[.uk] Dave at Night (ISBN 0064407470)

Amazon.com Review:
"Gideon the Genius" and "Dave the Daredevil," their father called them: two Jewish boys growing up in 1920s New York, playing stickball and--in Dave's case--getting into trouble. But when their father dies, Dave finds himself separated from his older brother and thrust into the cold halls of the HHB, the Hebrew Home for Boys (which he later dubs the "Hopeless House of Beggars" and the "Hell Hole for Brats," among other things). Eager to escape the strict rules, constant bullying, and tasteless gruel of the orphanage, the Daredevil hops the wall one night to explore the streets of Harlem. He hears what he thinks is someone--or something?--laughing, but traces the sound to a late-night trumpeter shuffling backward into a wild "rent party." And just as quickly as he'd found himself stuck in the HHB, Dave is immersed in yet another world--the swinging salons and speakeasies of the Harlem Renaissance. Cramped, crazy parties packed with the likes of Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen give Dave refuge from life at the orphanage and awaken his artistic bent. And Dave's new friends, among them a grandfatherly "gonif" ("somebody who fools people out of their money") and a young "colored" heiress who takes a shine to him, help turn things around for him at the HHB. The skilled Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Medal-winning author of Ella Enchanted, clearly tells this tale from her heart, as the story is based on her own father's childhood spent in the real-life HOA (Hebrew Orphan Asylum). (Ages 8 to 12) --Paul Hughes

The Best Book EVER!:
I read this book a long time ago when I was in 4th grade, it was wonderful. I still remember it today. The characters from the Hebrew Home for Boys were wonderful from alfie the kid with allergies to the big bully! The stary line is also great making you want to cry at sometimes and laugh at others. This book will have you or your child turning the ppages faster and faster each time. Even though this book has the classic plot of orphanege it provides much much more than that! So if you are going to pick a great book for your kids to read pick this one! THEY WILL LOVE IT!

Easy Race Relations:
Dave is eleven when his father dies, leaving him with his brother and their stepmother. Their stepmother insists she can't handle raising the boys, so their uncle agrees to take Dave's quiet and smart older brother. Nobody steps forward to take Dave, though, so he is sent to live at the Hebrew Home for Boys, an orphanage. Dave is devastated about being in the home, and things don't go smoothly for him there. A bully sits next to him at meals and eats half of his food. Instead of teaching, his teacher simply lectures about what a chore it is to try to teach orphans. And the headmaster of the school steals a carving done by Dave's father and then beats Dave when confronted about it. One night shortly after arriving, Dave leaves the home after lights-out and explores the city. He stumbles upon an amazing party where he meets Solly, a strange fortune-telling man who tells everyone Dave is his grandson. Dave also meets Irma Lee, a beautiful black girl about his age. She seems as enthralled by him as he is by her. As the weeks pass, Dave comes up with a plan to run away from the home. The only problem is that he is starting to like it there. He likes the boys his own age, who stick up for each other and are better than family. He likes his art teacher, who recognizes that he has real talent. And Dave even has a plan for taking care of the bullies at meals. Will he stay after all? Solly's character was great; he had such interesting reactions to Dave and great interactions with the people at the parties. Dave's buddies at the home were also good characters. I liked that they were able to make a kind of new family and support system for themselves. I don't know if it was realistic for whites and blacks during this time period to mix as easily as they did in this book. This story seemed to indicate that there was no animosity between the races and everyone would be accepted in Harlem. I found that hard to believe.

Bring on the night life:
Dave Caros is a Jewish boy who lives in New York City in the 1920's. His family are working class and poor. He is eleven, a high-spirited boy and often in trouble. One day Dave comes home from school to find his father dead and the place full of mourners. Ida, Dave's stepmother, cannot afford to look after him and his brother Gideon. Gideon is lucky enough to be taken by his Uncle Jack, but Dave must be 'given up' to an orphanage. The Hebrew Home for Boys, located in Harlem, is a place cut off from the outside world and full of secrets: some good and some bad. But Dave is determined to get out and he does at night, entering into a surprising world of charlatans and the talented and rich. This is a 'historical novel' which describes much of how people lived at the turn of the twentieth century. Things were definitely different to the twenty first century, and many items taken for granted now, such as cars, were a great novelty then. This book, though, is full of adventure and is not a boring history lesson. At a deeper level this is a book about individuality, pluckiness and not giving up in the face of difficulty. It is also about the value of friendship and how this important asset can be found in unexpected ways. Freindship across racial boundaries is especially emphasized. This book would suit children of eleven years and up. At almost three hundred pages, though, it is a long read and better suited to advanced readers.

Bring on the night life:
Dave Caros is a Jewish boy who lives in New York City in the 1920's. His family are working class and poor. He is eleven, a high-spirited boy and often in trouble. One day Dave comes home from school to find his father dead and the place full of mourners. Ida, Dave's stepmother, cannot afford to look after him and his brother Gideon. Gideon is lucky enough to be taken by his Uncle Jack, but Dave must be 'given up' to an orphanage. The Hebrew Home for Boys, located in Harlem, is a place cut off from the outside world and full of secrets: some good and some bad. But Dave is determined to get out and he does at night, entering into a surprising world of charlatans and the talented and rich. This is a 'historical novel' which describes much of how people lived at the turn of the twentieth century. Things were definitely different to the twenty first century, and many items taken for granted now, such as cars, were a great novelty then. This book, though, is full of adventure and is not a boring history lesson. At a deeper level this is a book about individuality, pluckiness and not giving up in the face of difficulty. It is also about the value of friendship and how this important asset can be found in unexpected ways. Freindship across racial boundaries is especially emphasized. This book would suit children of eleven years and up. At almost three hundred pages, though, it is a long read and better suited to advanced readers.

Bring on the night life:
Dave Caros is a Jewish boy who lives in New York City in the 1920's. His family are working class and poor. He is eleven, a high-spirited boy and often in trouble. One day Dave comes home from school to find his father dead and the place full of mourners. Ida, Dave's stepmother, cannot afford to look after him and his brother Gideon. Gideon is lucky enough to be taken by his Uncle Jack, but Dave must be 'given up' to an orphanage. The Hebrew Home for Boys, located in Harlem, is a place cut off from the outside world and full of secrets: some good and some bad. But Dave is determined to get out and he does at night, entering into a surprising world of charlatans and the talented and rich. This is a 'historical novel' which describes much of how people lived at the turn of the twentieth century. Things were definitely different to the twenty first century, and many items taken for granted now, such as cars, were a great novelty then. This book, though, is full of adventure and is not a boring history lesson. At a deeper level this is a book about individuality, pluckiness and not giving up in the face of difficulty. It is also about the value of friendship and how this important asset can be found in unexpected ways. Freindship across racial boundaries is especially emphasized. This book would suit children of eleven years and up. At almost three hundred pages, though, it is a long read and better suited to advanced readers.