to the horror of what Felix went through.
I guess Morris Gleitzman initially meant for this to be the final book in the series. It has a lot of closure about it. So when I found out that there were two further books, it kind of spoiled them a little for me. After all, the majoity of the tension in the first two books comes from not knowing whether Felix will survive. I think I'm still going read the next two books though - the writing and characters are so good as I really want to see what will happen.
3.5 stars
June 10, 2018
4 Stars - Really liked it
Listened to via Audible
The narration of this audiobook was a little bit too dramatic, although I realise that's a fine line when it involves a grown woman narrating the thought process of a small girl in crisis.
Wow, just wow. Book 2 in this series did lull a bit, but this one definitely sucked me back in, which is odd considering it was quite removed from the storyline. This book is based in modern times and follows the relationship between elderly Felix and his grand daughter Zelda (named after the Felix's childhood friend from the previous books). At first that was jarring, as book 2 left off at a somewhat pivotal moment back in WW2, and also we were being given references to characters and events we hadn't read about yet, but ultimately it worked well the more I listened.
Although the first half of the book is quite uneventful, it was still rich in story as it explored how we the subsequent generations (especially through a children's eyes) look back on something as alien to us as a world war, something that I know personally I physically can't fathom going through.
The story takes a rather sharp turn from there and takes you through a devastating bush fire (something all too prevalent and extremely dangerous in the Australian outback) which I think was inspired by the 2009 'Black Saturday Bushfires' which killed 173 people.
It was very close to the end of the story when I realised the bush fire wasn't just a plot device to add excitement into the story, but an absolutely genius way of showing some parallel between the world war and something that is a bit more relate-able and understandable for us now. Two very different things, but when described in certain ways, helps us to understand a bit better the fear and desperation.
All in all, it was an emotionally draining read, but I loved it. I'm excited to get back into young Felix's story with book 4, but I think I need something fun before that haha.
Listened to via Audible
The narration of this audiobook was a little bit too dramatic, although I realise that's a fine line when it involves a grown woman narrating the thought process of a small girl in crisis.
Wow, just wow. Book 2 in this series did lull a bit, but this one definitely sucked me back in, which is odd considering it was quite removed from the storyline. This book is based in modern times and follows the relationship between elderly Felix and his grand daughter Zelda (named after the Felix's childhood friend from the previous books). At first that was jarring, as book 2 left off at a somewhat pivotal moment back in WW2, and also we were being given references to characters and events we hadn't read about yet, but ultimately it worked well the more I listened.
Although the first half of the book is quite uneventful, it was still rich in story as it explored how we the subsequent generations (especially through a children's eyes) look back on something as alien to us as a world war, something that I know personally I physically can't fathom going through.
The story takes a rather sharp turn from there and takes you through a devastating bush fire (something all too prevalent and extremely dangerous in the Australian outback) which I think was inspired by the 2009 'Black Saturday Bushfires' which killed 173 people.
It was very close to the end of the story when I realised the bush fire wasn't just a plot device to add excitement into the story, but an absolutely genius way of showing some parallel between the world war and something that is a bit more relate-able and understandable for us now. Two very different things, but when described in certain ways, helps us to understand a bit better the fear and desperation.
All in all, it was an emotionally draining read, but I loved it. I'm excited to get back into young Felix's story with book 4, but I think I need something fun before that haha.
July 6, 2019
This was probably the most interesting historical fiction story I've read after reading about a 10 year old Jewish boy who doesn't know much of what's going on in the world in the first two books and is smack-dab in the middle of the Holocaust; and then to have him at 80 years old with his only granddaughters POV was just wow! I loved it!
This takes place in Australia 2009 and Morris Gleitzman in his author's note/acknowledgments mentioned he based some events for the second half of this story of the bushfires back in 2009 in the District of Victoria. So to have that in it and using the braverism Felix had to have had during the war and showing his granddaughter to be brave in a moment of danger is just amazing. I absolutely loved Felix and his willingness to want to help his young 11or12 year old granddaughter at times that she has nothing to be worried about.
Looking back now I'm wishing I had waited to pick this one up after I read the other 3 Gleitzman had written and gone back to a young Felix during the war and picking up a little after thr second book THEN. Only b/c Felix mentioned a few things about him and some other character who showed up at the end of THEN and some things they'd done towards rhe end of the war and also after the war. I noticed in books 4-6 it's the rest of young Felix's story and at the beginning of AFTER he's 13 years old. So I'm excited now to read the rest of these books because the end of this one, NOW, got my eyes watering and it was just heart warming.
