Dave at Night [Paperback]

Gail Carson Levine (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Scholastic (1999)
• ISBN-10: 0439202094
• ISBN-13: 978-0439202091
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,342,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and has been writing all her life. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Dave At Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and her Princess Tales books: The Princess Test, The Fairy's Mistake, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, Cinderellis and the Glass Hill, For Biddle's Sake and The Fairy's Return. She is also the author of the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley.

In Her Own Words..."I grew up in New York City. In elementary school I was a charter member of the Scribble Scrabble Club, and in high school my poems were published in an anthology of student poetry. I didn't want to be a writer. First I wanted to act and then I wanted to be a painter like my big sister. In college, I was a Philosophy major, and my prose style was very dry and dull! My interest in the theater led me to my first writing experience as an adult. My husband David wrote the music and lyrics and I wrote the book for a children's musical, Spacenapped that was produced by a neighborhood theater in Brooklyn.

"And my painting brought me to writing for children in earnest. I took a class in writing and illustrating children's books and found that I was much more interested in the writing than in the illustrating.

"Most of my job life has had to do with welfare, first helping people find work and then as an administrator. The earlier experience was more direct and satisfying, and I enjoy thinking that a bunch of people somewhere are doing better today than they might have done if not for me."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jewish orphan fights to escape from an orphanage., October 20, 1999

By 

Emma (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dave at Night (Hardcover)

I think this book was fantastic. It was incredibly descriptive and wasn't sugar-coated. It had many suspenseful parts that were planned out very well. You got to know the character's personalities, and they were all very interesting. I would reccommend it to all ages who are looking for a light, fun read.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars what a great book, January 1, 2000

By 

lauren regis (United States of America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dave at Night (Hardcover)

I found this book, great, even though it was historically incorrect. Gail Carson Levine has always been one of my favorite authors, and when I found out theat she had a new book out, I just had to get it. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dave by Day or Night is a lot of fun, October 19, 2000

By 

Julie Robinson (Fort Collins, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dave at Night (Hardcover)

Dave by Night is a heartwarming story about an inquisitive Jewish boy who finds himself in an orphanage by day and out enjoying the scene of the Harlem Renaissance by night.

Levine captures both the warmth and discord of the Hebrew Home for Boys (HHB takes on many monikers throughout the book) as Dave makes his plans for his great escape. But wait! Where will he go? Won't he miss his buddies and those special art lessons too much? Also, he cannot leave until he rescues his father's carving from the notoriously wicked (and truly vile) superintendent of the home, Mr. Doom.

Among his new nightlife acquaintances, Dave befriends Irma Lee, a lonely African-American girl whose adopted mother throws the most talked about parties ("salons") in Harlem. Incorporating vivid descriptions of the salons into this novel provides a stark contrast between the wealthy and the poor of the 1920s, as it gives contemporary readers a chance to experience Harlem in its heyday. Hanging out with Dave around the clock gives readers a chance to learn more about how old cars ran, tricks "gonifs" play on the unsuspecting victims, lessons in sketching, and the joys of true friendship.

Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic-- Dave by Night is an adventure through times and cultures.