Welcome to ONCE
This term we are going to read a book that is small, fast and about a boy who tells stories to survive. His name is Felix, he is ten, and he lives in Poland in 1942. He thinks he knows what is going on around him. He doesn't. You will understand things long before he does – and that is what makes this book so hard to put down.
Here is how we work:
- We read the book in four parts. For every part you get instructions, words to learn and questions on three levels: on the lines (what does the text say?), between the lines (what does the text mean?) and behind the lines (why did the author write it like this?).
- You discuss the questions in your reading group, then we talk in class. Write your answers in your reading log – short notes are fine, but always point to the text.
- You keep a Once notebook all the way through (see below). Felix has one. So do you.
- At the end there is an oral exam in pairs or groups of three. It works like the national test, so you get to practise the format before the real thing in spring.
Week | What we do |
|---|
1 | Before reading + we listen to chapter 1 together |
2 | Part 1 – The orphanage |
3 | Part 2 – The journey |
4 | Part 3 – The city and the cellar (+ practice round of the oral exam) |
5 | Part 4 – The train |
6 | Oral exam |
7 | After reading – writing |
You can listen to the first chapter for free on Morris Gleitzman's website. Feel free to listen before class if you want to feel prepared.
Before reading
1. The quote
"Everybody deserves something good in their life at least once."
Think about it on your own for a few minutes. Then talk in your groups:
- Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- Tell each other about a memory when you felt really happy. What made it so good?
- These words come from the book we are going to read. What do you think the book will be about?
2. The title
The book is called Once. Look the word up. It has more than one meaning. Which meaning do you think the author is going for? Write down your guess – we come back to it at the end of the book.
3. Facts you need before we start
- The story takes place in Poland in 1942, during the Second World War. Germany has occupied Poland. The Nazis are hunting Jewish people.
- Many Jewish parents tried to save their children by hiding them – with Christian families, in convents, in orphanages. Felix's parents did exactly this. He has been hidden in a Catholic orphanage for three years and eight months.
- Morris Gleitzman was born in England in 1953 and grew up in Australia. His grandfather was Jewish and came from Poland. Most of his grandfather's family were murdered in the Holocaust. Felix and Zelda are invented, but the world they live in is real.
- Once is the first of seven books about Felix. In the last one he is over eighty years old. If you like this one, there is a lot more to read.
4. Words to know before chapter 1
Talk about these in your group and make sure everyone knows what they mean:
- orphanage
- convent
- nun
- the Virgin Mary
- the Pope
- I almost caused a riot – what did Felix almost do?
- Jewish
- Nazi
- bookseller
5. Reading
We read chapter 1 together in class. Then, in your group:
- Describe and discuss your first impressions of Felix and Mother Minka. Choose one more character from the opening chapter. What do you think they look like? What kind of people are they?
- Why is it so special that Felix finds a whole carrot in his soup?
- Help each other with words you don't know. Start a word list for your group. You add to it every week.
Part 1 – The orphanage
Read: from the beginning until Felix leaves the orphanage.
While you read
- Notice how every chapter begins. What is the first word? Why do you think that is?
- Keep a list of things Felix thinks are true. Put a question mark next to the ones you are not so sure about. This list will grow.
- Add new words to your group's word list. Pick five that you think everyone should know and explain them to the class.
On the lines
- How long has Felix lived at the orphanage? Why is he there, according to Felix?
- What does Felix do with the carrot, and why?
- Who is Mother Minka? Give three facts about her from the text.
- What do the Nazis do when they come to the orphanage?
- What does Felix take with him when he leaves? Why does he leave?
Between the lines
- Felix thinks the Nazis only hate Jewish books. What does the reader understand that Felix doesn't?
- Why does Mother Minka let Felix stay, even though it is dangerous for her? What does that tell you about her?
- Felix is very good at explaining things so that they seem okay. Find one example. Why do you think he does this?
- Is Felix's decision to leave brave, naive – or both? Explain with examples from the text.
Behind the lines
- Why does Gleitzman let a ten-year-old tell the story? What would change if Mother Minka told it instead?
- Every chapter starts with Once – like a fairy tale. What effect does that have on you as a reader?
- Gleitzman mixes humour with something terrible. Find one place where you laughed, or almost laughed. Why do you think the author wants you to laugh here?
Group talk (10 min): Compare your lists of things Felix believes. Which of his beliefs do you think will be the first to break?
