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Once #1
Once
Once by Morris Gleitzman is the story of a young Jewish boy who is determined to escape the orphanage he lives in to save his Jewish parents from the Nazis in the occupied Poland of the Second World War.
Everybody deserves to have something good in their life. At least Once.
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.
Once is the first in a series of children's novels about Felix, a Jewish orphan caught in the middle of the Holocaust, from Australian author Morris Gleitzman - author of Bumface and Boy Overboard. The next books in the series Then, Now and After are also available from Puffin.
Everybody deserves to have something good in their life. At least Once.
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.
Once is the first in a series of children's novels about Felix, a Jewish orphan caught in the middle of the Holocaust, from Australian author Morris Gleitzman - author of Bumface and Boy Overboard. The next books in the series Then, Now and After are also available from Puffin.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Morris Gleitzman
94 books925 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 2,562 reviews
April 11, 2011
When I was young 'un, we had this storytelling board game in our house. If memory serves me right, it was called, simply, "Once..."
The basis of the game was to create a story from a card prompt and people had to guess whether it was true or not - or something like that anyway.
As many things do, at first this game went over my head a bit. *swoosh* Because in my everyday life, whenever I would try to make up a story (or more accurately - what you might call a white lie) to my friends or family, they always seemed to know right away. At least my mom, who I had convinced myself was secretly a CIA agent, always knew.
But I eventually figured out that when it is turned into a game, this "storytelling" phenomenon can actually be quite fun, because apparently if you are being upfront about this thing called "fiction" being "not real", then it is perfectly acceptable and not something you have to be nervous about. Around that time, I started to get very good at it.
So anyway, I played this game with my friends, and at one point, I told a gruesome story about how, just the previous week, I had seen a cat torture and kill a baby bird, basically skinning it alive. A fairly traumatic thing for a young girl to witness. Of course, everyone assumed that I had actually seen it happen, because what kid could just make something like that up? Well apparently, a kid with a sick mind. I had made it up.
With an incredibly active and visual imagination, not to mention, a little bit of craziness thrown in for good measure, I had actually seen this scene happen solely in my mind's eye. So, I didn't technically just make up the story on the fly; rather, as a result seeing a smushed dead baby bird lying on the street, my mind went on to imagine how this might have happened. Thus, I received the previously stated disturbing mental image.
I am about 99.98646362728% certain that most people's minds don't work this way. I think maybe you need to be at least a little bit of a paranoid schizophrenic to be a storyteller. At least, that's how I explain my strange mental processes to myself.
________________________________
This book, entitled Once, is about a young Jewish boy, named Felix, living and suffering through the horrid times of the Holocaust. He has been hidden away in an orphanage and has convinced himself that his parents are still around and just waiting for the right moment to come and get him. When they don't show up after three years, Felix sets out to find them and meets new friends and new trouble.
The little boy loves to tell stories and does so throughout almost the entire book. He isn't what you might think of as an "unreliable narrator", however. He is always upfront with the reader, so though he may tell "stories" to the other characters, he never does with us. A true unreliable narrator is more like what you would find in the Fight Club, where the reader isn't given all the necessary information and much is withheld.
The things that happen to and around Felix in this book are terrifyingly unbelievable. It is easy to tell yourself that things like this could never happen. But they have. They are. They will.
The prose is simple and heart-wrenching. The writing is in no way strenuous, but the story is. Worry and heartache will easily overcome you in this book. It should be difficult to believe that human beings are capable of such atrocities but somehow, it isn't that difficult to imagine.
We should be able to look at a book like this and say "No one would ever be capable of doing that." But we can't.
Overall, this was an excellent story about a young boy suffering through a horrible time in history. It certainly pulls at your heart strings, but I wouldn't quite call it life changing. This book comes off more like a deeply and darkly intense fable.
The books is a short 163 pages, and the final chapter leaves it somewhat open-ended. Just enough so, that it you leaves you asking questions but still gives you a bit of closure. Happy-endings are not readily available within Holocaust fiction, unfortunately.
This is kind of book that resonates. It stays with you and keeps your mind working long after you have finished.
If you are interested, the hardcover is currently the cheapest way to obtain this book at just under 7 dollars on Amazon. The Kindle edition is very pricey at 10 dollars, especially for such a short book.
The thing I loved most about this book is that throughout most of it, Felix has an uplifting and optimistic personality. It was so entertaining as well as endearing to hear his thoughts and views on the world. He is an amazing character and a new favorite of mine. His viewpoint reminded me ever so slightly of the main character in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, in the way that he notices things and sees things in a manner that most would not.
At one point in the book, Felix sees Nazis burning Jewish books, so he becomes convinced that the Nazis are doing all of this because the Nazis hate the Jews' books and not just them. So in order to make sense of it all, he tells himself a story about how in a book warehouse in another country, one day a bunch of Jewish books fell on top of someone's kids and crushed them. So these people vowed to take revenge on the books and anyone who owns them.
It is truly remarkable the creations that a mind can invent to explain that which it does not know.
__________________________________
On another note, I have searched high and low on the Internet for another edition of the "Once..." game that I played as a kid and have been entirely unsucessful in finding it.
I'm beginning to think that maybe my CIA agent mother had a single copy designed and produced in order to help cultivate my imagination. See, now that doesn't sound at ALL unreasonable to me. But that's just how I roll...
The basis of the game was to create a story from a card prompt and people had to guess whether it was true or not - or something like that anyway.
As many things do, at first this game went over my head a bit. *swoosh* Because in my everyday life, whenever I would try to make up a story (or more accurately - what you might call a white lie) to my friends or family, they always seemed to know right away. At least my mom, who I had convinced myself was secretly a CIA agent, always knew.
But I eventually figured out that when it is turned into a game, this "storytelling" phenomenon can actually be quite fun, because apparently if you are being upfront about this thing called "fiction" being "not real", then it is perfectly acceptable and not something you have to be nervous about. Around that time, I started to get very good at it.
So anyway, I played this game with my friends, and at one point, I told a gruesome story about how, just the previous week, I had seen a cat torture and kill a baby bird, basically skinning it alive. A fairly traumatic thing for a young girl to witness. Of course, everyone assumed that I had actually seen it happen, because what kid could just make something like that up? Well apparently, a kid with a sick mind. I had made it up.
With an incredibly active and visual imagination, not to mention, a little bit of craziness thrown in for good measure, I had actually seen this scene happen solely in my mind's eye. So, I didn't technically just make up the story on the fly; rather, as a result seeing a smushed dead baby bird lying on the street, my mind went on to imagine how this might have happened. Thus, I received the previously stated disturbing mental image.
I am about 99.98646362728% certain that most people's minds don't work this way. I think maybe you need to be at least a little bit of a paranoid schizophrenic to be a storyteller. At least, that's how I explain my strange mental processes to myself.
