Bibliographical information:

Levine, Gail Carson. Dave at Night. New York: Harper Collins, 1999.

Summary:

On October 26, 1926, Dave Caros’s father dies. His stepmother decides that she can’t keep Dave and his brother. While Dave’s Uncle Jack takes in his well-behaved brother Gideon, troublemaker Dave is turned over to the Hebrew Home for Boys. There, he battles the corrupt and abusive Superintendent as well as bullies among the orphans. But he also finds good friends, both in his dorm and in Harlem, where he meets Solly the goniff (who tells fortunes for money) and Irma Lee Packer, daughter of a prominent Harlem hostess.

Comments:

Dave’s adventures are both scary and exciting. The story is rooted in the experiences of real people: Levine’s father David Carasso grew up in the real Hebrew Orphan Asylum, located on 136th street where she has placed the Hebrew Home for Boys. Mrs. Packer is based on A’lelia Walker, daughter of Madame C. J. Walker. Despite the story’s historical roots, Dave's adventures have a certain tall-tale quality.

Ages:

9-12

Cautions:       

Much that happens in this novel is frightening, including the deaths of Dave’s parents, abandonment by his relatives, and the abuses at the Hebrew Home for Boys.        

--Lisa Gordis

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