Part 2 – The journey
Read: from Felix leaving the orphanage until Felix and Zelda reach the city.
While you read
- Zelda arrives in this part. Write down three things she says that tell you who she is.
- Felix tells a lot of stories in this part. Every time he tells one, ask yourself: who is the story for – Zelda, or Felix himself?
- Look for the moment when Felix starts to understand what is really happening. Mark it.
On the lines
- What does Felix find in the burning house? Who is Zelda?
- What does Felix tell Zelda about her parents? Is it true?
- Describe the people Felix and Zelda meet on the road. What are they doing, and why?
- What does Felix do with his notebook during the journey?
Between the lines
- Why does Felix tell Zelda stories instead of the truth? Is he lying – or is it something else? Discuss.
- Zelda keeps saying "Don't you know anything?" What does that show about her? What does it show about the difference between the two children?
- Felix finds something in the burnt house that he decides not to tell Zelda about. Why does he keep it a secret? Would you have done the same?
- When does Felix start to understand? Point to the exact place in the text and explain how you know.
Behind the lines
- Why does the author give Felix a companion? What would the book lose without Zelda?
- Gleitzman never describes violence in detail – Felix looks away, or explains it as something else. Why do you think the author chose this way of writing about war?
- Who is this book written for, do you think – children, teenagers, adults? Give reasons.
Group talk (10 min): Felix protects Zelda with stories. Is that kindness or is it cowardice? Try to argue for both sides before you decide.
Part 3 – The city and the cellar
Read: from the city until the Nazis find the cellar.
A real person behind the story
In this part you meet Barney, a dentist who hides Jewish children. Barney is invented, but Gleitzman based him on a real man: Janusz Korczak, a doctor and teacher who ran an orphanage for Jewish children in the Warsaw ghetto. In 1942 he was offered a chance to escape. He said no. He stayed with his children, and when they were sent to the death camp Treblinka, he went with them. Keep him in mind when you read about Barney.
While you read
- There are several children in the cellar. Make a small table: name, age (if you know it), one thing that makes them special.
- Felix has changed since chapter 1. Collect evidence: what does he do or say now that he would not have done at the orphanage?
- Add words to your word list. This part has a lot of words about the city and the ghetto – make sure you understand them.
On the lines
- Who is Barney and what does he do for a living? How does that help the children?
- Choose one of the other children in the cellar and describe them.
- What does Felix find out about his parents' bookshop?
- What are the rules in the cellar? Why are they so strict?
Between the lines
- Barney fixes the teeth of Nazi officers. Why does he do it? What might he be feeling while he works?
- Felix is still keeping his secret about Zelda's parents. Why? Has your opinion about this changed since Part 2?
- How has Felix changed since chapter 1? Give two examples from the text and explain what they show.
- Felix's stories seem to work less and less well. Find a place where a story does not help. What happens instead?
Behind the lines
- Barney is based on Janusz Korczak. Why do you think Gleitzman wanted a real adult in a story about invented children?
- The author lets Felix's stories become weaker as the book goes on. What is he trying to say about stories – and about growing up?
- The title of the book is Once. Now that you have read this far – what do you think it means? Compare with your guess from before reading.
Group talk (10 min): Barney lies to the Nazis every day to keep the children alive. Felix lies to Zelda to keep her happy. Is it the same kind of lie? Where do you draw the line?
Part 4 – The train
Read: to the end of the book. Read it in one go if you can. Don't look at the last page first.
While you read
- Watch what happens to Felix's notebook. Follow it all the way.
- When Barney makes his choice, stop for a moment. Write down what you feel before you read on.
- Go back to the quote we started with: "Everybody deserves something good in their life at least once." Who says it, and when?
On the lines
- What choice does Barney make when the Nazis come? What could he have done instead?
- How do Felix and Zelda get off the train?
- What happens to Felix's notebook?
- Who does not make it? How does Felix react?
Between the lines
- Barney says that everybody deserves something good in their life at least once. Has Felix had his "once"? Has Zelda? Has Barney?
- Felix's notebook ends up as toilet paper – and then it helps them escape. What might the author want to say with that?
- The book ends on the run, without answers. Why do you think it ends there? How did the ending make you feel?
- Look at the last lines of the book. How are they different from the first lines? What has happened to Felix in between?
