Once

• Genre: Fiction; young adult historical fiction
• Originally Published: 2005
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 640L; grades 7-9
• Structure/Length: 17 chapters; approx. 192 pages; approx. 3 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: In Poland in 1942, 10-year-old Felix Salinger waits for his parents to retrieve him from the Catholic orphanage where they dropped him off several years ago. When Nazis arrive and begin burning the books in the library, Felix becomes worried about his parents, who own a bookstore, and decides to walk back to his village to look for them.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Antisemitism; wartime violence and death

Morris Gleitzman, Author

• Bio: Born in 1953 in England; moved to Australia as a teenager; graduated from the Canberra College of Advanced Education with a degree in professional writing; worked as a television and movie screenwriter before writing his first novel; known for using humor to explore serious subjects; was appointed Australian Children’s Laureate for 2018-2019; his book Once is the first in a series involving protagonist Felix Salinger
• Other Works: Two Weeks with the Queen (1989); Misery Guts (1991); Toad Rage (2000); Then (2008); Now (2012); Digging Up Dad: And Other Hopeful (and Funny) Stories (2023)
• Awards: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011); Sydney Taylor Book Award for Teen Readers (silver medalist; 2011)