________________________________
This book, entitled Once, is about a young Jewish boy, named Felix, living and suffering through the horrid times of the Holocaust. He has been hidden away in an orphanage and has convinced himself that his parents are still around and just waiting for the right moment to come and get him. When they don't show up after three years, Felix sets out to find them and meets new friends and new trouble.
The little boy loves to tell stories and does so throughout almost the entire book. He isn't what you might think of as an "unreliable narrator", however. He is always upfront with the reader, so though he may tell "stories" to the other characters, he never does with us. A true unreliable narrator is more like what you would find in the Fight Club, where the reader isn't given all the necessary information and much is withheld.
The things that happen to and around Felix in this book are terrifyingly unbelievable. It is easy to tell yourself that things like this could never happen. But they have. They are. They will.
The prose is simple and heart-wrenching. The writing is in no way strenuous, but the story is. Worry and heartache will easily overcome you in this book. It should be difficult to believe that human beings are capable of such atrocities but somehow, it isn't that difficult to imagine.
We should be able to look at a book like this and say "No one would ever be capable of doing that." But we can't.
Overall, this was an excellent story about a young boy suffering through a horrible time in history. It certainly pulls at your heart strings, but I wouldn't quite call it life changing. This book comes off more like a deeply and darkly intense fable.
The books is a short 163 pages, and the final chapter leaves it somewhat open-ended. Just enough so, that it you leaves you asking questions but still gives you a bit of closure. Happy-endings are not readily available within Holocaust fiction, unfortunately.
This is kind of book that resonates. It stays with you and keeps your mind working long after you have finished.
If you are interested, the hardcover is currently the cheapest way to obtain this book at just under 7 dollars on Amazon. The Kindle edition is very pricey at 10 dollars, especially for such a short book.
The thing I loved most about this book is that throughout most of it, Felix has an uplifting and optimistic personality. It was so entertaining as well as endearing to hear his thoughts and views on the world. He is an amazing character and a new favorite of mine. His viewpoint reminded me ever so slightly of the main character in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, in the way that he notices things and sees things in a manner that most would not.
At one point in the book, Felix sees Nazis burning Jewish books, so he becomes convinced that the Nazis are doing all of this because the Nazis hate the Jews' books and not just them. So in order to make sense of it all, he tells himself a story about how in a book warehouse in another country, one day a bunch of Jewish books fell on top of someone's kids and crushed them. So these people vowed to take revenge on the books and anyone who owns them.
It is truly remarkable the creations that a mind can invent to explain that which it does not know.
__________________________________
On another note, I have searched high and low on the Internet for another edition of the "Once..." game that I played as a kid and have been entirely unsucessful in finding it.
I'm beginning to think that maybe my CIA agent mother had a single copy designed and produced in order to help cultivate my imagination. See, now that doesn't sound at ALL unreasonable to me. But that's just how I roll...
July 1, 2022
As this was not a very long story I managed to read it in one session.
I'm impressed, what a beautiful, sad story. It's supposed to be a children's book, but this can be read by people of any age.
Felix, a ten year old Polish Jewish boy tells us about his life in 1942 when he escapes the orphanage where he has been for three years and eight months, to search for his parents.
I'm impressed, what a beautiful, sad story. It's supposed to be a children's book, but this can be read by people of any age.
Felix, a ten year old Polish Jewish boy tells us about his life in 1942 when he escapes the orphanage where he has been for three years and eight months, to search for his parents.
November 30, 2010
I did not want to like Once. I hated that cover line: “Everybody deserves to have something good in their life. At least once.” Damn it, “anyone” does not agree with “their”! Even if I am the last person fighting this battle I will continue to fight it! GAH! But um, more importantly, Once sounded to me like a rehash of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a book I loathed. Children (and adults) do not need faux-naif, manipulative, emotionally inauthentic Holocaust books. I’d thought Once was about an equally clueless protagonist. I was wrong. Felix, a Jewish boy in Poland in 1942, isn’t an idiot. He’s in denial. There's a difference. And as the book goes on and the horrors mount, Felix’s denial evaporates. Storytelling has been his shield and survival strategy. As he loses that ability to tell himself truth-deflecting stories, you feel sick. The pacing of this book is incredible – Gleitzman is known in his native Australia for writing funny, goofy contemporary children’s books – and the book’s short paragraphs and use of humor (no, really) will make it super-enticing to boys and non-book-lovers. But be forewarned, the Nazis’ brutality is explicit and disgusting; this should not be any child’s first Holocaust novel. (Start with Number the Stars instead.) Once, which is influenced by the story of Janusz Korczak, offers no false hope.
August 5, 2016
Finding this book in the childrens section of the library, I took it out for my daughter to read. Having glanced at some reviews I thought I would look at it first to see if it were suitable for an 11 yr old. When I had read a few lines I continued to read the whole book as it was such a compelling story. It was very harrowing and it would not be suitable for younger or sensitive readers. This story about an orphanage during world war 2 has a wonderful main character. Felix is Jewish and living in an orphanage, he runs away to find his parents, he refuses to accept they might not be alive. He invents stories which keep the horrible reality of what's happening around them at arms length. He is wonderfully optimistic and has a lovely personality. I found him very engaging and funny. A really well written book, very sad but also it feels like there is hope for Felix, and if anyone can escape or survive it will be him. Going to see if the library has the next book in the series.
November 3, 2021
Well written and sensitive. A book about a very raw subject. The author has my deepest respect for the portrayal of the whole series. I would thoroughly recommend it, if you like books such as
,
and enjoy a good historic fiction book that is suitable for ages 10- and up, then Once is another good one to add to your TBR list.
It feels a bit strange 'loving' books about the Holocaust, but I suppose you have to put it in context. Once and the two books above are great stories but also explain it in a way that is rewarding to the reader.
It makes one really realise how awful the war was, especially for the children. The book itself is a quick, easy read that's absolutely guaranteed to keep you glued to it from the minute you read the very first sentence right to the end.
Holocaust books are not all sad and depressing, some are well written and made for Tweens. I like how they cover the subject in a way that it makes it historic and entertaining as well as educational.
The POV is great, you end up thinking like a 9 year old.
,
and enjoy a good historic fiction book that is suitable for ages 10- and up, then Once is another good one to add to your TBR list.It feels a bit strange 'loving' books about the Holocaust, but I suppose you have to put it in context. Once and the two books above are great stories but also explain it in a way that is rewarding to the reader.
It makes one really realise how awful the war was, especially for the children. The book itself is a quick, easy read that's absolutely guaranteed to keep you glued to it from the minute you read the very first sentence right to the end.
Holocaust books are not all sad and depressing, some are well written and made for Tweens. I like how they cover the subject in a way that it makes it historic and entertaining as well as educational.
The POV is great, you end up thinking like a 9 year old.
May 9, 2022
This is a special book written on a subject near and dear to my heart.
Looking past the subject of the holocaust, I read about themes of friendship, hope, and what it means to be lucky. This book isn't only meant for children; there are valuable lessons we as adults can learn more than once in a lifetime.