Morris Gleitzman ONCE series should be read. They're different. They're unique. And Felix is one special character and one of a kind. A kind of character you actually wish was real and I just want to be best friends with him. Overall so far these are pretty special books 😍😍 and with one special character.
This takes place in Australia 2009 and Morris Gleitzman in his author's note/acknowledgments mentioned he based some events for the second half of this story of the bushfires back in 2009 in the District of Victoria. So to have that in it and using the braverism Felix had to have had during the war and showing his granddaughter to be brave in a moment of danger is just amazing. I absolutely loved Felix and his willingness to want to help his young 11or12 year old granddaughter at times that she has nothing to be worried about.
Looking back now I'm wishing I had waited to pick this one up after I read the other 3 Gleitzman had written and gone back to a young Felix during the war and picking up a little after thr second book THEN. Only b/c Felix mentioned a few things about him and some other character who showed up at the end of THEN and some things they'd done towards rhe end of the war and also after the war. I noticed in books 4-6 it's the rest of young Felix's story and at the beginning of AFTER he's 13 years old. So I'm excited now to read the rest of these books because the end of this one, NOW, got my eyes watering and it was just heart warming.
Morris Gleitzman ONCE series should be read. They're different. They're unique. And Felix is one special character and one of a kind. A kind of character you actually wish was real and I just want to be best friends with him. Overall so far these are pretty special books 😍😍 and with one special character.
August 13, 2024
THESE BOOKS KEEP DESTROYING ME. I’m sobbing at this book, but it’s so beautifully written. I need to read the others !
June 29, 2022
A beautiful touching story quite different from the first two in the series. I loved the relationship between Felix and his granddaughter. The author touches on the similar personality traits of the two main characters and it fits in to the book series well!
May 17, 2021
This wonderful book has not yet been published in Portugal, so I read in English thanks to my Daughter, who got it for me.
It is interesting to go from Child Felix directly to Grand father Felix with a new Zelda character! But this Zelda, Felix's granddaughter, is ever as plucky as her name sake...
Now I am going to go on with this saga.
Love these books!
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon, 17 May 2021.
It is interesting to go from Child Felix directly to Grand father Felix with a new Zelda character! But this Zelda, Felix's granddaughter, is ever as plucky as her name sake...
Now I am going to go on with this saga.
Love these books!
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon, 17 May 2021.
April 26, 2021
I'm reading the series with my 10 and 11 year old nieces, and they both had all positive things to say about this one--especially that they enjoyed having a female protagonist. I was not prepared for the 70 year time jump, and it didn't work for me as the third book in the series...too many unanswered questions.
Currently reading
March 11, 2012I can tell from the first few chapters that this is not quite on par with Once and Then. But I'm willing to give it a chance. Will get back to it later.
May 10, 2017
The most overdramatic portrayal of bullying I've ever seen.
December 17, 2024
4 stars because of the rest of the series
read for the second time after reading the series multiple times 4 years ago
definitely the worst book in the series but it wasn’t horrible just not what i read now
read for the second time after reading the series multiple times 4 years ago
definitely the worst book in the series but it wasn’t horrible just not what i read now
April 23, 2021
sat and read it all in 1 hour 15, cried and touched
May 22, 2022
Lido numa tarde de primavera... Tal como o Felix, Morris Gleitzman é um autêntico contador de histórias.
February 22, 2024
Another poignant addition to Felix's story, bittersweet and funny. I am enjoying this series so much.
June 27, 2010
ONCE upon a time there was a 10 year old Jewish boy called Felix whose parents were taken away by the Nazis. THEN, his close friend and ally, Zelda, was taken away from him also. NOW, Felix is 80, living in Australia, and trying to protect another Zelda, his grandaughter who is also our narrator.
NOW is the conclusion to Morris Gleitzman's wonderful trilogy for children which brings us from 1940s Poland to present day Australia. The author insists that all three books can be read as stand-alones and I suppose that, technically, that is true but if you want to reap the full benefit of these short but powerful novels, you need to read them in the right order, Once, Then and Now.
Even though NOW is firmly set in the present, there are constant reminders of Felix's past experiences. Zelda has some idea of his past but has been sheltered from the more brutal episodes. She loves her Grandfather dearly but seems to inevitably end up getting into scrapes despite her best intentions - including nearly causing a bushfire. Indeed, the dreadful trauma wrought by the Victorian bushfires of 2009 are vividly presented here. At 167 pages, this is a quick yet substantial read and alongside its fellow novels, would be an excellent way to introduce children to the Holocaust without frightening them off completely.
