The sequel to 'Once' and another powerful read. Felix and Zelda are on the run from being captured by the Nazis. The full atrocity of war seen through the eyes of innocent children is at times quite emotionally draining, although throughout the story there is a sense of hope, compounded by their innocence. Extremely well written and a great start for introducing young readers to this period of history.

The book "Then" is most certainly a "War book" which grasps your attention and does not let you go until the last page. Personally I have an interest in war books as I find it highly interesting to read the experiences that people went through during the war. It tells the story of a young Jewish boy who constantly tries to escape getting captured by the Nazis which unfortunately for some Jews was inevitable. I admittedly shed a few tears throughout the book as it is was very emotional at some parts. Overall, this is an extraordinary book and I would definitely recommend it!

I had got 'Once' the precursor to this book for my son to read and I also read it. This is the follow up to that book. Again, I could not put it down. The narrator is a 10-year old Jewish boy trapped in World War II Poland. In the previous book he has already been through so much but Morris Gleitzman doesn't let up with his gritty realism in this story. Sometime I did forget that this book was written for children but the horror is not there for effect but has a deeper purpose. There is a good balance between the horrors of war and the humanity that some adults and children show. I loved this book and would recommend that everyone should read it - although I don't think it would be suitable for younger readers.

This book made me cry. I cannot believe they would do that to Zelda. I was really hoping that Felix and Zelda could live together and grow old.

I 'discovered' this book a couple of years ago when it was on the UKLA shortlist for books for younger readers. I was lucky enough to meet Morris Gleitzman at the award ceremony, where (unsurprisingly) he won. As he accepted his award, he did point out that his trilogy was aimed at the 9-12 age group, as he believed that children were able to cope with books which had a content adults may deem to be too upsetting for them. Since then, I have tried and tested this book on my Year 5 'Discovery Clubs' - my inschool reading groups set up for able readers who are stuck in a rut with their reading. I have yet to find a child (male or female) who did not love it. Here are the comments of the latest group I tested it on who happened to be all boys aged 9 and 10:- 'Every single member of Discovery Club loved this book. Some of them cried because the ending was so sad. One of them passed the book on to his mum and she cried too. They liked the action in the book and also the fact that it was very true to life. They thought it helped you to understand war and know that it is not 'cool.' Even though it was the second book in the trilogy, they did not find that they had missed out on any of the story. They would definitely recommend it to all their friends and gave it a resounding 10/10.'