Looking past the subject of the holocaust, I read about themes of friendship, hope, and what it means to be lucky. This book isn't only meant for children; there are valuable lessons we as adults can learn more than once in a lifetime.
May 11, 2024
Que livro extraordinário! Esta história merece ser lida por toda a gente. Gostei mesmo muito.
July 11, 2016
What can you say about a book with a small child living through the Holocaust. The story focuses on Felix, a small 10 year old Jewish boy, who is living in an orphanage. His parents put him in this place a little over three years ago for safety. So he isn't exactly an orphan. Felix is very naive and believes the Nazi's are burning books because they don't like books and sets off to find his parents and save all the books in his parents book store. I was a bit shocked initially how naive he is but children were quite different long time ago compared to today. Felix doesn't stay too naive for long after the horrors he endures and witnesses. Its heartbreaking to see Felix realize what is going on around him and what the Nazis are really after.
It's not an easy read in terms of the subject matter. However, the author does a great job capturing the story for young children. It is a very short book but the first in a series of following Felix and his friends. I plan to read the remaining in the series, but taking a break in between for a bit of light reading.
It's not an easy read in terms of the subject matter. However, the author does a great job capturing the story for young children. It is a very short book but the first in a series of following Felix and his friends. I plan to read the remaining in the series, but taking a break in between for a bit of light reading.
February 28, 2016
What a wonderful story - Felix is a young Jewish boy in WWII Poland sets off from an orphanage to find his missing parents. He thinks Nazi's are book burners and his parents have gone off somewhere to hide the books in their store. They have been gone over 3 years.
As he travels he sees horrendous events but in his innocence he is not realising what he is seeing. He saves a younger girl called Zelda and in turn they are saved.
Gradually as the story progresses Felix's innocence falls away and reality sets in.
Very much recommended.
As he travels he sees horrendous events but in his innocence he is not realising what he is seeing. He saves a younger girl called Zelda and in turn they are saved.
Gradually as the story progresses Felix's innocence falls away and reality sets in.
Very much recommended.
December 31, 2016
A minha opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YXEs...
Que livro amoroso, que coisa tão, tão boa! Porque é que só o descobri agora?
Quem gosta de história do Holocausto, gostará deste livro de certeza.
A imaginação e ingenuidade do Felix deixa-nos de sorriso nos lábios perante tempos tão maus.
Vale mesmo a pena!
Que livro amoroso, que coisa tão, tão boa! Porque é que só o descobri agora?
Quem gosta de história do Holocausto, gostará deste livro de certeza.
A imaginação e ingenuidade do Felix deixa-nos de sorriso nos lábios perante tempos tão maus.
Vale mesmo a pena!
May 2, 2012
Once I read a story about a 10 year old Jewish boy named Felix who lived in Poland in 1942 and I felt a terrible sadness as I read.
Once is very poignantly narrated by Felix. He tells the reader that he had been placed in a Catholic orphanage by his parents, booksellers in Poland, and has lived there for three years. He also tells the reader that he likes to make up stories and is considered by others to be quite good at it. Felix always carries a notebook in which he writes down his stories and hides it inside his shirt for safekeeping. Once he found a whole carrot in his soup and told himself that it was a sign that his Mum and Dad were coming back to get him. But they never show up. When Nazis suddenly show up at the orphanage to burn the books in the library, Felix remembers the time they destroyed the books in his parent’s bookshop and reasons with himself that the Nazis are only after books. He decides to leave the orphanage and find his Mum and Dad, to warn them that their books are in danger.
As Felix goes along looking for his parents, he starts to tell himself stories about what he sees. For example, a few days after he begins his journey, Felix comes across an empty house, with the kitchen stove still burning and half eaten meals on the table. He tells himself a story about the people who live there and why they have left so suddenly:
In the distance I hear faint gunshots.
Of course. That explains it. They’re out hunting. They must have seen some rabbits, grabbed their guns and gone after them in a big hurry. (pg33)
The reader of course knows why the house is empty and what the gunshots are even if Felix doesn’t.
Felix is a clever boy who not only creates his own stories, he also uses the knowledge he has acquired from other stories he is familiar with. As his search for his Mum and Dad takes Felix towards an unnamed city, he sees a house on fire and the bloody owners lying outside on the ground. Not sure if they are dead or alive, he picks up a feather and holds it in front of their noses: “It is how you tell if people are dead. I read it in a book once.” (pg.55) This is also the house where he finds six year old Zelda and the place where a very scary suspicion of reality begins to occur to Felix:
A little kid. What sort of people would kill a little kid just for the sake of some books? A horrible thought grows in my throbbing head. What if us Jews aren’t being bullied just because of books? What if it’s because of something else? (pg 56)
Felix continues his journey now accompanied by the traumatized Zelda, to whom he continuously tells stories. As they continue on towards the unnamed city, they run into a large group of weary men, women and children walking along the road, all wearing armbands with Jewish stars, and being escorted by Nazi soldiers. At first, Felix thinks they are all Jewish book owners. Forced by the Nazis to join the group, another bit of reality scarily intrudes into Felix’s thoughts after asking one of the men if he is a book lover, then wishes he hadn’t:
Not just because I’ve made a suffering Jewish man feel upset at the sight of a crazy kid. Also because I’ve got a horrible suspicion I know the answer to the question.
Maybe it’s not just our books the Nazis hate.
Maybe it’s us.
When Felix and Zelda finally arrive in the city, they are taken into hiding by a dentist who is already taking care of several other children whose parents have been put on transport trains. The dentist, Barney, is a character modeled after a man who actually did take care of Jewish orphans. Janusz Korczak was a Jewish children’s doctor and well known author. When the Nazis rounded up the orphans he was caring for to transport them to Treblinka, they offer Korczak sanctuary. He refused to leave the children, choosing instead to go to his death with them. In his Afterword to Once, Gleitzman explains that Korczak became his hero after reading about him.
Once is the story Felix tells us about his life as a child in this particular time and place in the history of the Holocaust. His journey to find his Mum and Dad also turns out to be Felix’s journey from innocence to realization about the situation of Jews under the Nazis. The book is geared for readers aged 11 and up and I would highly recommend it for that age group. Younger readers, even those who have high reading levels, may still find it too disturbing.
Once is very poignantly narrated by Felix. He tells the reader that he had been placed in a Catholic orphanage by his parents, booksellers in Poland, and has lived there for three years. He also tells the reader that he likes to make up stories and is considered by others to be quite good at it. Felix always carries a notebook in which he writes down his stories and hides it inside his shirt for safekeeping. Once he found a whole carrot in his soup and told himself that it was a sign that his Mum and Dad were coming back to get him. But they never show up. When Nazis suddenly show up at the orphanage to burn the books in the library, Felix remembers the time they destroyed the books in his parent’s bookshop and reasons with himself that the Nazis are only after books. He decides to leave the orphanage and find his Mum and Dad, to warn them that their books are in danger.
