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Once

By Morris Gleitzman
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Brief Description
The poignant story of survival and hope as a beautiful clothbound hardback, part of the Penguin Modern Australian Classics series. Winner - Australian Book Industry Awards 2011 Winner - YABBA Children's Choice Awards 2007 Winner - KOALA Children's Choice Awards 2007 Honour Award - CBCA Book... Read More
Format: Hardback
$4000
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The poignant story of survival and hope as a beautiful clothbound hardback, part of the Penguin Modern Australian Classics series.

Winner - Australian Book Industry Awards 2011
Winner - YABBA Children's Choice Awards 2007
Winner - KOALA Children's Choice Awards 2007
Honour Award - CBCA Book of the Year 2006
Honour Award - Sydney Taylor (Jewish) Award 2011

'Haunting . . . dangerous and desperate, but also full of courage and hope.'
The Guardian

Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad.

Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house.

Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh.

My name is Felix.

This is my story.

'Tension builds swiftly in this wrenching tale . . . poignant.'
Publishers Weekly, starred review

'Extols the power of storytelling in the face of tragedy.'
The Horn Book, starred review

'Brilliant in its realism.'
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Other books in the series:
Once
Then
Now
After
Soon
Maybe
Always

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781761621482

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 08 September 2026

Country: Australia

Imprint: Penguin Random House Australia

Audience: Children, Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 1.0mm

Width: 1.0mm

Height: 1.0mm

Weight: 1g

Pages: 160

Collections

Children's Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Morris Gleitzman Penguin Books Young Adult

About the Author

Morris Gleitzman grew up in England and came to Australia when he was sixteen. After university he worked for ten years as a screenwriter. Then he had a wonderful experience. He wrote a novel for young people. Now, after 45 books, he's one of Australia's most popular authors. He was appointed the Australian Children's Laureate for 2018-2019.

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  • Once
    Once I escaped from an orphanage to find my Mum and Dad. Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house. Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh. My name is Felix. This is my story. The reference at the end of the book to readers' notes refers to the teachers' notes which can be found at...
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  • Soon
    I hoped the Nazis would be defeated. And they were. I hoped the war would be over. And it was. I hoped we would be safe. But we aren't. Soon continues the incredibly moving story of Felix, a Jewish boy still struggling to survive in the wake of the liberation of Poland after the end of World War Two.
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  • Always
    The much-anticipated final journey in the story of Felix, hero of Morris Gleitzman's multi-award-winning Once, Then, After, Soon, Maybe and Now. Notable Book - CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2022 Shortlisted - NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2022 Shortlisted - YABBA Children's Choice Awards 2022 'Haunting... dangerous and desperate, but also full of courage and hope.' The Guardian The powerful...
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  • Girl Underground
    Trying to fit in at a posh new school is really hard when your loving and lovable family also happen to be criminals. Bridget is succeeding pretty well and has even made a friend, Menzies, the son of the federal Minister for National Development. Then she finds out about Menzies' pen-friend, Jamal, a refugee kid from Afghanistan held in a...
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    A story of adventure, ball control and hope. Jamal and Bibi have a dream: to lead Australia to soccer glory in the next World Cup. But first, they must face landmines, pirates, storms and assassins. Can Jamal and his family survive their incredible journey and get to Australia? Sometimes, to save the people you love, you have to go overboard....
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  • Grace
    A thought-provoking and compassionate novel from the award-winning author of Boy Overboard, Girl Underground, and the Felix stories—Once, Then, Now, After, Soon, and Maybe. "A serious message wrapped up in greatness of heart and lightness of touch." The Bookbag In the beginning, there was me and Mum and Dad and the twins. And talk about happy families, we were bountiful....
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  • Wicked! Bind Up
    Something very weird is happening to Dawn and Rory. And it's not just their new step-family. Slurping slobberers want to suck their bones out. Strange steel sheep want to smash them to pieces. Giant frogs want to crunch them up. Cruel killer creepers want to squeeze the life out of them. Their parents can't help them. Dawn and Rory are...
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  • Childish
    A story about why kids are the best people to fix broken things. Childish - 1. Being a child. 2. Solving big problems using only a really good friendship, an endless supply of the world's best dumplings, and a thousand kilos of plasticine. 3. E.g., Arkie and Dot.
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    All six books in one! Join Amy and Sprocket as they uncover deadly secret after deadly secret on the most tumultuous journey of their lives. An adventure full of delight, terror, tears, and laughter, Deadly! Bindup will leave you gasping. It's daring! It's dangerous! It's deadly!
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  • Digging Up Dad
    Another winning set of short stories from one of our best-loved authors, on a theme for our times—kids helping adults to be their best selves. Funny, hopeful stories just when we need all the hope and humour we can get! Digging Up Dad offers brilliantly funny short stories for middle school readers from the ever-popular Morris Gleitzman, in the hilarious...
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