Customer Reviews

Dave at Night

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Have you ever read a book with an orphan in it? If you have, good. If you haven't, that's good, too. Here is your first Dave At Night.
Gail Carson Levine has some really great skills. One of them is that she writes very vividly. I think you can really see and feel what the HHB is like. DARK, LONELY, COLD. You can also sense what Irma Lee's house is like. You can feel as though you're in the library listening to the piano.
One of Dave's friends is named Solly, and Solly is a real gonif. You will learn what a gonif is in the book. He meets Dave and they go to parties. Solly pretends to read peoples' futures at the parties. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Solly and Dave are telling fortunes with cards. Solly tells Dave to groan when he flips a card over. Of course, Solly makes them up but it is funny when Dave groans.
A conflict that is in the book is with the principal and Dave. The principal takes something away from Dave, that's where the story starts.
I recommend this book very much. I hope you read it!
Thanks for reading.

When Daves father dies, his brother and him are split up among family members. His stepmother, Ida decided she cannot care for him properly, due to financial unstability. She takes Dave to a Harlem orphanage called the HHB. Soon after arriving, Dave discovers that the inside of the HHB is filled with abuse, illness and hunger, because of the high maintenance principal, Mr. Doom. Many of Daves new "buddies" warn him not to tango with the mean principal, but when Mr. Doom steals his only memory of his father, Dave has had enough. He begins planning an escape route, and starts sneaking out each night to find a place to stay. He meets Solly, a very generous man, who introduces him to a fine group of people. Solly, Dave and his buddies all bond very quickly and learn to stick up for each other and their beliefs. Daves spunk, along with the others; help, leads to the ultimate show down between Mr. Doom, and you will never guess who. To find out what happens, read the book. I dont like to read, but this book converted me. It is a great story, and I hope you read to find out why!!

Gail Carson Levine is best known for her books that involve fairies and magic and such. But when I first picked up this book, I was pleased with this nice and wonderful change from the mystical fluff that is Mrs. Levine's writing style. I like her other books, but this is my favorite book that she wrote.

It is about a boy named Dave Caro, who lives in 1926, and his father has died and has to be sent to the Hebrew Home for Boys. But it is not a warm and welcome orphange that some think of. It is a rough, horrible place to stay in. Dave's determind to get out. One night he does and he peeks into the wonderful Harlem Night life. After seeing that, he's setting his heart on escaping, but doesn't want to leave his buddies back at HHB.

I loved reading this, and I think that this writing style reminds me of Sonia Levtin's style of writing. (Another great author). All in all, I enjoyed this book, but I'm not the type who reads a book for action. I read it if it has a good plot.

I have something to say to Miss Levine: WRITE MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The book I read was Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine. My favorite character is Sully. He is a nice Gonif who helps Dave. I thought this book was awesome. I would recommend it to anyone who likes action. It is basiclly about a boy that has everything go wrong. He has to try everything to stop the things that happen at the HHB (Hebrew Home for Boys). That is what I thought about Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine.

Exciting but thoughtful
The book Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine is an extremely thought provoking story. This is a tale of a mischievous boy named Dave, who is always going on adventures, playing stickball, and running around. But Dave's mischief seems to be a problem for his family and teachers. When Dave is born, his mother dies from giving birth, and when he is eleven his father dies from a tragic accident. This leaves Dave with his intelligent brother Gideon, and his stepmother to which he doesn't like very much. And when their uncle Jack adopts Gideon, and Dave's stepmother can't afford to keep him, Dave is sent to an orphanage. When Dave arrives he is beyond miserable. The food is gross, There are tons of bullies, and the headmaster takes all of his possessions; including the carving that his father made. So Dave decides that he cannot stay at this awful place and try's to escape. So in Dave's plot to escape, he ends up meeting a whole new crowd of people, and is forced to make a decision that will change the rest of his life.

This book should definitely be read, mainly because of two major reasons. One of which being that it really pulls the reader into it. It is so compelling that the reader can picture the characters, places, and even thoughts. And the way that the author explains things in such detail allows the reader to feel like they are in the scene. Especially in the part where Dave attempts to leave the orphanage, it makes the reader feel the cold air, and hear the piano playing, just as Dave does in the story. The second reason why this book is so suspenseful is because all the scenes are so action packed. The fact that the main character Dave is so adventurous really helps make all the chapters exciting. Even a simple moment like when the bully eats Dave's food, is made exciting. The way that Dave explains his thinking also helps the reader catch on. For instance, when Dave is put in the orphanage, the book shows why he tried to escape. So these are just some of the many reasons why this book is a good read.

Some people might not think this book is interesting because they don't like to read action stories. But even though this story is about a boy on an adventure to escape from an orphanage, it can relate to all kinds of people. This is because the plot itself is so interesting and new. So despite the fact that on the outside, this book seems only appealing to one type of reader, it actually does reach out to everybody, and should be read!

Dave an 11 year old rascal becomes an orphan when his father dies and his stepmother is unable to take care of him. Dave ends up at the Hebrew Home for Boys better known as the HHB, an orphanage for boys. Here he learns the true meaning of friendship, as well as the lesson that not all people are nice and trustworthy. The writing is somewhat dramatic. Dave vividly explains his feelings after losing his papa and the love for his newfound friends. However, the book is not written with a serious tone. There are numerous scenes that are comical and depict Dave for the pure rascal he is. The reader laughs and wonders how will Dave ever get out of each predicament, but some how Dave manages to get out of them only to get into another. Dave has many experiences at the orphanage and they change the way the he perceives people and life in general.

This is the best book I have ever read! This author is my favorite author along with Lemony Snicket. The author is very creative! The author is also very detailed so you can picture the story in your mind. This is definetly a five star book. I couldn't put it down!