As Felix goes along looking for his parents, he starts to tell himself stories about what he sees. For example, a few days after he begins his journey, Felix comes across an empty house, with the kitchen stove still burning and half eaten meals on the table. He tells himself a story about the people who live there and why they have left so suddenly:
In the distance I hear faint gunshots.
Of course. That explains it. They’re out hunting. They must have seen some rabbits, grabbed their guns and gone after them in a big hurry. (pg33)
The reader of course knows why the house is empty and what the gunshots are even if Felix doesn’t.
Felix is a clever boy who not only creates his own stories, he also uses the knowledge he has acquired from other stories he is familiar with. As his search for his Mum and Dad takes Felix towards an unnamed city, he sees a house on fire and the bloody owners lying outside on the ground. Not sure if they are dead or alive, he picks up a feather and holds it in front of their noses: “It is how you tell if people are dead. I read it in a book once.” (pg.55) This is also the house where he finds six year old Zelda and the place where a very scary suspicion of reality begins to occur to Felix:
A little kid. What sort of people would kill a little kid just for the sake of some books? A horrible thought grows in my throbbing head. What if us Jews aren’t being bullied just because of books? What if it’s because of something else? (pg 56)
Felix continues his journey now accompanied by the traumatized Zelda, to whom he continuously tells stories. As they continue on towards the unnamed city, they run into a large group of weary men, women and children walking along the road, all wearing armbands with Jewish stars, and being escorted by Nazi soldiers. At first, Felix thinks they are all Jewish book owners. Forced by the Nazis to join the group, another bit of reality scarily intrudes into Felix’s thoughts after asking one of the men if he is a book lover, then wishes he hadn’t:
Not just because I’ve made a suffering Jewish man feel upset at the sight of a crazy kid. Also because I’ve got a horrible suspicion I know the answer to the question.
Maybe it’s not just our books the Nazis hate.
Maybe it’s us.
When Felix and Zelda finally arrive in the city, they are taken into hiding by a dentist who is already taking care of several other children whose parents have been put on transport trains. The dentist, Barney, is a character modeled after a man who actually did take care of Jewish orphans. Janusz Korczak was a Jewish children’s doctor and well known author. When the Nazis rounded up the orphans he was caring for to transport them to Treblinka, they offer Korczak sanctuary. He refused to leave the children, choosing instead to go to his death with them. In his Afterword to Once, Gleitzman explains that Korczak became his hero after reading about him.
Once is the story Felix tells us about his life as a child in this particular time and place in the history of the Holocaust. His journey to find his Mum and Dad also turns out to be Felix’s journey from innocence to realization about the situation of Jews under the Nazis. The book is geared for readers aged 11 and up and I would highly recommend it for that age group. Younger readers, even those who have high reading levels, may still find it too disturbing.
February 6, 2017
Hay libros con los que empiezas con mal pie. Esta historia comienza con Felix, un niño de unos 9 años que espera a sus padres escondido en un orfanato de monjas en la Polonia ocupada de 1942. 1942. Tres años de ocupación Nazi. Y en un momento dado, Felix se extraña de que los hombres que han entrado al orfanato sean nazis, porque la palabra parece nueva para él. A ver, no. Ni de broma. Un niño que ha vivido tres años de ocupación no puede no haber oído nunca la palabra. Un niño que ya lleva tres años en una Polonia llena de nazis no puede ignorar que Adolf Hitler sea su jefe. Los niños no son tan estúpidos. Si tuviera 5 años hasta me lo creo, pero a la edad que tiene él ya no.
Pero no puedo realmente echarle esto en cara al libro, como tampoco alguna que otra incongruencia histórica, porque este libro no es para adultos, está escrito para lectores jóvenes. Tiene que explicarlo de forma que esos chavales que ni saben lo que es un nazi puedan entender la trama. En ese sentido es disculpable.
Y luego mejora, cuando Felix se va cayendo del guindo. Algunas cosas chirrían, pero él al menos deja de parecer tan tonto. Y como libro para jóvenes me parece que está muy bien, no huyendo de las cosas desagradables y explicándolas al lector de forma clara y sin maquillar lo que ocurre.
¿He leído cosas mejores? Sí. ¿Tiene fallos? Sí. Pero es más bien cosa mía, porque no creo que sea el tipo de lector al que el libro está dirigido.
Pero no puedo realmente echarle esto en cara al libro, como tampoco alguna que otra incongruencia histórica, porque este libro no es para adultos, está escrito para lectores jóvenes. Tiene que explicarlo de forma que esos chavales que ni saben lo que es un nazi puedan entender la trama. En ese sentido es disculpable.
Y luego mejora, cuando Felix se va cayendo del guindo. Algunas cosas chirrían, pero él al menos deja de parecer tan tonto. Y como libro para jóvenes me parece que está muy bien, no huyendo de las cosas desagradables y explicándolas al lector de forma clara y sin maquillar lo que ocurre.
¿He leído cosas mejores? Sí. ¿Tiene fallos? Sí. Pero es más bien cosa mía, porque no creo que sea el tipo de lector al que el libro está dirigido.
June 28, 2013
I remember reading this book as a child still in primary school. It was a project and I was the only child in the class who fully understood what the child in the story was talking about. The burning books, the angry men in uniforms, the train, the carriages, the fear... What he was experiencing. No one else knew what it was that was so scary and terrifying about this story, except me. I guess that makes it worse in the long run.
I think that's why this story has stuck with me into my adulthood. I remember sitting in the library and our classroom and our teacher would read to us, or we would read aloud to each other. I remember it so vividly and sometimes I believe I can go back to that place, in that beanbag or chair and just relive those stories with my teachers because they didn't shy away from the confronting issues. Together, though we were children, we faced them head on.
That's why this books was one of my favourites. The sheer scale and the terror, but also the hope. Because even in the darkest night there is still a shimmer of light.
I think that's why this story has stuck with me into my adulthood. I remember sitting in the library and our classroom and our teacher would read to us, or we would read aloud to each other. I remember it so vividly and sometimes I believe I can go back to that place, in that beanbag or chair and just relive those stories with my teachers because they didn't shy away from the confronting issues. Together, though we were children, we faced them head on.
That's why this books was one of my favourites. The sheer scale and the terror, but also the hope. Because even in the darkest night there is still a shimmer of light.
September 26, 2014
This is one of my favorite books; I read this in grade 4 and I found it absolutely sad but amazing at the same time. I re-read it in grade 5 and still loved it but the second time I read it, I looked deeper into details, because I already knew what was going to happen, so I payed attention to all of the magnificent details Morris Gleitzman added to the story. I strongly recommend anyone reading this, it's a great book and I hope you enjoy it :)
October 16, 2011
This is an all in one sitting type of read, and I did read it all in one day. It’s told from the point of view of a 9-10 year old Jewish boy, a storyteller, who’s caught up in the Holocaust. This story is powerful, compelling, and so very sad, yet somehow uplifting too, and even amusing every once in a while. I’ll be thinking quite a bit about Felix, Zelda, Barney, and some other characters. Felix is a fine narrator and everyone and everything come across very vividly. The author’s note at the end is wonderful. My favorite line in it is “This story is my imagination trying to grasp the unimaginable.” I’m off to check out his website: www.morrisgleitzman.com. This book is book 1 of a trilogy and I’ve already reserved book 2 at the library. This book is in the children’s section of my library, but I’d say it’s best for older children, teens, and adults because it doesn’t at all shy away from the atrocities, and even though Felix starts off innocent and ignorant, he’s certainly not able to stay that way. There is one twist in the plot about one of the characters that I didn’t see coming, and that I thought was brilliant to include. Highly recommended, but not for kids who don’t already know about the Holocaust.
