Once is an adolescent
novel written by Australian children’s author Morris Gleitzman. It is unique to
most of Gleitzman’s work as it is mostly a dramatic novel targeted at older
adolescents. It is set in Poland in 1942 and follows the story of Felix, a
young and imaginative Jewish boy who has been living in an orphanage for nearly
four years. He is determined to find his bookshop-owning parents and is aided only
by his active imagination, story-telling ability and his desire to protect
Zelda (a young orphan girl) in the face of Nazi soldiers and war-torn
surroundings.
This book takes on a much different tone to many of Gleitzman’s
other works. The story is told in first person narration from the perspective
of Felix. This is a very effective tool in children’s literature because it
means children to do not feel like an adult voice is telling them what to think
about the story. This is particularly effective if the narrator is a child; the
reader is likely to feel more ownership of the story.
The great thing about this book is that it is likely one of
the first learning experiences of World War II for many students and hearing of
it from a child’s perspective is likely to give it more gravitas. This would be
a very useful text to use in conjunction with a History or war topic. Also, a
prior knowledge activity could be undertaken before the book is even begun
about WWII and what students know. This would be a great interactive way for
students to connect with the text.
It is the first of a series and I would imagine many students
would be excited to read the next instalment as there are many loose ends.
Once is best suited
for students from Years 7 and up.
Josh Rouse
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