Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3521 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Synopsis
For three years and eight months, Felix has lived in a convent orphanage high in the mountains in Poland. But Felix is different from the other orphans. He is convinced his parents are still alive and will come back to get him. When a group of Nazi soldiers come and burn the nuns' books, Felix is terrified that his Jewish, bookseller parents will also be in danger. After escaping from the orphanage, Felix embarks on a long and dangerous journey through Nazi occupied Poland, befriending a little orphan girl called Zelda and a kindly dentist, Barney, who hides and cares for Jewish children. But when the Nazis discover them, Barney makes the ultimate sacrifice for the children.

Customer Reviews

Well written and well researched..
although i felt it went a bit beyond the boundaries as it covers almost every aspect of suffering imaginable during world war 2. One small book should not contain such an immense amount of heartbreak, there is only so much we can take in one sitting. This book is meant to break your heart - and it manages it - over and over and over again. I do recommend it, it is a great little book, but be prepared to cry - a lot.

Once - Morris Gleitzman
I came to this book almost directly after reading The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and this book is definetly a recommendation for anyone who liked those books.

Similar to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in many ways, in that the story comes from the view point of a young boy in WWII - different in so much as Felix is a Polish Jew whereas Bruno was a child of a German Officer - but both short books play on the innocence of youth, and gives a heartwarming, moving and tragic story of war from the childs perceptives.

Clearly a childs book, and could be read in one sitting easy enough, that shouldn't be a deterrent as this is an enjoyable book and one which will bring about many a tear and thoughts from many an adult. Thought provoking insight into the war, and one which schools could do well to pick up on as would make an excellent insight into the War for Children. Well worth reading, and if you haven't check out the other books mentioned in this brief review.

Moving and believable
This was another special book by Morris Gleitzman. I always find that you can read his books quickly and they are easy to read, but they always have depth and a proper story and they always leave you thinking for ages afterwards.

This is a book about a boy called Felix who runs away from the orphanage that he is at during WW2. It is his tale of survival with the people that he meets along the way. The ending is sad. Possiby one of the saddest I have ever read. I was desperate to read it so I finished it during an English lesson at school and I was trying not to cry during the lesson!