Felix is now in his 80’s, living a quiet live with his dog Jumble after an astounding career as a surgeon in
Australia. His grandaughter Zel has just left for Syria to begin work as a Doctor herself and he’s missing her already.
At four thirty one morning, Felix hears someone in his backyard and then a hammering on his door. He opens it to see a stranger – a boy of ten years old called Wassim.
This boy asks him his name, making sure his trip from Eastern Europe has found the man he is looking for. Felix’s career and story has been in the Australian newspapers allowing Wassim to track him down on the internet. He passes Felix a note.
Dear Wassim
Your life won’t be easy. And I won’t be there to help you. So if you’re ever in big trouble, see a man called Wilhem Nowak. He’ll help you because of what I gave him at Speerkopf.
Good luck, from Grandpa Amon
Felix is sent back in time in his head for a moment. Wilhem Nowak was his alias in Poland when he was a child hiding from the Germans. Amon Kurtz was a Hitler Youth boy who befriended him over a love of books.
Felix soon learns that Wassim and his Uncle Otto travelled to Australia to avoid a vicious gang of thugs called the The Iron Weasels. They have made Wassim’s life difficult due to his dark skin and their hold over his Uncle. Uncle Otto has returned home alone and Wassim is worried for him.
When another message reaches Felix, this time by text, he knows he must try and help this young boy, just as others helped him at the same age nearly 70 years before.
He never imagined the same hate and prejudice that he faced back then would still be so rabid now. But just as the text came from someone decades before, another surprising message has been with Felix since he lost Zelda that terrible day. Can it defeat today’s monsters?
The final book in the hugely popular Felix and Zelda series, Always completes Felix’s life journey. As in the previous 6 books in the series Once, Then, After, Soon, Maybe, Now, each chapter begins with the word Always.
These opening sentences are often motto’s of Wassim’s learnt from his parents and uncle. Uncle Otto is a mechanic and entertaining car references are peppered throughout the story. eg. ….stop my worry cylinders from blowing a gasket.
Although the constant menace of a vicious gang hangs over the story, Wassim’s never-ending hope and optimism for something better, strikes a chord in Felix. Memories are stirred up, his losses sharp and raw all these years later, all the while as Wassim is etched into his heart.
As always, Gleitzman doesn’t sugarcoat the story, but tells it as it is. The gang behavior is confronting but no more than the rest of the series which children take in their stride.
Note: The original order of the series was:
Once 2005, Then 2008, Now 2010, After 2012, Soon 2015, Maybe 2017, Always 2021.
Author – Morris Gleitzman
Age – 9+
A note from Morris Gleitzman for his readers here
Read or Listen to an excerpt of Always here
Find Teacher’s Notes here
Read more reviews of books in this series (Click on a Cover)
(2021, Penguin, Series, Friendship, Action, Betrayal, Crime, Grief, Murder, Prejudice, Racism, Revenge, Hate, Gang, Violence, Payback, Treasure, Train, Germany, Danger, Football, Soccer Hooligans, Family)