Maybe by Morris Gleitzman
Viking, 2017. ISBN 9780670079377
(Age: Upper primary - Lower secondary) Maybe, the sixth book
in the series, is an excellent continuation of the saga of Felix, an
orphan who has survived the war yet still has not found ultimate
peace and freedom. This title focuses on Felix, Gabriek and the
pregnant Anya as they endeavour to find a safe place for the baby to
be born, away from their old enemy, Zliv. Uncertainty seems to
follow the little band of travellers as they endeavour to find a new
home. The reader is automatically on the side of the protagonist who
continues to live in the hope that just maybe life in Australia will
bring them the security they all desire.
As in the previous books, the introduction of new characters adds a
new perspective and both a sense of possibility and menace to their
lives and situations in which they find themselves. Throughout the
story is a sense of tension as one barracks eagerly on the sidelines
for Felix to find the 'maybe' of which he dreams.
With the author's non-linear progression throughout the series, each
novel easily stands alone and can be read out of sequence without
destroying the other books for the reader. This heart wrenching tale
is most appropriate for children in upper primary to secondary
students. Certainly, in my previous schools, the titles in this
series have rarely been on the shelf and have been used to great
effect as class novels or in literature circles as they are
engaging, if somewhat confronting, reads, simultaneously depressing
and uplifting.
Jo Schenkel