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Once upon a time, two small children were traveling through wartime Poland, hiding from Nazis and searching for their parents. Their names were Felix and Zelda. This is their story.
 
Ages 11+
Pages 192
Publisher Macmillan
Last Offered Aug 2025
Awards
Sydney Taylor Honor Award

Average Rating

2 Reviews

Featured Reviews

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Once by Sarah

Video review by Sarah
Once by Sarah
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Once Review by Emmy

Review by Emmy

Once is a beautiful story about a young boy's experience growing up secretly Jewish during the Holocaust. There are a lot of really interesting and intense moments in this book, and it makes it hard to put down! The protagonist Felix, is very easy to sympathize with, and so you care a lot about his feelings and his struggles. I really liked the way that the first person perspective was used, it was almost like you could see into Felix's brain. If you are a fan of intense stories with a lot of emotion in them, I can almost guarantee that you are going to love Once!

Reader Reviews

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I loved this book!

Review by NationalDesignTeam

It is an interesting sad, story. It helps you see through the perspective of the main character (Felix) in a way that adds a whole new depth of both making the book interesting, and sad. It makes you feel connected with Felix and the other characters.. It also made me think about how young some of these kids were during the holocaust, yet they were forced to grow up so much quicker and be so much more mature at such a young age. - David, PJ Our Way Advisory Committee

Aug 01, 2025 10:01 AM
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I loved this book!

Review by NationalDesignTeam

I loved Felix, and how he tried to make sense of everything. I also loved Zelda, as she was so interested in what was going on, and tried to help the best she could. It might be a little much as if you haven't been to the Holocaust museum of read other books about it, it might be scary as well as frightening, since there are some violent scenes. Although it was just right for me since I have read about the Holocaust before, and have been to the museum. - Mila, PJ Our Way Advisory Committee

Aug 01, 2025 10:00 AM