Although perhaps less poignant than its predecessors, it is a fitting conclusion as we return to the present and see how future generations have been affected yet are still able to move ahead in a positive manner. The memory of Zelda lives on. I will ensure that my own children will get the opportunity to read this trilogy and recommend it to all adults too, especially when we need reminded to count our blessings.
August 19, 2012
This isn't the end of this series, there is a fourth book which has just been released called "After" which I'm really looking forward to reading as it continues Felix's story when he defeats the Nazis. So instead of the final book being voiced through Felix, it's all from Felix's grand-daughter Zelda's point of view. I liked this book but not as much as the other two, mainly because I liked Felix as a character and didn't have that same feeling for Zelda. I also think it's because there was so much more I wanted to read about Felix's story and I didn't feel like it was over yet (but now I know there's more, that makes me happy). Zelda is living with her grandfather because her parents are doctors working overseas and during her stay with her grandfather we get glimpses of how Felix (which is what she calls him in the book, not pop or grand-father etc) has changed since the war and how he moved to Australia. The "event" that happens in this is also based on truth, it really did happen in Australia and that's what makes these books feel so real. The ending was really sweet and a little bit sad, but in a good way if there can be...
Also on my blog
Also on my blog
August 21, 2010
I'm not going to go into details about what the book is about etc. I'm sure somone else will do that, and honestly what's reading the book for? Anyway, back to the book. I LOVED it. It was amazing, I could go n forever. What I really loved was that Morris Gleitzman once again, used real life situations.
I cried when I read Once. I cried when I read Then. I cried when I read Now. Gleitzman is a very good author, he makes you beleive whole heartedly in what your reading. What really affected me though is that Gleitzman used the Black Saturday Bushfires in Now. I am an Aussie and on those horrible days, I could see the smoke from where I was. And being so close to the fires - and seeing those places from how they were hit, to after the fires is heart-wrenching. After I read Now, I could imagine, but I doubt its not possible to fully comprehend, what it was like. And if you don't know this, thats what some people had to do, stay under the blankets. It was all true. The cars being burnt, the havoc.
I hope that maybe, when reading the book people will think of those who still suffer.
It's a must read.
I cried when I read Once. I cried when I read Then. I cried when I read Now. Gleitzman is a very good author, he makes you beleive whole heartedly in what your reading. What really affected me though is that Gleitzman used the Black Saturday Bushfires in Now. I am an Aussie and on those horrible days, I could see the smoke from where I was. And being so close to the fires - and seeing those places from how they were hit, to after the fires is heart-wrenching. After I read Now, I could imagine, but I doubt its not possible to fully comprehend, what it was like. And if you don't know this, thats what some people had to do, stay under the blankets. It was all true. The cars being burnt, the havoc.
I hope that maybe, when reading the book people will think of those who still suffer.
It's a must read.
January 20, 2011
Felix is an 80 year old grandfather, a highly esteemed retired doctor who still struggles to come to terms with the nightmare that was his childhood. With the help of his 11 year old grand-daughter Zelda, Felix will face the ghosts of his past when together they face another frightening battle for survival – the bushfires of Victoria’s Black Saturday.
Australia has many children’s authors to be proud of, and Morris Gleitzman is one of my favourites. Again he has woven a story that sensitively and realistically portrays the struggles and traumas that children face. This story like many of his previous, will introduce you to characters who will become friends with whom you will laugh and cry. All three books in this series bear the same dedication, “For all the children who have never had the chance to do their best”. May these books inspire us all to do our best!
Now can be read without having read the previous two books, but I would highly recommend beginning with Once and following the sequence through to its very satisfying finish.
Australia has many children’s authors to be proud of, and Morris Gleitzman is one of my favourites. Again he has woven a story that sensitively and realistically portrays the struggles and traumas that children face. This story like many of his previous, will introduce you to characters who will become friends with whom you will laugh and cry. All three books in this series bear the same dedication, “For all the children who have never had the chance to do their best”. May these books inspire us all to do our best!
Now can be read without having read the previous two books, but I would highly recommend beginning with Once and following the sequence through to its very satisfying finish.
