Summary: If nobody wants him, that's fine.He'll just take care of himself.
When
his father dies, Dave knows nothing will ever be the same. And then it
happens. Dave lands in an orphanage—the cold and strict Hebrew Home for
Boys in Harlem—far from the life he knew on the Lower East Side. But
he's not so worried. He knows he'll be okay. He always is. If it doesn't
work out, he'll just leave, find a better place to stay. But it's not
that simple.
Outside the gates of the orphanage, the nighttime streets of Harlem buzz with jazz musicians and swindlers; exclusive parties and mystifying strangers. Inside, another world unfolds, thick with rare friendships and bitter enemies. Perhaps somewhere, among it all, Dave can find a place that feels like home.
Thoughts: Again, I love books about little children and Dave at Night fell right into that category! I loved this book! I loved Dave and felt so bad for all the boys at the HHB! It is not a good thing to be an avid reader of character pain and a firm believer in helping hugs so I spent most of the book thanking Solly (the first person to take an interest in Dave) for his kindness with almost as much gratitude as Dave himself. I also loved Irma Lee. She came off as a little spoiled (I wasn't too happy with the way she treated her parental figure) but she was a sweetheart none the less and became unabashedly fast friends with Dave. The ending wasn't exactly perfect but was still good and made me happy!
Content: There are a few mature themes in this book so parents be aware. The boys get severely beaten by a man who doesn't even care if he kills them in his rage (are you beginning to see why they need hugs?) along with unhealthy temperatures and food, abandonment, and ridicule. Solly and Dave also wheedle money of people by selling fake fortunes. There are a few name callings (all in Yiddish) and the HHB (Hebrew Home for Boys) tends to get called the Hell House for Brats on occasion. I can't remember but there might have been an instance of D* once or twice. That's all.
Outside the gates of the orphanage, the nighttime streets of Harlem buzz with jazz musicians and swindlers; exclusive parties and mystifying strangers. Inside, another world unfolds, thick with rare friendships and bitter enemies. Perhaps somewhere, among it all, Dave can find a place that feels like home.
Thoughts: Again, I love books about little children and Dave at Night fell right into that category! I loved this book! I loved Dave and felt so bad for all the boys at the HHB! It is not a good thing to be an avid reader of character pain and a firm believer in helping hugs so I spent most of the book thanking Solly (the first person to take an interest in Dave) for his kindness with almost as much gratitude as Dave himself. I also loved Irma Lee. She came off as a little spoiled (I wasn't too happy with the way she treated her parental figure) but she was a sweetheart none the less and became unabashedly fast friends with Dave. The ending wasn't exactly perfect but was still good and made me happy!
Content: There are a few mature themes in this book so parents be aware. The boys get severely beaten by a man who doesn't even care if he kills them in his rage (are you beginning to see why they need hugs?) along with unhealthy temperatures and food, abandonment, and ridicule. Solly and Dave also wheedle money of people by selling fake fortunes. There are a few name callings (all in Yiddish) and the HHB (Hebrew Home for Boys) tends to get called the Hell House for Brats on occasion. I can't remember but there might have been an instance of D* once or twice. That's all.
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