Once

Published in 2005, Once is a children’s historical fiction novel by Morris Gleitzman. Set in Poland during World War II, the story follows Felix, a 10-year-old Jewish boy being hidden from the Nazis in a Catholic orphanage, as he embarks on a quest to find his parents. Gleitzman was inspired by the true experiences of the Polish-Jewish educator and author Janusz Korczak during the Holocaust. Korczak is the inspiration for the character Barney, who sacrifices himself to try to ensure the well-being of Jewish orphans. Gleitzman has been writing books since 1985, and he is best known for his award-winning children’s stories. Once is the first title in his seven-book series, which also includes Then (2008) and After (2011), that follows Felix through World War II into old age. Once has been translated into several languages, including German, and is regarded as an important Holocaust introduction for children. This guide was written referencing the Barnes & Noble Nook edition of Once.

Plot Summary

 It is summertime in Poland in the year 1942, and Felix Salinger has been at the Catholic orphanage in the mountains for three years and eight months. When he was six years old, his Jewish parents had left him there, promising that they would return for him once they fixed the problems with their book-selling business. Since then, Felix has waited patiently, secure in the knowledge that God, Jesus, Mary, the Pope, and Adolf Hitler are taking care of him and the rest of the world. To pass the time, he makes up adventure stories starring his parents.

One night at dinner, Felix receives a whole carrot in his watery stew. Receiving such a thing is a miracle due to wartime food scarcity, and he takes it as a sign that his parents are finally returning for him. When a car arrives at the orphanage the next day, Felix assumes it is his parents; he is shocked to see stern looking men exit the car, each wearing a band on his arm. One of the nuns calls them “Nazis.”

When the Nazis begin emptying the orphanage library, burning the books, Felix wonders why the Nazis hate books so much. He realizes that if the Nazis find his family’s bookstore, his parents may be in danger. He decides to sneak out of the orphanage to go warn them, despite the warnings of a recently arrived Jewish orphan. It is several days’ walk back to his family’s village, but along the way, Felix finds all the food and clothing he needs at an empty house. The houses look as if the occupants left suddenly, but because of all the gunfire in the distance, Felix assumes they have gone hunting.

Finally, Felix arrives at his village; he is shocked to find it nearly empty. He wonders if he has misremembered where he used to live until he sees his family’s bookstore. Instead of his parents, a strange man and woman are living there, and they tell Felix to leave. Another man, who seems frightened, tells him he needs to run away because all the Jews have been taken to the city. Felix decides to see if he can find his parents there.

On the road, Felix encounters a burning house. Running to the property to see if anyone needs help, he sees a dead man and woman and an unconscious six-year-old girl. Hoisting her up piggyback, he carries her with him as he journeys to the city. When she wakes, she cries for her parents. He distracts her with a story about a child who spent three years and eight months living in a castle in the mountains. The girl, whose name is Zelda, helps him make up the story as they go along.

Eventually, Felix and Zelda encounter a crowd of Jewish people being forced to march to the city by gun-wielding Nazis. Since they are going that way anyway, Felix does not object when the Nazis find him and Zelda and force them to join the Jews. After many miles, they finally arrive. Dismayed, Felix sees there are so many Jews there that it will be nearly impossible to find his parents. He begins to wonder if the Nazis hate the Jews for more reasons than just books.

When Felix and Zelda try to sneak away, the Nazis nearly shoot them, but a man stops. He speaks to the Nazis for a few moments, and then is allowed to take Felix and Zelda with him. Introducing himself as Barney, he brings them to a basement where several other children are hiding. Felix falls ill but gradually recovers. Barney and Zelda beg Felix to tell stories to help pass the time, but he is tired of stories and impatient to find his parents.

Recognizing Felix’s talent at making up entertaining and fantastical stories, Barney tells him that he has a job for him. Felix discovers that Barney is a dentist. The usefulness of his trade keeps him relatively safe from the Nazis, who enlist his help as well. Barney takes Felix to his nighttime dental appointments. Felix tells stories to distract the patients from the pain of dental work without anesthetics. One patient is a Nazi officer; he is entertained by Felix’s story and wants him to write it down for his children.

One night, Barney and Felix go out in search of water. Barney finds some vials of dental anesthetics. Putting them in his pocket, he warns Felix that anyone who takes too much of the drug will go to sleep and not wake up. Felix discovers a dead toddler in a highchair; this traumatic moment haunts him. In tears, Barney explains that parents cannot always protect their children. Barney tells him that once Jews arrive at the city, they are sent to death camps. Heartbroken, Felix realizes that his parents are most likely dead.

Zelda falls gravely ill. Concern for Zelda breaks Felix out of his depression. Barney charges Felix with searching the empty houses of the Ghetto for a bottle of aspirin. After nearly being captured, Felix discovers in Zelda’s locket a picture of her parents: Her father is in a Nazi uniform. When they return home, they find that Nazis have discovered their basement hiding place. The Nazis march them all to the station and pack them into train cars with hundreds of other Jews.

While on the train, Felix discovers a hole in the wall. The Jews work together to make it bigger, and several of them jump out. However, Nazis riding on the top of the train fire machine guns at them, and some of the Jews that jumped are killed. Some escape and run to the woods, so Felix and Zelda say they want to take the chance. The other kids from the basement are too afraid, so Barney stays with them. Felix remembers the drugs in Barney’s pocket and knows that when they arrive at the death camp, he will tell the children a bedtime story and then put them to sleep.

After saying their goodbyes, Felix and Zelda jump from the train, avoiding the gunfire. Together, they wonder what the future has in store for them. The story continues in the series’ next book, Then.