Now
Morris Gleitzman
Summary
Now is about Felix (who has been in World War II) and his granddaughter Zelda. The story takes place about 70 years after World War II. Zelda's parents go to Africa to help people who are sick, so Zelda stays with Felix and his dog Jumble. Zelda is getting bullied and is getting used to her life, but one day she smells smoke so she looks outside. The whole sky is lit up with flames, it's a starting of an Australian Bushfire. Zelda now has her chance to show she can be brave just like the old Zelda.
Theme
The theme of Now is courage. Zelda and Felix risked their life going back for Jumble when the fire was getting really close. Zelda also had to find courage when she had to do surgery on her friend (who's lungs were filling up with liquid) and try to drain it out. Zelda had to have a lot of courage when they were in the hole they dug, and the fire was going right over them. That is why I think courage is the theme of Now.
Historical
In the book Felix told a story about how a little boy (who was Jewish) and a young girl (who wasn't Jewish.) The boy left her, so she wouldn't be classified as a Jew and get killed. The author used the fact that the Nazis would kill all the Jews or people they thought were Jews in his book. The author also put a fact about how many people did things to be put with the people they loved. The old Zelda bit an officer, so she would be put into the train car with Felix.
The 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires (Australia)