September 5, 2021
Once again - GOODREADS HAS LOST MY REVIEW!!! 😡😡😡😡 luckily I now save them externally, so here we go:
Once & Then are two of my favourite books of all time, but this book missed the mark for me. Zelda was kind of annoying to be honest and I couldn't understand why Felix let her go in the house?
I missed knowing what Felix was really thinking, and why he was so sad about the book. I felt I didnt get enough answers. The humour made up for it and why the book gets 3 stars and not 2. I hope the rest of the series gets back to to Gleitzman at his best.
Once & Then are two of my favourite books of all time, but this book missed the mark for me. Zelda was kind of annoying to be honest and I couldn't understand why Felix let her go in the house?
I missed knowing what Felix was really thinking, and why he was so sad about the book. I felt I didnt get enough answers. The humour made up for it and why the book gets 3 stars and not 2. I hope the rest of the series gets back to to Gleitzman at his best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2022
Este é o terceiro de seis livros sobre o Felix, a criança judia que escapa aos nazis durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Foi publicado em Português por último e eu prefiro ler pela ordem original para evitar alguns spoilers, mas na verdade todos os livros podem ser lidos de forma isolada. Este foi o meu favorito até agora.
Nesta história estamos no presente, Felix já é avô e tem uma neta chamada Zelda. Podemos ver aqui as marcas que a guerra lhe deixou para a vida.
Vivem em Austrália e deparam-se com um grande incêndio.
É aquele tipo de livro que não se consegue parar de ler.
Foi publicado em Português por último e eu prefiro ler pela ordem original para evitar alguns spoilers, mas na verdade todos os livros podem ser lidos de forma isolada. Este foi o meu favorito até agora.
Nesta história estamos no presente, Felix já é avô e tem uma neta chamada Zelda. Podemos ver aqui as marcas que a guerra lhe deixou para a vida.
Vivem em Austrália e deparam-se com um grande incêndio.
É aquele tipo de livro que não se consegue parar de ler.
November 25, 2024
SPOILER ALERT 🚨
The story is so beautiful. I couldn’t help but feel emotional. I felt a little sad seeing how 80 years old Felix does things, knowing the reason behind it. While his granddaughter was figuring out why Felix behaved in certain ways, I just knew why and it felt weird. It was also weird to see Felix as an old man instead of a 10 years old boy, but I liked it. I think it was really clever of the author to do it.
I enjoyed reading the book but I think I’d have liked it much more if it was a Felix story and not his granddaughter’s. Zelda is a nice girl but I guess I got used to reading Felix’s point of view and knowing everything he felt and went through in the Holocaust and how he managed to survive. I know book 4 (After) will be a Felix story so I can’t way to read it.
I didn’t cry at the end of the book as I did in the previous ones but I certainly cried in the middle of the book. Reading about the scars and traumas that the Holocaust left on poor Felix made me cry.
I also cried because Felix kept the promise he made to Zelda on book two, about being a good person. I got so happy when I read that Felix became a surgeon and that he took care of many kids. I also loved when at his 80th birthday party all the children he saved got together in one place to thank him for his good deeds.
Now, let’s talk a bit about Zelda, Felix’s granddaughter. She is such a brave girl. She’s also a little stubborn but in a good way. She cared a lot about Felix and she was always trying to be good to him. She wanted to take care of him just like her role model Zelda took care of him back in the days when he was 10. We can also see her struggle to be like the first Zelda (Felix’s friend). In a way I felt bad for her because everybody spoke so highly of the first Zelda that she kind of felt the need to be like her since she carried her name. Before I read the book, I was happy about Felix’s granddaughter getting the same name as his friend, but now that I’ve finished reading it, I feel a little funny. Felix never called his granddaughter by her name, probably because it would bring up so many sad memories, but it hurt his granddaughter and I don’t think he realized this. He called her cute names like Babushka and Margaret but it isn’t the same thing. If I were in Zelda’s shoes I’d probably feel sad about it. But in the end we see that it changed and I couldn’t help but smile. I also smiled when I saw that Zelda is a lot like her grandad. Her creative imagination and the way she talks with Jumble reminded me of young Felix a lot. She is just like her grandad and it made me happy. Their relationship throughout the book was so beautiful.
Overall I loved reading it. It was a great experience. I learned a lot about bushfires and surgeries and etc. I read it in less than a day and now I kind of regret reading it so fast lol. I should have enjoyed it a bit longer. But I can’t go back now, it’s in the past and it must remain there. It’s just what Zelda said: “Felix knows that’s as soon as bad things have happened, they’re in the past. Which is the place to leave them.” (page 23). Reading the book that fast wasn’t a bad thing but since I’ve finished it, I shouldn’t feel bad about it. Instead I should go on to the next one with a smile on my face knowing that great adventures and stories await me. Now I’ll start reading book number 4, After!