February 19, 2017
3.5 Holocaust books are always so hard to rate because regardless of the quality of the book I commend the author for trying to tell such an important and difficult story. This story takes the form of the perspective of a nine year old Polish boy trying to understand the horror of his circumstances. I think the makings of an excellent book were definitely here, and that the author did a commendable job, but it just didn't work for me. Having a nine year old at home certainly allowed me to really think about the book from that perspective, but I just felt like that perspective didn't come off in an authentic and accurate way. I am very happy I read this book because although it is heartbreaking, it did make me contemplate one of history's worst atrocities through the eyes of children. This is a lesson that is good to remember when one looks at history, or even makes decisions in the present. My knit picking aside, I do think this is a book that a lot of people would really enjoy and that is accessible to numerous reading levels and age groups.
February 16, 2011
I was uncomfortable with the protagonist's view of the holocaust. I appreciated the self-denial aspect, but I also thought a child of that age group would've been more intelligent. The failure to comprehend (or admit comprehension) carried on far too long in my view.
I know the rest of the world adored this book. It is well-written and has some quirky, everyday touches viz. the way Spielberg placed the red jacket in his largely B&W film, "Schindler's List".
But quite frankly I thought this book diminished the child reader's acuity and as such was not (for me) helpful with the overall topic itself.
I am reminded that this is a very sensitive area within a genre needing care & consideration. I admire the bravery of those who go there for the sake of young readers. I hope I haven't offended anyone who read and admired this book, but to me it is not a children's book because of the content & it is not an adult's book because of the prose. Sorry.
I know the rest of the world adored this book. It is well-written and has some quirky, everyday touches viz. the way Spielberg placed the red jacket in his largely B&W film, "Schindler's List".
But quite frankly I thought this book diminished the child reader's acuity and as such was not (for me) helpful with the overall topic itself.
I am reminded that this is a very sensitive area within a genre needing care & consideration. I admire the bravery of those who go there for the sake of young readers. I hope I haven't offended anyone who read and admired this book, but to me it is not a children's book because of the content & it is not an adult's book because of the prose. Sorry.
May 14, 2013
This is a holocaust book which is narrated by a child, I was hoping this book wasn’t going to be like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas….. I was disappointed.
(This is not a spoiler, it’s set up in the first few pages). The premise of this book is that a Jewish child doesn’t know about the holocaust as it is happening because he has been shielded by the Catholic nuns who are looking after him in a Polish orphanage which his parents have hidden him in. Not only does the boy (Felix) not know about the persecutions of Jews he also doesn’t know about Nazi’s, or the German language (he doesn’t even know that’s what they’re called), but he does know the name Adolf Hitler but not who he is. This all felt ridiculous even in a fairly isolated school in occupied Poland there would have been Nazi involvement, lessons and curriculum.
All in all this book frustrated me in the same way that The Boy in the Striped Pajamas frustrated me, it is overly simplistic to the point of patronising and historically inaccurate. I will say however that this book isn’t as bad as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas children who read this book will learn more about the holocaust and there is a lot more character development, which makes it much more moving. (I would suggest kids will learn even more by reading Anne Frank’s Diary, but there we go).
The further the book goes on the more historically accurate and believable the story and characters become but it is quite hard to forget the rather silly beginning.
Basically I wouldn’t recommend it to adult or YA readers, I think if you have even a vague understanding of WWII and the Holocaust this book will be too simplistic historically for you and I don’t think this book is written in a particularly beautiful or original style to make up for that.
I can sum up my feeling of this book in this closing sentence: don’t read this read The Book Thief instead.
Rating 2.5-3
(This is not a spoiler, it’s set up in the first few pages). The premise of this book is that a Jewish child doesn’t know about the holocaust as it is happening because he has been shielded by the Catholic nuns who are looking after him in a Polish orphanage which his parents have hidden him in. Not only does the boy (Felix) not know about the persecutions of Jews he also doesn’t know about Nazi’s, or the German language (he doesn’t even know that’s what they’re called), but he does know the name Adolf Hitler but not who he is. This all felt ridiculous even in a fairly isolated school in occupied Poland there would have been Nazi involvement, lessons and curriculum.
All in all this book frustrated me in the same way that The Boy in the Striped Pajamas frustrated me, it is overly simplistic to the point of patronising and historically inaccurate. I will say however that this book isn’t as bad as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas children who read this book will learn more about the holocaust and there is a lot more character development, which makes it much more moving. (I would suggest kids will learn even more by reading Anne Frank’s Diary, but there we go).
The further the book goes on the more historically accurate and believable the story and characters become but it is quite hard to forget the rather silly beginning.
Basically I wouldn’t recommend it to adult or YA readers, I think if you have even a vague understanding of WWII and the Holocaust this book will be too simplistic historically for you and I don’t think this book is written in a particularly beautiful or original style to make up for that.
I can sum up my feeling of this book in this closing sentence: don’t read this read The Book Thief instead.
Rating 2.5-3
January 3, 2020
Um livrinho juvenil, com uma escrita cativante, de fácil leitura e interessante.
