Once (Once Series)

Once (Once Series)

By Morris Gleitzman

15 ratings 29 reviews 36 followers
Book 1 of 3 in the  Once, Then, Now & After Series
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 6 - 8Grades 2 - 8Y4.130820

Felix, a Jewish boy in Poland in 1942, is hiding from the Nazis in a Catholic orphanage. The only problem is that he doesn't know anything about the war, and thinks he's only in the orphanage while his parents travel and try to salvage their bookselling business. And when he thinks his parents are in danger, Felix sets off to warn them--straight into the heart of Nazi-occupied Poland. To Felix, everything is a story: Why did he get a whole carrot in his soup? It must be sign that his parents are coming to get him. Why are the Nazis burning books? They must be foreign librarians sent to clean out the orphanage's outdated library. But as Felix's journey gets increasingly dangerous, he begins to see horrors that not even stories can explain.
Despite his grim suroundings, Felix never loses hope. Morris Gleitzman takes a painful subject and expertly turns it into a story filled with love, friendship, and even humor.

Publisher: Square Fish
ISBN-13: 9780312653040
ISBN-10: 0312653042
Published on 3/19/2013
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 192

Book Reviews (31)

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ONCE. In 1940 something there was a person named Felix who started out as naive but then learns stuff. One day while looking for rat poo in an orphanage he sees a carrot in his soup. He interprets this as a sign from his PARENTS, who are doing something with their book business. Felix learns that the carrot was put in his soup by a NUN, but goes to find them after seeing evil librarians burning books anyway. On the way, he meets a 6-year-old named Zelda, and then they get caught up in teh HOLOCAUST. (They're Jewish.) Oh and then they meet a person named Barney(the dinosaur?), who runs an orphanage and is a DEntIST. But will they ever find their parents? Will the Nazis find where they and the other Jewish children are hiding? At first, the book was very funny, but as it went on it became more suspenseful. Overall, it was a very interesting story about being grateful and dentists. But it was VIOLENT.

This is a truly AMAZING book. My teacher read this book to my class and it is so interesting to listen to. This book series is a great one for those interested with History, and it's also great for others too! Surely I am not the only one who loves Zelda's ICONIC line "Don't you know anything?"!

me me

i've read 3 of them so far and there all my favorite books they are so amazing i could read them 100 times each and still be entertaind and interested. But i don't like how in Now, it jumps over 70 years. And I want to read what happens inbetween those years

ikuyhiu7y77 ikuyhiu7y77

Its a very good book

GUY BAD GUY BAD

I hadn't finish the entire story but as far as I got to, its amazing, this book is about an over-positive, naive child, Felix, he is an jewish who lives in an Cristian orphanage at world war II, one day, he found an whole carrot in his soup and he thought it means his parents are returning, he waited for a long time but obviously it did not happen so he decides to go and find his parents, his adventure starts now! will the nazis kill him?

I will win I will win

This book is sad funny and hilarious

HazzaWazza HazzaWazza

Once is an amazing story. It’s sad, funny, heartbreaking and gives you a different perspective of life. It makes you think about how fortunate we all are now. It’s about a boy named Felix whose parents sent him off to an orphanage when the nazis came. Now, Jewish people have the same rights as other cultures and religions. I have also read then, and now. I absolutely can’t wait for when my mum gets me the next one. She calls me a bookworm, but I reckon it’s just because Morris Gleitzman and a few other authors are the only kind of books I read. (Especially Morris Gleitzman!) I reccomend this nook for ages 9 and over. I would reccomend it for younger but I think it would scare some younger children. I completely reccomend for you to read this book and then get into the whole series afterwards. But let me promise you one thing. You will definitely cry and cry and cry! 😀

it made me happy and sad, the nazi soldiers seem really scary. I really hope my teacher gives me more time to read this!

Not at my library 🙁

Mine either! I looked for it because of @olliebob's review, but I couldn't find it!! I really wanted to read it!!!

I really want to read this book, i really liked the book theif and thought this might be similar.

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