My ratings are:
Characters: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Writing and wording: 5/5 ⭐️
Scenery: 5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 5/5 ⭐️
Entertainment: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Engagement: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Did I cry?: Yes, I did (3/5 💧)
Would I read it again: YES! (4/5 ⭐️)
Would I recommend it to anyone?: Definitely (5/5 ⭐️)
Fav Characters: Felix, Zelda (Granddaughter), Zelda (best friend), Gabriek, and Josh.
Fav Part: When Zelda helps Felix with Josh’s surgery; When the children Felix saved throw him a birthday party to thank him for what he did to them; When Zelda (the best friend) is given a memorial ceremony and is properly “buried” in a beautiful graveyard.
The story is so beautiful. I couldn’t help but feel emotional. I felt a little sad seeing how 80 years old Felix does things, knowing the reason behind it. While his granddaughter was figuring out why Felix behaved in certain ways, I just knew why and it felt weird. It was also weird to see Felix as an old man instead of a 10 years old boy, but I liked it. I think it was really clever of the author to do it.
I enjoyed reading the book but I think I’d have liked it much more if it was a Felix story and not his granddaughter’s. Zelda is a nice girl but I guess I got used to reading Felix’s point of view and knowing everything he felt and went through in the Holocaust and how he managed to survive. I know book 4 (After) will be a Felix story so I can’t way to read it.
I didn’t cry at the end of the book as I did in the previous ones but I certainly cried in the middle of the book. Reading about the scars and traumas that the Holocaust left on poor Felix made me cry.
I also cried because Felix kept the promise he made to Zelda on book two, about being a good person. I got so happy when I read that Felix became a surgeon and that he took care of many kids. I also loved when at his 80th birthday party all the children he saved got together in one place to thank him for his good deeds.
Now, let’s talk a bit about Zelda, Felix’s granddaughter. She is such a brave girl. She’s also a little stubborn but in a good way. She cared a lot about Felix and she was always trying to be good to him. She wanted to take care of him just like her role model Zelda took care of him back in the days when he was 10. We can also see her struggle to be like the first Zelda (Felix’s friend). In a way I felt bad for her because everybody spoke so highly of the first Zelda that she kind of felt the need to be like her since she carried her name. Before I read the book, I was happy about Felix’s granddaughter getting the same name as his friend, but now that I’ve finished reading it, I feel a little funny. Felix never called his granddaughter by her name, probably because it would bring up so many sad memories, but it hurt his granddaughter and I don’t think he realized this. He called her cute names like Babushka and Margaret but it isn’t the same thing. If I were in Zelda’s shoes I’d probably feel sad about it. But in the end we see that it changed and I couldn’t help but smile. I also smiled when I saw that Zelda is a lot like her grandad. Her creative imagination and the way she talks with Jumble reminded me of young Felix a lot. She is just like her grandad and it made me happy. Their relationship throughout the book was so beautiful.
Overall I loved reading it. It was a great experience. I learned a lot about bushfires and surgeries and etc. I read it in less than a day and now I kind of regret reading it so fast lol. I should have enjoyed it a bit longer. But I can’t go back now, it’s in the past and it must remain there. It’s just what Zelda said: “Felix knows that’s as soon as bad things have happened, they’re in the past. Which is the place to leave them.” (page 23). Reading the book that fast wasn’t a bad thing but since I’ve finished it, I shouldn’t feel bad about it. Instead I should go on to the next one with a smile on my face knowing that great adventures and stories await me. Now I’ll start reading book number 4, After!
My ratings are:
Characters: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Writing and wording: 5/5 ⭐️
Scenery: 5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 5/5 ⭐️
Entertainment: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Engagement: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Did I cry?: Yes, I did (3/5 💧)
Would I read it again: YES! (4/5 ⭐️)
Would I recommend it to anyone?: Definitely (5/5 ⭐️)
Fav Characters: Felix, Zelda (Granddaughter), Zelda (best friend), Gabriek, and Josh.
Fav Part: When Zelda helps Felix with Josh’s surgery; When the children Felix saved throw him a birthday party to thank him for what he did to them; When Zelda (the best friend) is given a memorial ceremony and is properly “buried” in a beautiful graveyard.