#hol75
#hol75
October 22, 2018
সময়টা ১৯৪২ সাল, স্থান পোল্যান্ড। ফেলিক্সের বাবা-মায়ের একটি বইয়ের দোকান আছে। ব্যবসা খারাপ যাওযায় ফেলিক্সকে শহর থেকে দূরে পাহাড়ের ওপরে একটি ক্যাথলিক এতিমখানায় মাদার মিনকার কাছে রেখে যান তারা। ছেলেকে বলে যান যে ব্যবসা গুছিয়ে উঠে তাকে নিয়ে যাবেন বাড়িতে।
গত তিনবছর আটমাস ধরে ফেলিক্স এই এতিমখানায় বসবাস করছে। কেউ জানে না যে সে আসলে ইহুদি। এক সন্ধ্যায় সে দেখে এতিমখানার লাইব্রেরির বই আগুনে পুড়িয়ে ফে��ছে কয়েকজন নাজি। মাদার মিনকা জানায় ওগুলো ইহুদিদের বই। ফেলিক্সের মনে পরে তাদের দোকানে প্রচুর বই আছে। নাজিরা পুড়িয়ে ফেলার আগেই সে তার বাবা-মাকে সাবধান করতে এতিমখানা থেকে পালিয়ে যায়।
পথে যেতে যেতে সে ফাদার ফেলিক্সের শেখানো পদ্ধতিতে প্রার্থনা করে। হে ঈশ্বর, হে জেসাস, হে ভার্জিন মেরি, হে পোপ, হে হিটলার আমাকে পথ দেখাও। এমন সময় দেখতে পায় পথের ধারে একটি বাড়ি কিন্তু লোকজনের দেখা নাই। খাবার ঘরে এমন করে টেবিলে খাবার পরিবেশন করা হয়েছে যেন এইমাত্র টেবিল ছেড়ে উঠে গেছে বাড়ির মানুষজন। দূরে কোথাও গুলির শব্দ পেয়ে সে ভাবে নিশ্চয় বাড়ির লোকেরা খেতে বসে জানালা দিয়ে খরগোশ দেখতে পেয়ে বন্দুক নিয়ে সেটাকে শিকার করতে গেছে। কাউকে না বলে খেয়ে নেয়ার জন্য আর শাট-প্যান্ট-জুতো নেয়ার জন্য একটি চিরকুট লিখে রেখে আবার পথে নামে। খাবার আর কাপড়ের জন্য ঈশ্বর, জেসাস, ভার্জিন মেরি, পোপ আর হিটলারকে ধন্যবাদ দিতেও ভুলে না।
ফেলিক্স কিছুতেই ভেবে পায় না খ্রিস্টানরা কেন ইহুদি বই পুড়াচ্ছে। কেনইবা ইহুদিদের শহর ছাড়া করছে। সে নিজের মতন করে একটা ব্যাখ্যা দাড় করায়। কোন এককালে কোন এক ইহুদির হাত থেকে গাবদা সাইজের বই কোন এক খ্রিস্টানের গায়ের উপরে পরে যাওয়ায় বেস ব্যাথ্যা পায় সেই খ্রিস্টান আর হবে নাইবা কেন ইহুদিদের বইটা ত আর কম ওজনদার নয়। ত সেই ব্যাথ্যা দেয়ার প্রতিশোধ হিসেবে খ্রিস্টানরা এখন ইহুদি বই পুড়াচ্ছে।
ফেলিক্স কি পারবে সময় মত তার বাবা-মার কাছে পৌঁছাতে?
পথিমধ্যে তার থেকেও ছোট এক বাচ্চাকে তার মায়ের কাছে পৌঁছে দেয়ার দায়িত্ব কাধে নেয় ফেলিক্স। পারবে কি সে এই দায়িত্ব পালন করতে?
পারবে কি নাজিদের চোখ ফাঁকি দিয়ে বেঁচে থাকতে?
কেউ কি বাড়াবে সাহায্যের হাত?
২য় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ নিয়ে মেলা বই পড়েছি। এই বইটা তার মধ্যে ভিন্নতা ধারন করে। কেননা এই বইটাতে আমরা একটা বাচ্চা ছেলের চোখ দিয়ে যুদ্ধটাকে দেখছি। এটা বাচ্চাদের বই হলেও মনে হচ্ছে বড়রা পড়লেই বেশি বুঝতে পারবেন। একটা ইহুদি বাচ্চা যখন ঈশ্বরের পাশাপাশি হিটলারকেও সাহায্যের জন্য ডাকে তখন পাঠকের কলিজা মোচর না দিয়ে পারে না।
গত তিনবছর আটমাস ধরে ফেলিক্স এই এতিমখানায় বসবাস করছে। কেউ জানে না যে সে আসলে ইহুদি। এক সন্ধ্যায় সে দেখে এতিমখানার লাইব্রেরির বই আগুনে পুড়িয়ে ফে��ছে কয়েকজন নাজি। মাদার মিনকা জানায় ওগুলো ইহুদিদের বই। ফেলিক্সের মনে পরে তাদের দোকানে প্রচুর বই আছে। নাজিরা পুড়িয়ে ফেলার আগেই সে তার বাবা-মাকে সাবধান করতে এতিমখানা থেকে পালিয়ে যায়।
পথে যেতে যেতে সে ফাদার ফেলিক্সের শেখানো পদ্ধতিতে প্রার্থনা করে। হে ঈশ্বর, হে জেসাস, হে ভার্জিন মেরি, হে পোপ, হে হিটলার আমাকে পথ দেখাও। এমন সময় দেখতে পায় পথের ধারে একটি বাড়ি কিন্তু লোকজনের দেখা নাই। খাবার ঘরে এমন করে টেবিলে খাবার পরিবেশন করা হয়েছে যেন এইমাত্র টেবিল ছেড়ে উঠে গেছে বাড়ির মানুষজন। দূরে কোথাও গুলির শব্দ পেয়ে সে ভাবে নিশ্চয় বাড়ির লোকেরা খেতে বসে জানালা দিয়ে খরগোশ দেখতে পেয়ে বন্দুক নিয়ে সেটাকে শিকার করতে গেছে। কাউকে না বলে খেয়ে নেয়ার জন্য আর শাট-প্যান্ট-জুতো নেয়ার জন্য একটি চিরকুট লিখে রেখে আবার পথে নামে। খাবার আর কাপড়ের জন্য ঈশ্বর, জেসাস, ভার্জিন মেরি, পোপ আর হিটলারকে ধন্যবাদ দিতেও ভুলে না।
ফেলিক্স কিছুতেই ভেবে পায় না খ্রিস্টানরা কেন ইহুদি বই পুড়াচ্ছে। কেনইবা ইহুদিদের শহর ছাড়া করছে। সে নিজের মতন করে একটা ব্যাখ্যা দাড় করায়। কোন এককালে কোন এক ইহুদির হাত থেকে গাবদা সাইজের বই কোন এক খ্রিস্টানের গায়ের উপরে পরে যাওয়ায় বেস ব্যাথ্যা পায় সেই খ্রিস্টান আর হবে নাইবা কেন ইহুদিদের বইটা ত আর কম ওজনদার নয়। ত সেই ব্যাথ্যা দেয়ার প্রতিশোধ হিসেবে খ্রিস্টানরা এখন ইহুদি বই পুড়াচ্ছে।
ফেলিক্স কি পারবে সময় মত তার বাবা-মার কাছে পৌঁছাতে?
পথিমধ্যে তার থেকেও ছোট এক বাচ্চাকে তার মায়ের কাছে পৌঁছে দেয়ার দায়িত্ব কাধে নেয় ফেলিক্স। পারবে কি সে এই দায়িত্ব পালন করতে?
পারবে কি নাজিদের চোখ ফাঁকি দিয়ে বেঁচে থাকতে?
কেউ কি বাড়াবে সাহায্যের হাত?
