Book details
Morris Gleitzman - Author
This is a historical novel about friendship under Nazi persecution, combining Felix’s optimism and humour with fear, loss and moral danger. Its child’s-eye viewpoint may make a vast history feel immediate, while keeping the human cost in view.
Once by Morris Gleitzman is the story of a young Jewish boy who is determined to escape the orphanage he lives in to save his Jewish parents from the Nazis in the occupied Poland of the Second World War. Everybody deserves to have something good in their life. At least Once. Once I escaped from am orphanage to find Mum and Dad. Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house. Once I made a Nazi with a toothache laugh. My name is Felix. This is my story. Once is the first in a series of children's novels about Felix, a Jewish orphan caught in the middle of the Holocaust, from Australian author Morris Gleitzman - author of Bumface and Boy Overboard. The next books in the series Then, Now and After are also available from Puffin.
Book Analysis
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Sign in for personalised guidanceHow the book presents it: Friendship is presented as precious and as a way young people show their best qualities during hard times.
Talk about: What might help a friendship endure when circumstances become dangerous?
How the book presents it: The Nazi attempt to destroy Jewish people and the murder of millions are presented as terrible human cruelty, not as a neutral conflict.
Talk about: How might a child’s limited understanding shape what readers notice about historical events?
How the book presents it: The contrast appears intended to preserve a child’s perspective and human possibility without making the surrounding suffering cosy or safe.
Talk about: When might humour help someone face suffering, and when might it feel uncomfortable?
It offers a way to discuss the Holocaust through the daily experiences and feelings of young people rather than distant dates alone. The contrast between cruelty and protective friendship can support thoughtful historical and ethical conversation.
Approach it as a serious wartime story told through a young, sometimes naïve voice. A parent may wish to pause around frightening developments, explain the Holocaust plainly, and allow space for questions or strong feelings.
How does Felix’s understanding of events differ from what the reader may understand? What might friendship require when people face danger, and how should humour be understood alongside suffering?
Read alongside the child, checking understanding of Nazi persecution and Jewish identity without turning the story into a lesson only. Afterward, consider a real Holocaust voice or testimony for historical perspective.
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
Limited information
Checked: 19 September 2026.
Relevant to: Friendship under pressure; Holocaust history through a child’s eyes; Hope and humour amid suffering
KISS THE BOOK: Once by Morris Gleitzman
Limited information
Checked: 19 September 2026.
Relevant to: General book context
The Fourth Musketeer: Sydney Taylor Award Blog Tour: Interview with Morris Gleitzman, author of Once
Limited information
Checked: 19 September 2026.
Relevant to: Friendship under pressure; Holocaust history through a child’s eyes; Hope and humour amid suffering
Benefits, discussion questions and reading approaches are suggestions. Your knowledge of your child remains part of the decision.
These links show the original reading lists. Inclusion is not a guarantee of suitability for your child.
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