March 21, 2012
Felix is hiding. His parents left him at a convent with other orphans, and then they fled. Because Felix is Jewish, and it’s not a very good time to be Jewish at the moment, what with the war and all.
When Felix receives a sign (in the form of a whole carrot) he is sure it means his parents are returning for him. So he takes his beloved notebook, full of fanciful stories, and he leaves the convent to go in search of his parents.
Along the way he sees the truth of the war. He watches people marching, and soldiers fighting. He comes across a burnt down farmhouse, and finds Zelda – a young girl whose parents have been killed. Felix takes Zelda with him, in search of his parents, and on the promise that they’ll find Zelda’s… even though Felix knows that’s not possible. And the more they wander, the more Felix dreads finding out what really happened to his parents…
Morris Gleitzman’s ‘Once’ trilogy began in 2005, and was followed by ‘Then’ and ‘Now’. In 2012 the trilogy will be expanding, with one more book called ‘After’.
1.5 million Jewish children died in the Holocaust. Morris Gleitzman’s Jewish grandfather lived in Poland, but fled the country before the war. But his extended family perished in the Holocaust. Felix and Zelda are not real, but in writing ‘Once’ Gleitzman was inspired by true events and real-life heroes.
‘Once’ begins with Felix at an orphanage. He knows he is hiding amongst Catholics because he is Jewish, and for some reason Hitler doesn’t like Jews. But Felix has no comprehension of the true scope of the war, or of how Hitler’s Europe has turned against the Jewish people. It’s only when he interprets a carrot miracle and decides to leave the convent in search of his parents that Felix sees the truth of what the world has become.
Along the way he finds Zelda, a young girl who Felix discovers lying beside her dead parents in the midst of a burnt-down farmhouse. Together they escape Nazis, hide in a dentist’s basement and form a bond of friendship in the midst of war.
Throughut the first two books, ‘Once’ and ‘Then’, Felix and Zelda are searching for their parents. They meet characters along the way, and stumble into situations that have them uncovering the truth of this war, and how it’s impacting Jews;
We pause at the edge of the trees and squint down into the next valley. My glasses are smudged.
I take them off and polish them on my shirt.
Zelda gives a terrified squeak, and grabs me and points.
I put my glasses back on and peer down at what she's seen.
Zelda isn't pointing at a distant house belonging to a kind cook, because there aren't any houses.
She's pointing at something much closer.
A big hole in the hillside. A sort of pit, with piles of freshly dug earth next to it. Lying in the hole, tangled up together, are children. Lots of them.
All different ages. Some older than me, some even younger than Zelda.
'What are those children doing?' says Zelda in a worried voice.
'I don't know,' I say.
I'm feeling worried too.
They look like Jewish children. I can tell because they're all wearing white armbands with a blue blob that I'm pretty sure is a Jewish star.
Trembling, I give my glasses another clean.
'This wasn't in your story,' whispers Zelda.
She's right, it wasn't.
The children aren't moving.
They're dead.
- Then
Gleitzman’s ‘Once’ series has become hugely popular, both in Australia and overseas. The books have even been named in the prestigious Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers. This series really is amazing… Gleitzman is looking at the Holocaust from a child’s perspective, and it’s made all the more horrifying and heartbreaking for Felix and Zelda’s naiveté and innocence.
The story is also brilliant for the secondary characters Gleitzman peppers throughout. A few seem to be inspired by real heroes of WWII, like Janusz Korczak who was a Polish-Jewish doctor and children’s author that helped run an orphanage for Jewish children, and ended up perishing along with them when they were taken to a concentration camp. In Gletizman’s book there’s a friendly Jewish dentist, who hides children in his basement and tends to the teeth of Nazi soldiers.
As an older reader you experience the horrors of war creeping into Felix’s reality slowly, bit by bit and with a gut-churning inevitability that you wish you could stop… It’s utterly horrendous. But the Holocaust is something that should always be remembered and taught to younger generations, and Gleitzman’s ‘Once’ series is incredibly accessible for young readers (10+), while never once refraining from the impacts of death or the gravitas of war and genocide.
First two books, ‘Once’ and ‘Then’, are set in Europe and concentrate on Felix and Zelda’s time hiding from the Nazis. ‘Now’ leaps ahead to Victoria, Australia in February 2009, and introduces us to a different Zelda… Felix’s granddaughter, named for his old friend.
February 7th 2009 is a date synonymous with death and destruction – the setting of the Black Saturday bushfires that claimed 173 lives.