২য় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ নিয়ে মেলা বই পড়েছি। এই বইটা তার মধ্যে ভিন্নতা ধারন করে। কেননা এই বইটাতে আমরা একটা বাচ্চা ছেলের চোখ দিয়ে যুদ্ধটাকে দেখছি। এটা বাচ্চাদের বই হলেও মনে হচ্ছে বড়রা পড়লেই বেশি বুঝতে পারবেন। একটা ইহুদি বাচ্চা যখন ঈশ্বরের পাশাপাশি হিটলারকেও সাহায্যের জন্য ডাকে তখন পাঠকের কলিজা মোচর না দিয়ে পারে না।
April 10, 2011
Felix's naivety is almost unbelievable at times. But then you think of the trauma a kid must go through, and how he was VERY misinformed by his parents- add that up with the number of deaths he sees, and you can sorta understand what the author was getting at. So here are some things I've learned from reading Holocaust books:
1. Being a Jew must suck. They got chased out of Israel by the Romans, which was when the fled to Europe, which was where many perished at the hands of the Nazis, which was why they fled BACK to Israel, which was why the Palestinians are so pissed (because the Jews took THEIR land of course) which is why there were like a billion wars that followed (Six Day War, Arab-Israeli War, Yom Kippur War, etc.) Which is why now the Jews have their own country that is the only Jewish country in the entire world that is completely surrounded by Arab nations laden with Palestinian refugees who all want Israel dead. So yeah, you would probably suffer more if you were a Jew.
2. Being German must suck. They probably still get mouthfuls of soap for what they did during WW2
3. No matter what the story, every Holocaust book has death, pain, anguish, suffering, death, pain, anguish, and suffering. Which, if you think about it, is pretty good. No stuff is glossed over and you KNOW that it's happened. Which makes the story even more depressing, since it's based during an actual event in history instead of, say, the trolls fighting the fairies over who gets the unicorn.
So, yes I WAS depressed after reading Once, because of all of the above, but it was actually a pretty neat story. I finished it in maybe an hour so it definitely is a pretty quick read.
Believe it or not, one of my favorite type of books are the Holocaust type. Anytime you need a slice of reality, just pick up the Boy in the Striped Pj's, or the Diary of Anne Frank.
1. Being a Jew must suck. They got chased out of Israel by the Romans, which was when the fled to Europe, which was where many perished at the hands of the Nazis, which was why they fled BACK to Israel, which was why the Palestinians are so pissed (because the Jews took THEIR land of course) which is why there were like a billion wars that followed (Six Day War, Arab-Israeli War, Yom Kippur War, etc.) Which is why now the Jews have their own country that is the only Jewish country in the entire world that is completely surrounded by Arab nations laden with Palestinian refugees who all want Israel dead. So yeah, you would probably suffer more if you were a Jew.
2. Being German must suck. They probably still get mouthfuls of soap for what they did during WW2
3. No matter what the story, every Holocaust book has death, pain, anguish, suffering, death, pain, anguish, and suffering. Which, if you think about it, is pretty good. No stuff is glossed over and you KNOW that it's happened. Which makes the story even more depressing, since it's based during an actual event in history instead of, say, the trolls fighting the fairies over who gets the unicorn.
So, yes I WAS depressed after reading Once, because of all of the above, but it was actually a pretty neat story. I finished it in maybe an hour so it definitely is a pretty quick read.
Believe it or not, one of my favorite type of books are the Holocaust type. Anytime you need a slice of reality, just pick up the Boy in the Striped Pj's, or the Diary of Anne Frank.
August 8, 2011
Now, I would have classed this short book as J rather than YA had there not been some horrifying scenes in it. The narrator, Felix, is a young Jewish boy who has been living in an orphanage in 1942 Poland, where his parents left him and from which he expects them to fetch him some day. What makes this such a chilling and hard-to-put-down book is Felix's naive and innocent view of the horrific events around him. It reminded me of John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in that respect. As the reader, I understood the true significance of events he was seeing and misinterpreting, and at every chapter I kept expecting his naivete to get him killed or captured by the Nazis. Fortunately, Felix slowly begins to understand the true nature of events around him, yet he continues to cling to the idea that his parents are alive. This book had me literally tense with suspense. I wanted to put it down to relieve the tension, but I just had to read on. The story ended abruptly, begging for the sequel I know has been written and which I absolutely must read. This is a truly scary story, not for the faint of heart. Recommended for teens and adults.
June 28, 2021
Neben Reise im August bisher mein Favorit, was Holocaustliteratur (für Kinder und Jugendliche) betrifft. Die kindliche und naive Perspektive fordert die Involviertheit der LeserInnen stärker als andere Erzählhaltungen und zieht einen somit richtig in Bann. Absolute Empfehlung! Auch wenn das Thema sicherlich leicht abschrecken kann halte ich es für absolut lohnenswert, sich einmal mit der Darstellung des Holocausts in der Kinder- bzw. Jugendliteratur zu beschäftigen.
March 19, 2017
Everybody deserves to have something good in their life. At least Once.
Once is the heartbreaking, harrowing but ultimately hope-filled story of Felix, a ten year old Polish Jewish boy living through the Nazi occupation of Poland and the Holocaust. He lives in an orphanage in the Polish mountains - his parents, who are booksellers, left him there when they went off to solve all sorts of book-related emergencies (according to Felix).
Life in the orphanage sounds pretty sad and desperate - the conditions are pretty basic, there's notmuch food and thenunsare pretty strict - but very gradually you learn the truth - that the nuns doing all they can to keep the Nazis away from the orphanage so keep the children (including a number of Jewish children) safe.
Gradually, Felix comes to realise the truth about the Holocaust and the Nazis and what is happening to the Jews in Poland (spoiler alert: nothing nice). We're shown some of the atrocities of the Holocaust through the eyes of a ten year old child which somehow makes them all the more horrifying.
One of the most heartbreaking things I found about the story (apart from the whole Holocaust thing, which obviously gets top spot) is the way Felix makes up stories in his head as a way of trying to explain away the awful things that are happening around him. It's just so sad. And his horror and bravery when he realises what's going on - you really forget that this is just a little kid.
Even though there have been a lot of stories written about the Holocaust, this book ought to be required reading. It was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) atrocities of the twentieth century and I don't think it's the kind of subject that will ever be 'done with'. And that's the whole point. As long as we keep reminding ourselves about what happened, then maybe we stand a chance of not repeating our mistakes.
Once is the heartbreaking, harrowing but ultimately hope-filled story of Felix, a ten year old Polish Jewish boy living through the Nazi occupation of Poland and the Holocaust. He lives in an orphanage in the Polish mountains - his parents, who are booksellers, left him there when they went off to solve all sorts of book-related emergencies (according to Felix).
Life in the orphanage sounds pretty sad and desperate - the conditions are pretty basic, there's notmuch food and thenunsare pretty strict - but very gradually you learn the truth - that the nuns doing all they can to keep the Nazis away from the orphanage so keep the children (including a number of Jewish children) safe.
Gradually, Felix comes to realise the truth about the Holocaust and the Nazis and what is happening to the Jews in Poland (spoiler alert: nothing nice). We're shown some of the atrocities of the Holocaust through the eyes of a ten year old child which somehow makes them all the more horrifying.