Behind the lines
- Gleitzman has said that the book is about how stories help us survive. Do you agree after reading it? Where in the book do stories help – and where do they fail?
- Why do you think an Australian author, born after the war, wrote this book? What might he want a reader in 2026 to think about?
- Gleitzman wrote six more books about Felix. What do you think happens to him next – and would you want to read on? Why, or why not?
- Think about the whole book. What is the one thing you will remember from it? Why that?
Group talk (10 min): Your first guess about the title – were you right? Decide together on the best explanation of why the book is called Once.
Your Once notebook
Felix carries a notebook. He writes stories in it to make sense of a world that makes no sense. You are going to do the same.
Get a small notebook (or a document you keep just for this). After each part of the book, write a short text – 100 to 200 words is enough. Every text must begin with the word Once. Here are your four prompts:
After | Write |
|---|
Part 1 | Once I believed something that turned out not to be true. A memory of your own – big or small. |
Part 2 | Once there was a girl called Zelda. Tell a story Felix might tell her, in Felix's voice. |
Part 3 | Once, in a cellar… Choose one of the other children and write a piece of their story. |
Part 4 | Once… Your own choice. A continuation of the book, a letter, a memory, anything. |
In the last week you choose your best text and read it to your group. Nobody grades the notebook – it is yours. But I will read it if you let me, and I would love to.
Oral exam – Let's talk about Once
How it works
You talk in pairs or groups of three for about 12–15 minutes. I sit with you and listen. I will not lead the conversation – that is your job. It works exactly like part A of the national test, so this is good practice.
- Warm-up (2 min): Tell each other: what was the strongest moment in the book for you?
- Cards (10 min): You take turns drawing a card. Read it out loud. Then talk about it – all of you. When the conversation dies, draw a new card. Aim for four or five cards.
- Round-off (2 min): Would you recommend this book to a friend? Give two reasons.
What I am listening for
- Do you stay on the topic and say something with substance? Do you use examples from the book and from your own life?
- Do you keep the conversation going – ask questions, build on what the others say, help someone who gets stuck?
- Is your English varied and reasonably correct? Can you express yourself even when you don't know the exact word?
Nobody expects perfect English. I expect you to talk.
Useful phrases
- I agree with you, but… / I see it differently, because…
- What do you think? / What about you? / Do you remember the part when…?
- In the book there is a scene where… / For example, when Felix…
- I'm not sure how to say this, but…
- Can you explain what you mean?
Discussion cards
Cut these out and put them face down on the table.
| |
|---|
1. Stories can save lives. Agree or disagree? | 2. Children should always be told the truth, even when it hurts. |
3. Felix chooses to leave the orphanage. Was it the right decision? | 4. Barney could have saved himself. Was his choice brave – or wrong? |
5. Hope is more important than facts. | 6. Is Felix a hero? What makes someone a hero? |
7. Felix lies to Zelda to protect her. Is a lie ever the right thing to do? | 8. Why should young people today read books about the Holocaust? |
9. Which character changed the most in the book? Explain. | 10. If you could ask Morris Gleitzman one question, what would it be? |
11. "Everybody deserves something good in their life at least once." What is your "once"? | 12. Zelda is only six, but she often understands more than Felix. Why? |
13. The book is funny and terrible at the same time. Does that work? | 14. Felix's notebook: what does it mean to him at the start, and at the end? |
15. You can't understand history if you only read facts – you need stories too. | 16. Should there be a film of Once? Who would you cast as Felix and Zelda? |
Practice round (week 4): We try the format once before the exam, with the cards from Parts 1 and 2 only. No grade – just so the real thing is not the first time.
After reading – choose one
Write 300–500 words. Choose the task that interests you most.
- Book review. Write a review for next year's Year 9. What is the book about (no spoilers!), what did you like, what didn't work for you, and who should read it? Give it a grade out of five and explain why.
- Letter to Morris Gleitzman. Tell him what the book did to you. Which scene stayed with you? What did you think about while reading? End with one question you would really like him to answer.
- Once… Write your own story in Felix's style. Every paragraph starts with Once. It can be about anything – but it should be about something that matters to you.
- Zelda's chapter. Choose one scene from the book and write it again from Zelda's point of view. What does she see, understand and feel that Felix doesn't?
Hand in through Classroom. And if you want to keep reading: the next book is called Then. It starts exactly where Once ends.
