And then one very hot Saturday morning in February, after a couple of hours at my desk still not able to find the event the story needed, I switched on my computer to look at the news. Overall, I loved this book, I recommend this to anyone who loves an emotional book filled with action and adventure. I know the feeling,’ says the man. He points to his name tag, which says Elvis. We give each other sympathetic looks. Elvis hands me the padded post bag. Along the way he sees the truth of the war. He watches people marching, and soldiers fighting. He comes across a burnt down farmhouse, and finds Zelda – a young girl whose parents have been killed. Felix takes Zelda with him, in search of his parents, and on the promise that they’ll find Zelda’s… even though Felix knows that’s not possible. And the more they wander, the more Felix dreads finding out what really happened to his parents…

Now - Morris Gleitzman - Google Books Now - Morris Gleitzman - Google Books

Once & Then are two of my favourite books of all time, but this book missed the mark for me. Zelda was kind of annoying to be honest and I couldn't understand why Felix let her go in the house? Once again, Gleitzman has explored themes of family and friendship in the worst of times and written a powerful, appealing novel and now I would really like to know what happens to Felix next, but I have a feeling it's not going to happen this time. I'm a big fan of Morris Gleitzman's highly underrated WWII series, and have been anticipating this title since I first read Once and Then over a year ago. Now is set in present day Australia and, though it's not the best of the trilogy, it's a brilliant end to Felix's heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story. Gleitzman’s ‘Once’ series has become hugely popular, both in Australia and overseas. The books have even been named in the prestigious Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers. This series really is amazing… Gleitzman is looking at the Holocaust from a child’s perspective, and it’s made all the more horrifying and heartbreaking for Felix and Zelda’s naiveté and innocence. This book, though not bringing an onion cry, succeeded in making my eyes watery. That's Gleitzman for you.It's fifteen years since readers were first introduced to Felix in Once and across six celebrated books, our brave young hero has survived many unforgettable and emotional journeys. Now comes the seventh and final part of Felix's story, bringing to a powerful climax a series that countless young readers around the world will remember - Always. It was very close to the end of the story when I realised the bush fire wasn't just a plot device to add excitement into the story, but an absolutely genius way of showing some parallel between the world war and something that is a bit more relate-able and understandable for us now. Two very different things, but when described in certain ways, helps us to understand a bit better the fear and desperation.

NOW | Kirkus Reviews

Soon is the 4th powerfully moving addition to Morris Gleitzman's bestselling Second World War series about Felix and Zelda.This is a nice little book written for children so is quite short, but oh so poignant and heartbreaking. It has a similar feel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 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. Adults are walking past, not even looking at us. Don’t they realise that when three year nines are standing this close to a year six kid, it’s not a social event? They ruined my thirteenth birthday I was determined to get to the forest, to join forces with Gabriek and Yuli, to be a family, to defeat the Nazis after all Oh, OK. I get what she’s on about. And it’s my fault. A few days ago in class, when I was the new kid, Ms Canny asked me to tell everyone about my family. I told them about my parents being devoted doctors in Africa and my grandfather being a retired brilliant surgeon.

Now - Penguin Books UK

Now continues the other two books but just in the present. Felix is now 80 years old, a retired surgeon and also lives in Australia. He has a grand-daughter named after his best friend in the previous books, Zelda. The story mentions some spoilers for the past novels so I would say to read Once & Then before starting. ONCE upon a time there was a 10 year old Jewish boy called Felix whose parents were taken away by the Nazis. THEN, his close friend and ally, Zelda, was taken away from him also. NOW, Felix is 80, living in Australia, and trying to protect another Zelda, his grandaughter who is also our narrator. The narration of this audiobook was a little bit too dramatic, although I realise that's a fine line when it involves a grown woman narrating the thought process of a small girl in crisis. I guess Morris Gleitzman initially meant for this to be the final book in the series. It has a lot of closure about it. So when I found out that there were two further books, it kind of spoiled them a little for me. After all, the majoity of the tension in the first two books comes from not knowing whether Felix will survive. I think I'm still going read the next two books though - the writing and characters are so good as I really want to see what will happen.And saw that just outside Melbourne a bushfire had started. Every available fire-fighting unit was being mobilised. Small towns were being told to evacuate. Because rarely had Australia experienced a bushfire this huge and unstoppable and destructive...