When we meet her, Zelda is staying with her grandfather while her doctor parents are overseas on a mission. She is struggling to fit in the small country town, and struggling even more with the weight of her name. She has heard stories about Zelda, her grandfather’s brave friend who died during the war… she has always felt like she will never live up to her grandfather’s memory of the dead girl, or be as heroic as young Zelda was.
I turn back to the car. Felix is sitting there. I've never seen him look so miserable.
I get back in the car.
‘I’m not her,’ I say.
We sit looking at each other and I can see Felix is having a really big struggle deciding what to do.
‘Poor Zelda was killed,’ I say. ‘But that doesn’t mean I will be.’
Felix looks at me some more.
He looks at the bus.
He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can the bus drives away.
‘Anyway,’ I say. ‘There’s too much leaving in our family and not enough staying.’
- Now
When the day heats up and black clouds loom, Zelda and her grandfather find themselves in a fight for their lives.
I did read the ‘Once’ trilogy thinking it would not finish with ‘Now’. In the third book Zelda learns a few more stories of her grandfather’s time during the Holocaust, one of them being how he joined the Russian resistance in 1944 with his friend, Gabriek… So I was not surprised to learn of ‘After’, a fourth book to be released in 2012.
The ‘Once’ series is truly amazing and heartbreaking. Morris Gleitzman is writing about a horrific moment in human history – but it is vital that new generations know about this past, so that it may never happen again. The ‘Once’ books bring the Holocaust to terrifying life, as told through the eyes of young Felix and later realized by his granddaughter, Zelda. These books are vital reading, and I cannot recommend them enough.
When Felix receives a sign (in the form of a whole carrot) he is sure it means his parents are returning for him. So he takes his beloved notebook, full of fanciful stories, and he leaves the convent to go in search of his parents.
Along the way he sees the truth of the war. He watches people marching, and soldiers fighting. He comes across a burnt down farmhouse, and finds Zelda – a young girl whose parents have been killed. Felix takes Zelda with him, in search of his parents, and on the promise that they’ll find Zelda’s… even though Felix knows that’s not possible. And the more they wander, the more Felix dreads finding out what really happened to his parents…
Morris Gleitzman’s ‘Once’ trilogy began in 2005, and was followed by ‘Then’ and ‘Now’. In 2012 the trilogy will be expanding, with one more book called ‘After’.
1.5 million Jewish children died in the Holocaust. Morris Gleitzman’s Jewish grandfather lived in Poland, but fled the country before the war. But his extended family perished in the Holocaust. Felix and Zelda are not real, but in writing ‘Once’ Gleitzman was inspired by true events and real-life heroes.
‘Once’ begins with Felix at an orphanage. He knows he is hiding amongst Catholics because he is Jewish, and for some reason Hitler doesn’t like Jews. But Felix has no comprehension of the true scope of the war, or of how Hitler’s Europe has turned against the Jewish people. It’s only when he interprets a carrot miracle and decides to leave the convent in search of his parents that Felix sees the truth of what the world has become.
Along the way he finds Zelda, a young girl who Felix discovers lying beside her dead parents in the midst of a burnt-down farmhouse. Together they escape Nazis, hide in a dentist’s basement and form a bond of friendship in the midst of war.
Throughut the first two books, ‘Once’ and ‘Then’, Felix and Zelda are searching for their parents. They meet characters along the way, and stumble into situations that have them uncovering the truth of this war, and how it’s impacting Jews;
We pause at the edge of the trees and squint down into the next valley. My glasses are smudged.
I take them off and polish them on my shirt.
Zelda gives a terrified squeak, and grabs me and points.
I put my glasses back on and peer down at what she's seen.
Zelda isn't pointing at a distant house belonging to a kind cook, because there aren't any houses.
She's pointing at something much closer.
A big hole in the hillside. A sort of pit, with piles of freshly dug earth next to it. Lying in the hole, tangled up together, are children. Lots of them.
All different ages. Some older than me, some even younger than Zelda.
'What are those children doing?' says Zelda in a worried voice.
'I don't know,' I say.
I'm feeling worried too.
They look like Jewish children. I can tell because they're all wearing white armbands with a blue blob that I'm pretty sure is a Jewish star.
Trembling, I give my glasses another clean.
'This wasn't in your story,' whispers Zelda.
She's right, it wasn't.
The children aren't moving.
They're dead.
