Dave at Night

New York Times Book Review

Touching, beautifully told.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In a dramatic departure from her fairy tale fare, Levine (Ella Enchanted) creates a chiaroscuro effect as she contrasts the bleak days and colorful nights of Dave Caros, an orphan growing up amid the Harlem Renaissance. When his woodcarver father dies in October 1926, Dave's older brother, Gideon, goes to live with their Uncle Jack in Chicago, but none of Dave's relatives can afford to take him. Dave's stepmother places him at the Hebrew Home for Boys (nicknamed Hell Hole for Brats), and the 11-year-old vows to run away. But first he must retrieve his most prized possession, his father's carving of Noah's Ark, which was stolen by the superintendent Mr. Bloom (aka "Doom"), who is infamous for beating up boys. In the meantime, Dave finds a way to sneak off the grounds for the evening. Thus begins Dave's secret life, revealed through his first-person narrative. On his first night out, he meets Solly, a self-proclaimed "gonif" with a heart of gold, who uses Dave as a sidekick in his fortune-telling gigs. Solly introduces him to an avant-garde group of thinkers, painters, writers, musicians and Irma Lee, the young niece of a prominent African-American socialite. As Dave waits for the opportunity to reclaim his carving, he settles into his double life. His fellow "elevens" at the orphanage emerge as distinct, colorful personalities who come through for him time and again. Mr. Hillinger, the unwittingly hilarious art teacher who cannot complete a sentence, becomes a champion for Dave's artistic talents. And his nocturnal adventures lead to an abiding friendship with pretty and kind Irma Lee--as well as shed light on a fascinating corner of American history. In describing 1920s Harlem from a child's perspective, Levine articulates what it might have been like for anyone exposed to such innovation in art or the sounds of jazz for the first time: "It was wide-awake music, nothing like the waltzes Papa used to whistle. If I could have painted it, I would have used bright colors and short straight lines." This poignant and energetic novel, inspired by the author's father's childhood, comes with an all's-well-that-ends-well conclusion that brings a sense of belonging to Dave and his orphan friends, yet delivers a surprise as well. The Artful Dodger has met his match in Dave. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

In our Best Books citation, PW said, "The star of this coming-of-age story, set in an orphanage in the thick of the Harlem Renaissance, rivals the Artful Dodger." Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman

Dave at Night is like reading Oliver Twist set in New York, circa 1926 with orphaned Dave, a blend of Oliver and the Artful Dodger. Dave detests the Hebrew Home for Boys where he has been sent by his stepmother. He is determined to leave, but not before he has retrieved his father's woodcarving which has been stolen by the director Mr. Bloom, a.k.a. Doom, who beats boys who disobey. Willing to face the consequences, Dave sneaks out at night and is befriended by Solly, a fortune-teller with a heart of gold who introduces him to the great figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Dave's future depends on Solly, his Harlem friends and the boys in the home. The art teacher who encourages Dave to develop his talent is just one of the many quirky characters that enrich Dave's life.

KLIATT - Michele Winship

To quote the review of the audiobook in KLIATT, January 2001: After the funeral of Dave's adored father, his stepmother announces that she can't keep 11-year-old Dave or his brother Gideon. One of their uncles volunteers to take the calmer Gideon, but nobody can take Dave. It's New York City during the Depression and folks are barely getting by. That's how the irrepressible Dave ends up at the HHB (Hopeless House of Beggars, Hell Hole for Brats, or Hebrew Home for Boys). The man who runs the orphanage is cruel and Dave is determined to run away after he recovers the one memento he has from his father. Adventures ensue. When he ventures out of the HHB at night, Dave is befriended by Solly, a fortune teller who quickly becomes "Uncle Solly," and Irma, an African American girl who invites Dave to parties in Harlem. Levine explains at the end how the story of Dave and the orphanage was inspired by her father's childhood. This is a rollicking, heartwarming story about friendship, loyalty, cruelty, and hope. Highly recommended for "kids" of all ages.

Library Journal

Gr 5-9-By day, Dave is a downtrodden orphan at the Hebrew Home for Boys; at night he mingles with the movers and shakers of the Harlem Renaissance. His hardships and comic escapades create a fanciful tale of New York in the 1920s. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Dave's father dies, and his stepmother does not want to keep him. Suddenly this energetic young boy is an orphan, living in the Hebrew Home for Boys, also known as the Hell Hole for Brats. Dave quickly finds himself battling an abusive schoolmaster, making friends, outsmarting bullies, and spending his nights hobnobbing with the elite crowd of the Harlem Renaissance. Set in New York in 1926, Gail Carson Levine (HarperCollins, 1999) brings to life many people and places from the time. Narrator Jason Harris, host of Nickelodeon's Double Dare 2000, does an excellent job bringing various characters to life without missing a beat, from a journeyman Jazz player to a Yiddish spouting "gonif." As a bonus, Levine narrates her inspirations for this novel, including the story of her own father's life in a similar orphanage. A great addition to fiction or historical fiction collections.-Todd Dunkelberg, Descutes Public Library System, Bend, OR Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

From The Critics

When his father dies, Dave finds himself placed in an orphanage (the cold and strict Hebrew Home for Boys in Harlem) far from the life he knew on the lower East Side of New York City. Outside the gates of the orphanage, Harlem is a world of jazz musicians and swindlers, exclusive parties and mystifying strangers. Inside the orphanage, Dave finds rare friendships and bitter enemies. Somewhere Dave must find a place that he can call home. Gail Levine is a talented author and Dave At Night is an original and riveting novel for young readers ages 8 to 12 and a highly recommended addition to school and community libraries.

Kirkus Reviews

Knowing only that her father grew up in an orphanage in New York on the edge of Harlem, Levine (Ella Enchanted, 1997) weaves a tale of an adventurous boy who stumbles into the world of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1926, orphanages were still cruel places, who took in children whose relatives refused to care for them. When Dave's father dies, an uncle takes in his brother Gideon, but no one will take him. He ends up in the Hebrew Home for Boys and quickly makes friend with most of the other boys, but angers the violent superintendent, Mr. Bloom (Mr. Doom, as the boys nickname him). Dave's one solace is to climb over the institution's wall at night, to sample the outside world. He's befriended by Solly, an elderly Jewish fortuneteller with a parrot; Solly takes him along to a rent party, where Dave meets Irma, an African-American girl who is his age. His new friends invite him to more parties, attended by some of the shakers and movers of the Harlem Renaissance. Eventually, Solly and Irma, with the help of Irma's influential mother, help Dave to overthrow the tyrannical Mr. Bloom, and improve the orphanage. Levine's writing is believable and personable; historical details ring true, especially the energy among African-Americans during the 1920s artistic flowering, and the particulars of Jewish and Yiddish culture. (Fiction. 8-12)