2010 book 242

Morris Gleitzman's Once
Once is the first of a YA trilogy about the Holocaust (all three books are out in Australia and the UK--this one is the only one out here so far), centering on a boy named Felix. It's Poland 1942, and three years ago his parents brought him to a Catholic orphanage to try and bring him to safety. Only, Felix is ridiculously naive (well, he is only nine) and doesn't understand what's happening to the Jews--he thinks the Nazis are after books and booksellers--and runs away to find his parents. Things don't really go well for him, as you might expect, though his imagination and storytelling help sustain him. So far this story isn't at the emotional level of, say, Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, but it is only volume one, and I think it's aimed at a slightly younger audience.