Now by Morris Gleitzman. Pub. Viking, 2010.

Now by Morris Gleitzman. Pub. Viking, 2010.

After the stunning ending of Once I wondered where Morris Gleitzman would go with Now and I am not disappointed. In fact I am in awe.

What he has done is bring Felix and his memories and grand daughter, to Australia and introduces a bushfire to create a comparable wartime situation to that experienced by people in World War 2. Just as Felix hid down a hole from the Nazis, so Felix and granddaughter Zelda, (named after Felix’s 6 year old companion in Once), with dog Jumbles hide down a hole from the firestorm that destroys their home.

Throughout the novel Gleitzman fills us in in what happened to Felix after the horrors at the end of Once, and we learn of his life as a brilliant surgeon in Australia. Felix is now 80 years old and is still haunted by the holocaust, how could he not be. Zelda his granddaughter shows the same spirit and innocence that Felix did in his troubles, and it is very uplifting.

This book reaffirms the need to never forget what has happened. History has a habit of repeating itself. Surely there is a lesson to be learnt from history. Perhaps not!

A great story written in Gleitzman’s easy accessible and humorous style. A must read and must purchase for every school library. A very good class read-a-loud.

This is for everybody but mostly for middle and Intermediate school children