- Then
Gleitzman’s ‘Once’ series has become hugely popular, both in Australia and overseas. The books have even been named in the prestigious Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers. This series really is amazing… Gleitzman is looking at the Holocaust from a child’s perspective, and it’s made all the more horrifying and heartbreaking for Felix and Zelda’s naiveté and innocence.
The story is also brilliant for the secondary characters Gleitzman peppers throughout. A few seem to be inspired by real heroes of WWII, like Janusz Korczak who was a Polish-Jewish doctor and children’s author that helped run an orphanage for Jewish children, and ended up perishing along with them when they were taken to a concentration camp. In Gletizman’s book there’s a friendly Jewish dentist, who hides children in his basement and tends to the teeth of Nazi soldiers.
As an older reader you experience the horrors of war creeping into Felix’s reality slowly, bit by bit and with a gut-churning inevitability that you wish you could stop… It’s utterly horrendous. But the Holocaust is something that should always be remembered and taught to younger generations, and Gleitzman’s ‘Once’ series is incredibly accessible for young readers (10+), while never once refraining from the impacts of death or the gravitas of war and genocide.
First two books, ‘Once’ and ‘Then’, are set in Europe and concentrate on Felix and Zelda’s time hiding from the Nazis. ‘Now’ leaps ahead to Victoria, Australia in February 2009, and introduces us to a different Zelda… Felix’s granddaughter, named for his old friend.
February 7th 2009 is a date synonymous with death and destruction – the setting of the Black Saturday bushfires that claimed 173 lives.
When we meet her, Zelda is staying with her grandfather while her doctor parents are overseas on a mission. She is struggling to fit in the small country town, and struggling even more with the weight of her name. She has heard stories about Zelda, her grandfather’s brave friend who died during the war… she has always felt like she will never live up to her grandfather’s memory of the dead girl, or be as heroic as young Zelda was.
I turn back to the car. Felix is sitting there. I've never seen him look so miserable.
I get back in the car.
‘I’m not her,’ I say.
We sit looking at each other and I can see Felix is having a really big struggle deciding what to do.
‘Poor Zelda was killed,’ I say. ‘But that doesn’t mean I will be.’
Felix looks at me some more.
He looks at the bus.
He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can the bus drives away.
‘Anyway,’ I say. ‘There’s too much leaving in our family and not enough staying.’
- Now
When the day heats up and black clouds loom, Zelda and her grandfather find themselves in a fight for their lives.
I did read the ‘Once’ trilogy thinking it would not finish with ‘Now’. In the third book Zelda learns a few more stories of her grandfather’s time during the Holocaust, one of them being how he joined the Russian resistance in 1944 with his friend, Gabriek… So I was not surprised to learn of ‘After’, a fourth book to be released in 2012.
The ‘Once’ series is truly amazing and heartbreaking. Morris Gleitzman is writing about a horrific moment in human history – but it is vital that new generations know about this past, so that it may never happen again. The ‘Once’ books bring the Holocaust to terrifying life, as told through the eyes of young Felix and later realized by his granddaughter, Zelda. These books are vital reading, and I cannot recommend them enough.
January 22, 2018
3 stars.
This was a bit of a disappointment. After the ending of the second book, I was expecting the story to continue on from there, where he was an 11 year old boy. Instead this book jumps right to him being 80 and with no mention of what happened in the years between. That's odd. I'm hoping that maybe the next 2 books go into what happened in that time. Otherwise I'm left wondering, 'why not?'.
This was a bit of a disappointment. After the ending of the second book, I was expecting the story to continue on from there, where he was an 11 year old boy. Instead this book jumps right to him being 80 and with no mention of what happened in the years between. That's odd. I'm hoping that maybe the next 2 books go into what happened in that time. Otherwise I'm left wondering, 'why not?'.
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November 4, 2019the book Now is the closest to the present where you can get in the series, Now Felix is already at an old age and has a granddaughter named Zelda. Zelda encounters a hard life at school with multiple bullys at her school, Zelda makes a friend which by coincidence is the bullys brother. Towards the end of the story, there is a big fire in the city and Felix and Zelda try to help as much as possible to make the fire go away and help the people.
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November 1, 2019I really liked the book Now, because I really like Babushka because he is like a father figure to Felix and he gives really good advice. Felix doesn't have a lot of family so it is good that he has babushka. The book is also very serious and could be hard to read for some people. It talks about death and other things that are sensitive to some people, so I recommend this to young adults. I would probably read another book by the author because the topic was serious but the author was able to make it not that depressing.
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