Now (Viking, 2010), Morris Gleitzman’s latest novel for children, is a remarkable sequel to the story of a young Jewish boy that began in Once (Puffin, 2005) and was continued in Then (Viking, 2008).
Aimed at teens and preteens, Once and Then give young readers an excellent and moving introduction to not only the history of the Holocaust, but through their fictional narrator a deeply personal account as well. With the addition of Now to the series, the story is brought into the present day providing a thoughtful and emotional conclusion.
Once and Then
The young narrator of Once is Felix, a ten year old Jewish boy in Poland. Left by his parents in the relative safety of an isolated convent orphanage, Felix knows little of the events that are occurring around him. All he knows is that it is of the utmost importance that he hides his religion, particularly from the men called Nazis. Felix is determined however to find his parents, and is convinced that he can help them if he can just get back to the city.
Along his journey, Felix rescues then befriends the extraordinary Zelda. Strong-willed courageous and only six years old, Zelda provides much of the humour of the story, and is a wonderful foil for the contemplative storyteller, Felix. As Once unfolds, and Felix experiences firsthand the horrific treatment of the Jews in the ghettos and learns of the existence of the death camps, the magnitude of the events surrounding the children become more apparent to both Felix and the reader, propelling the story to its conclusion.
Picking up immediately where Once left off, Then finds Felix and Zelda no longer on a journey to find his parents, but on the run and desperately fighting for survival. Sheltered in a farmhouse near a Polish village, Felix learns that help can come from some of the strangest places, and people are not always what they seem.
Now and the Black Saturday Bushfires of 2009
The sequel to Once and Then has a new narrator. Named for her grandfather’s dear childhood friend, Zelda knows a little bit about the cruelties that he witnessed as a boy, but they can be hard to imagine when you are a young Australian girl. Besides Zelda has enough trouble of her own. Living with her grandfather in a remote village in the Victorian bush, she desperately wants to live up to her namesake. However it is one thing to be brave like the original Zelda when confronted with school bullies, but a devastating bushfire requires strength beyond anything she has known.
By setting Now during the Black Saturday bushfires, Gleitzman again shows faith in the ability of young readers to relate to national and world events. With 173 deaths and over 5000 injured right around the state, the Black Saturday fires were of striking ferocity, even in a country not unused to bushfires during the summer months. On February 7th, 2009, following a week of soaring heat, the Australian state of Victoria faced the worst bushfires in the nation’s history. Several townships in the area to the north-east of Melbourne were completely destroyed by fire, particularly Beechworth, Marysville and around the Kinglake/Whittlesea region.
About Morris Gleitzman
Born in Lincolnshire, England in 1953, Gleitzman emigrated to Australia with his family when he was sixteen. His first novel for children, The Other Facts of Life was published in 1998, and he has since written over thirty books, including the Wicked! and Deadly series with Paul Jennings.
Once, Then and Now are remarkable stories for children in that they cover such incredibly harrowing and complex topics without ever losing sight of their intended audience. Evoking both tears and laughter, the characters of Felix and the Zeldas, both old and new, will remain with the reader long after the books are finished.
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Review copy details:
Once & Then (ISBN: 9780143203032, 339 pages)
Now (ISBN: 9780670074372, 167 pages)
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