One of the most heartbreaking things I found about the story (apart from the whole Holocaust thing, which obviously gets top spot) is the way Felix makes up stories in his head as a way of trying to explain away the awful things that are happening around him. It's just so sad. And his horror and bravery when he realises what's going on - you really forget that this is just a little kid.
Even though there have been a lot of stories written about the Holocaust, this book ought to be required reading. It was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) atrocities of the twentieth century and I don't think it's the kind of subject that will ever be 'done with'. And that's the whole point. As long as we keep reminding ourselves about what happened, then maybe we stand a chance of not repeating our mistakes.
April 24, 2023
Horor, který je psaný veskrze pozitivním jazykem je asi horší než horor, psaný lekavě a strašidelně.
Teprve takto "vesele" psaný příběh vyvolá to pravé pozdvižení v hlavě čtenáře. Brr, dejte sem rychle nějakou pohádku!
Teprve takto "vesele" psaný příběh vyvolá to pravé pozdvižení v hlavě čtenáře. Brr, dejte sem rychle nějakou pohádku!
February 19, 2024
Heartbreaking
September 9, 2015
Una vez nos cuenta la historia de Félix, un niño Judío cuyos padres eran propietarios de una librería en Polonia y que tras la invasión alemana, sus padres llevaron a un orfanato de monjas para hacerlo pasar por católico y salvarlo de su destino en los campos de concentración. No obstante Félix tiene una desbordante imaginación y se niega a creer en la posibilidad de que sus padres han muerto, está convencido de que le envian señales secretas y además cree que los alemanes odian a los judíos por los libros. Con solo ocho años, vivimos el Holocausto naci desde los ojos de un niño inocente que no entiende cómo los hombres pueden ser tan crueles.
La historia de Félix se complica cuando al creer que ha recibido una zanahoria (un regalo en aquella época) por parte de sus padres decide escaparse del orfanato e ir en su busca, recuperar sus libros y huir a un lugar mejor y más seguro. En el descenso desde las montañas hasta la ciudad va descubriendo qué pasa realmente en su país, ve gente asesinada, animales muertos y poco a poco se horroriza más y va perdiendo la inocencia. En su camino Félix se encuentra con Zelda, una pequeña niña de cinco años en estado de Shock y tendida al lado de sus padres muertos. Félix se la lleva con él y empieza a contarle historias para que deje de pensar en lo que le acaba de pasar.
Una vez es un libro desgarrador sobre la segunda guerra mundial. He leído unos cinco o seis libros con esta temática y creo que éste es el que más me ha hecho sufrir, es tanta la inocencia del niño que no puedes dejar de imaginar la crueldad de esa época y el drama y sufrimiento que miles de niños, bebés y familias pasaron solo por tener una religión diferente. Es un disparate.
La narración es perfecta, el mensaje sublime y la historia desgarradora. Sin duda un libro único sobre la segunda guerra mundial y que nunca olvidarás tras leerlo.
La historia de Félix se complica cuando al creer que ha recibido una zanahoria (un regalo en aquella época) por parte de sus padres decide escaparse del orfanato e ir en su busca, recuperar sus libros y huir a un lugar mejor y más seguro. En el descenso desde las montañas hasta la ciudad va descubriendo qué pasa realmente en su país, ve gente asesinada, animales muertos y poco a poco se horroriza más y va perdiendo la inocencia. En su camino Félix se encuentra con Zelda, una pequeña niña de cinco años en estado de Shock y tendida al lado de sus padres muertos. Félix se la lleva con él y empieza a contarle historias para que deje de pensar en lo que le acaba de pasar.
Una vez es un libro desgarrador sobre la segunda guerra mundial. He leído unos cinco o seis libros con esta temática y creo que éste es el que más me ha hecho sufrir, es tanta la inocencia del niño que no puedes dejar de imaginar la crueldad de esa época y el drama y sufrimiento que miles de niños, bebés y familias pasaron solo por tener una religión diferente. Es un disparate.
La narración es perfecta, el mensaje sublime y la historia desgarradora. Sin duda un libro único sobre la segunda guerra mundial y que nunca olvidarás tras leerlo.
January 29, 2019
Segunda leitura do #Hol74
Já não lia um livro infanto-juvenil sobre o holocausto há algum tempo e este foi uma boa surpresa! Mal posso esperar para continuar a acompanhar as aventuras do Félix e da Zelda. Só espero que publiquem toda a série em Portugal.
--
(...)
A história é contada do ponto de vista de Felix, uma criança que vive num orfanato na Polónia. O que ele mais gosta é de ler e contar histórias. Vive no orfanato há 3 anos,à espera que os seus pais livreiros o venham buscar. Quando o orfanato é atacado por soldados nazis e Felix vê todos os livros queimados, pensa que a livraria do pais está em perigo e que tem de ajudá-los. Assim foge do orfanato e começa numa jornada para tentar chegar a casa. A forma como Felix nos conta a sua viagem até à sua casa é de uma ingenuidade ternurenta. Ele não compreende as mudanças que estão a acontecer e acha que Hitler é um homem bom porque foi o que lhe disseram. Pensa que tudo é uma brincadeira e apenas acha que os soldados só querem os livros dos judeus.
Opinião completa: https://algodaodoceparaocerebro.blogs...
Já não lia um livro infanto-juvenil sobre o holocausto há algum tempo e este foi uma boa surpresa! Mal posso esperar para continuar a acompanhar as aventuras do Félix e da Zelda. Só espero que publiquem toda a série em Portugal.
--
(...)
A história é contada do ponto de vista de Felix, uma criança que vive num orfanato na Polónia. O que ele mais gosta é de ler e contar histórias. Vive no orfanato há 3 anos,à espera que os seus pais livreiros o venham buscar. Quando o orfanato é atacado por soldados nazis e Felix vê todos os livros queimados, pensa que a livraria do pais está em perigo e que tem de ajudá-los. Assim foge do orfanato e começa numa jornada para tentar chegar a casa. A forma como Felix nos conta a sua viagem até à sua casa é de uma ingenuidade ternurenta. Ele não compreende as mudanças que estão a acontecer e acha que Hitler é um homem bom porque foi o que lhe disseram. Pensa que tudo é uma brincadeira e apenas acha que os soldados só querem os livros dos judeus.
Opinião completa: https://algodaodoceparaocerebro.blogs...
October 15, 2017
Just because this books is about the holocaust, it doesn't mean it's good. People always over rate these kind of books.
The book is full of modern day phrases that weren't around in the forties. Plus, it's tedious and the main character isn't believable at all.
However, I've read worse.
The book is full of modern day phrases that weren't around in the forties. Plus, it's tedious and the main character isn't believable at all.
However, I've read worse.
October 9, 2017
Uma vez eu li uma história sobre um garoto que usava as palavras para salvar vidas e a imaginação para sustentar a esperança num mundo de intolerância e ódio.
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