When Dave’s father dies and his stepmother can’t take care of him, there’s nowhere for him to go but the Hebrew Home for Boys. It’s not a nice place, and Dave is determined to run away. But where else can he go, when even his own family doesn’t want him?
Levine, Gail Carson. Dave at Night. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. ISBN 978-0064407472
Dave is not a quiet, well-behaved boy like his brother Gideon — he’s been a problem ever since his mother died giving birth to him. And when the boys’ father dies and their step-mother refuses to keep them, Uncle Jack is willing to take Gideon, but no one in the family wants to take in a handful like Dave. Dave finds himself in the Hebrew Home for Boys — or, as the inmates of the home prefer to call it, the Hell Hole for Brats.
At first it seems life is going to be miserable for Dave: the food makes him sick, the teachers are at best uninterested and at worst cruel, the bigger boys pick on the smaller ones, and he’s burning with resentment at his family for deserting him. Dave is determined to run away, but as he grows to know and depend on the other boys his age (the “elevens”), he realizes that his buddies are going to make life bearable. The elevens watch out for each other, share with each other, cover for each other. And Dave also makes friends outside the orphanage, when he wanders into Harlem and finds himself in the middle of the blossoming Harlem Renaissance.
Dave at Night was Gail Carson Levine’s second book, and with it she left the fairy tale kingdom of Ella Enchanted to tell a story set in 1926 New York, and loosely based on her father’s childhood. She handles the realistic historical setting very well, with believable dialogue and clearly delineated characters. Dave is a memorable creation; a bit intractable and stubborn, determined to do what he wants to do, and for much of the story full of anger at his brother and the rest of his family. His growth as a character is subtle and touching, as he slowly comes to forgive his family for being unable to care for him and learns to love the family he makes for himself, both in the orphanage and in Harlem.
About the author: Levine’s first book, Ella Enchanted, was a Newbery Honor book; since then she has gone on to write many other fractured fairy tales, a non-fiction book on writing, and two illustrated novels for younger readers set in Never Land and following the adventures of Tinkerbell and the other fairies.
Genre: historical fiction
Curriculum Ties: Tie into American history, the Harlem Renaissance, Black History Month curriculum, etc. Students could learn about some of the real artists and writers and musicians who were involved in the Harlem Renaissance.
Booktalking Ideas:
1) Talk about the setting of New York in the 1920s
2) Give some background on the Harlem Renaissance
3) Talk about the people Dave meets: Solly, Irma Lee, the other elevens, etc.
- Age Level: 11 to 14
- Challenge Issues: none apparent
Challenge defense suggestions: Though no challenge issues are apparent in this title, if the book were to be challenged, begin by reading it to become familiar with the content in question. Consult the ALA’s strategies for dealing with challenges to library materials for a helpful collection of information, advice, and links to other resources. In addition, review the library’s policy on challenged materials, and look for professional reviews of the book that could help justify its inclusion in the collection, or might explain how the questionable content is valuable. Note that the book was nominated for many state awards such as the Mark Twain Award of Mississippi, New Jersey’s Garden State award, was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, etc. Refer to bwibooks.com for the full list of critical recognition, and a starred review from School Library Journal.
Meet in the Middle 