Once - Morris Gleitzman

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. Dig a tunnel. Disguise myself as a priest. Make a rope from nun robes knotted together. I just walked out through the main gate. I slither down the mountainside through the cool green forest, feeling very grateful to God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Pope, and Adolf Hitler. Grateful that after the Nazis left this morning, the nuns didn't lock the gate. Grateful that this mountainside is covered in pine needles rather than tangled undergrowth and thorns.

Felix is a ten year old boy who lives in an orphanage. All the other kids have parents who are dead, but not Felix, his parents are coming back… Felix tires of waiting for his parents to return for him, so he heads off across country to find them himself. His story is both heartbreaking and heart-warming as he searches for his family and discovers a whole world he never knew existed.

Each new chapter starts Once, Felix’s voice rings strong and true with a quirk and zeal that captures his age and innocence. A well crafted story that follows the persecution of the Jews through the eyes of a naive young boy. At times hard to read, Once is an amazing tale of adventure, courage and childhood innocence. Although this is a children's fiction book, given the content, I probably wouldn't recommend it for younger children, it’s more suited for 9-10 years+.  

Once I went on my first train journey, but I wouldn't call it exciting - I’d call it painful and miserable.   There are so many of us in this boxcar that most of us have to stand up. Every time the train lurches, we lurch too and squash each other.

http://www.morrisgleitzman.com/

The Fault in our Stars - John Green

Me: “If you want me to be a teenager, don’t send me to Support Group. Buy me a fake ID so I can go to clubs, drink vodka and take pot.”Mom: “You don’t take pot, for starters.”Me: “See, that’s the kind of thing I’d know if you got me a fake ID.”

Hazel (or Hazel Grace as she is so often referred to) has cancer (a side effect of dying). It wrecked her lungs and nearly killed her but now shes on a drug that keeps it from growing. Her mother thinks she is depressed (Hazel notes that depression is not a side effect of cancer, it’s another side effect of dying, like almost everything). Hazel’s doctor agrees so she gets shipped off to support group even though she doesn't think it will do her any good.

Upon arrival at support group she sees the regulars, one being a boy named Isaac who is losing his vision. Its through Isaac that she meets Augustus (also often referred to as Augustus Waters). There begins this epic tale of what turns out to be the adventures of a life time. The story follows Hazel and Augustus with their superior wit and intellect through ups and downs, adventures and sorrow.

It’s a remarkable book and I was very pleased to see they left very little out when they made the movie. Some bits made me laugh out loud while others made me cry. Beautifully written, I really enjoyed the characters and their interactions with one another. I find it hard to believe anyone could read this and not fall in love with the Augustus Waters character and his outlook on life.

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, /But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2

http://johngreenbooks.com/