Once cover art

Once

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Once

By: Morris Gleitzman
Narrated by: Morris Gleitzman
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $11.99

Buy Now for $11.99

About this listen

 Felix lives in a convent orphanage in Poland. He is convinced his parents are still alive and that they will one day come back to get him. When Nazi soldiers come to the orphanage Felix decides to escape and make his way home. The journey to find his parents is a long and difficult one, as Poland is occupied by the Nazis and a dangerous place for a Jewish boy. Felix manages to live and look after himself and another orphan, Zelda, with the help of a kind dentist, Barney, who is hiding and looking after a number of Jewish children. When the Nazis discover them, Barney makes the ultimate sacrifice for the children - electing to go with them on the train to the death camps, rather than taking the option of freedom offered by a Nazi soldier, one of his grateful patients.©2005 Creative Input Pty Ltd. By arrangement with Penguin Group (Australia). (P)2005 Bolinda Publishing Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Religious Fiction Heartfelt Short Story Solider

Critic Reviews

"Morris Gleitzman's children's stories are among the most widely read and loved." (AudioFile Magazine)
"Morris Gleitzman has discovered the difficult trick of changing reality so that poignancy and laughter are never far apart." (The Australian)
"Gleitzman's reading is flawless and as a result the three disc, three hour listening experience seems to last only minutes. Gleitzman's postscript places the story firmly among the actual events of Hitler's Holocaust adding another instance of where 'Morris Gleitzman has discovered the difficult trick of changing reality so the poignancy and laughter are never far apart.' The cover artwork is identical to that of the paperback edition and the listener is privileged by hearing the author read his own inner creative voice as no one else can. This short audiobook, complete and unabridged, is a must for every school library. Listeners will not baulk at the three discs and three-hour investment of their time. In return, they will be privy to a new genre of comic but no less insightful historical fiction." (Fiction Focus)
"Set during the Holocaust, this is the tale of Felix, a young Jewish child who runs away from a Catholic orphanage to try and find his parents. He meets other orphans who join his journey, and he is eventually forced onto a train heading for the concentration camps. Gleitzman spares no horror divulging details of Nazi brutality, and he conveys the truths in small bits through Felix’s present-tense viewpoint. Felix copes with the tragedy of his life through storytelling, making the audio most effective. Always seeking to see the bright side, Felix helps others escape through fantasy as well, weaving tales to make those around him feel better. Gleitzman's resonant voice, hushed tones, Australian accent, and impeccable pacing draw listeners to this compelling tale. A hauntingly hollow Jewish musical refrain separates chapters and enhances the mood." (Booklist)
All stars
Most relevant  
I want to tell you the story of me reading this book as it will tell you about my review the start of the book was hard to get through and it took me about 2 weeks to get through the first third of the book but after that it started getting really good and I could not stop listening and it was amazing. I read over an hour of a book in one day it was incredible and I loved it. even though I did not do this reading by choice as it was a book given to me to read for school I'm so grateful that I read it and finished it. I'm writing this review just after I finished it so you get my freshmind straight out of this book and I'm moved by what happened at this time and how sad the holocaust was.

this book is incredible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A must read. Painful but what an inspirational story...never to forget! Earn a position amongst the great world war classics ...like: ‘The hiding place’ and ‘All’s quiet on the Western Front’.

Life as a Jewish child...war and atrocities

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Even though this book is fiction, it still gives the reader a new way to look at the Holocaust. The book is about a boy called Felix, who is living in Poland in 1942. Wise beyond his years, this book shows his life and how he trys to survive the Holocaust. With his best friend Zelda by his side, this is a great tale of survival. Because of some of the topics of violence and death, this is a good book for ages 9 and up.

A new gripping view of the Holocaust

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
5 star. 9 year old and 11 year old boy and girl both captivated. Keen to read and listen to the whole series. My daughter searched you tube for the movie. Was disappointed. Not sure that I would let her watch the movie but great to listen together, explain, learn and be entertained in a very moving way.

Enjoyed by my children. Addicted.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
More people should read/listen to this so they can understand what the effects of the holocaust was like for the victims, most stories you hear are the ones that barely escaped Germany or Poland with a visa in time but this book gives a whole new perspective.

Very sad

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Nice book. had to do this for school lol sksksksksksk it was good though kinda sad though

e p I c

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An incredible story told in a gentle, beautiful way. Morris captured the voice of a 10year old so well. Such a moving work!!

So sad, so powerful, beautifully told

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
one of the best books. it has been my favourite since the first time I was read this book was in primary school. can't wait to listen to all 5 of the remaining.

Incredible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love that they was a lot of detail in the book and that I was able to understand it Will

Families who where there

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It was really sad but I don’t like how the story endid but overall it was really good

Cool

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.