Shared Reading - Once - Morris Gleitzman

Chapter 7 (p. 57)

‘Once I woke up and I was at home in bed. Dad was reading me a story about a boy who got left in an orphanage. Mum came in with some carrot soup. They both promised they’d never leave me anywhere. We hugged and hugged.’

1. What is the significance of the following: the armbands? Felix’s predictions about the future?

2. How does Felix answer his own question – ‘Why would the Nazis make people suffer like this just for the sake of some books?’ (p.64) Why is this a turning point?

3. Theme: Loss - Use colours, symbols and text to explain how this theme was represented in this chapter.

4. Reflection: Displacement. Think about the many things the people forced to travel on the road had to abandon. Apart from material possessions, what else would they have had to leave behind? (e.g.: other people, businesses, family heirlooms, pets, freedom, wealth etc…) What could they bring with them? (e.g.: spiritual beliefs, knowledge, loved ones etc…)

Shared Reading - Once - Morris Gleitzman

Chapter 6 (p. 49)

‘Once I walked as fast as I could towards the city to find Mum and Dad and I didn’t let anything stop me. Not until the fire.’

1. What changes have taken place in Felix (e.g.: more cautious, fearful of Nazis) and how do they influence his actions?

2. How does Felix control his anxiety and make use of his story telling ability?

3. Theme: Instinct or Courage - Draw a picture to explain how this has been represented in this chapter.

4. Reflection: Felix’s choices. Do you think Felix did the right thing by a) taking Zelda and b) not telling her the truth about her parents at that point? What other choices did he make for Zelda’s benefit?

Shared Reading - Once - Morris Gleitzman

Chapter 5 (p. 38)

‘Once I walked all night and all the next day except for a short sleep in a forest and all night again and then I was home.’

1. How do Felix's dreams compare with the reality of what he discovers when he makes it home?

2. Describe the range of emotions he experiences. Analyse emotions he observes in other people encountered at this point in the story. How would you classify them? (e.g.: negative, strong, fleeting...)

3. Theme: Hope or Disappointment - How was this shown in this chapter?

4. Reflection: Help in unexpected places. Why are Mr.Kopek’s actions meaningful? Why do you think he chose to do what he did and how did it help Felix? What other unexpected sources of assistance did Felix encounter on his journey?

Shared Reading - Once - Morris Gleitzman

Chapter 4 (p. 27)

‘Once I escaped from an orphanage in the mountains and I didn’t have to do any of the things you do in escape stories.’

1. List some of the reasons Felix considers himself ‘lucky’ (p.30)? List things you think he could complain about.

2. What indications are there – recognized or missed by Felix - that something is terribly wrong? What explanations does Felix come up with to make sense of things?

3. Theme: Keeping the Faith - List 3 ways in which faith is presented in this chapter.

4. Reflection: Making sense of the inexplicable. Why would the “truth” be the furthest thing from Felix’s mind given what he is witnessing? Is it a blessing or a curse for him to be able to explain everything or reason an acceptable outcome?

Shared Reading - Once - Morris Gleitzman

Chapter 3 (p. 17)

‘Once I saw a customer, years ago, damaging books in Mum and Dad’s shop. Tearing pages out. Screwing them up. Shouting things I couldn’t understand.’

1. Identify 2 things that unsettle Felix and explain how his thinking starts to change.

2. Felix has plans to help his Mum and Dad. What are they and what motivates him to take action?

3. Theme: Kindness - How is this shown in this chapter? Explain.

4. Reflection: On the “truth”. How might knowing the truth (about what could have happened to his parents) have made a difference to Felix at this point? Recall some moments when the truth begins to dawn on him or he suspects his impressions may be false. At the end of the novel, what do you imagine he thinks the truth really is?

Shared Reading - Once - Morris Gleitzman

Chapter 2 (p. 9)

1. ‘Once I stayed awake all night, waiting for Mum and Dad to arrive.' - What does this mean?

2. What memories and physical evidence does Felix have of his parents? What beliefs does Felix hold about what will happen?

3. Explain the importance of Felix’s notebook. Identify 4 things this notebook symbolizes. 4

4. Theme - Being displaced - Explain how this relates to this chapter.

5. Reflection - The book burning. What did Felix “think” the men in armbands were doing? What were they actually doing and why?

Shared Reading - Once - Morris Gleitzman

Chapter 1

1. ‘Once I was living in an orphanage in the mountains and I shouldn’t have been and I almost caused a riot.’ - What is the meaning of this sentence?

2. Describe your first impressions of Felix, Mother Minka and one other character introduced in the opening chapter (consider the traits they appear to possess and your response to meeting them).

3. What is the significance of the carrot and what are Felix’s plans for it?

4. Explore the theme - Living with others - how is this made explicit in this chapter?

5. Reflection: this question asks you to reflect on something inspired by that particular chapter. You are asked to reflect and analyse this, not in isolation but with the whole story in mind. Awareness of connections may enable a fresh perspective or interpretation of events - Hopes and Dreams. What sustains Felix? What “shelters” him at this point compared with mid-way through the story or at the conclusion of the novel?