CNN - Review: 'Dave at Night'

(CNN) -- Fans of her previous novel, "Ella Enchanted," might be surprised at Gail Carson Levine's departure from the world of fantasy with her realistic new book, "Dave at Night." Inspired by Levine's father's experience in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in New York, this is the story of 11-year-old Dave Caros, who ends up a resident at the fictional Hebrew Home for Boys (HHB) after the death of his beloved Papa.

The very day of his father's funeral, Dave's stepmother, Ida, declares that she can no longer care for Dave and his brother Gideon and offers the boys to any interested relatives. Though their Uncle Jack offers to take Gideon home, he does not extend his offer to Gideon's more troublesome and noisy brother. Neither does anyone else.

When Ida drops Dave off at the HHB, she tells him, "If I were Rockefeller, I'd keep you and Gideon." Dave is unimpressed. If I were Babe Ruth, he thinks, I'd play for the Yankees.

The one item Dave cares about in the world -- a wooden Noah's ark carved by his father -- is taken away from him on his first day in the home. Dave's first effort to retrieve it results in nothing more than a harsh beating from the evil Superintendent Bloom (a.k.a. Doom.) A visit to the cafeteria, where what little gristly food you get is mostly swiped by older bullies, convinces Dave that running away is the only answer.

Dave's only happiness comes from his late-night visits to the outside world of Harlem. The first night he ventures out, he ends up at a rent party, where partygoers pitch in to help the residents pay their rent in exchange for some good food and live jazz music. He soon finds out that these kinds of parties happen all the time in Harlem, and the guests run the gamut from ordinary people to famous authors and artists. He is quickly befriended by Solly, an old man who tells people their fortunes for money. When he meets the lovely Irma Lee, a beautiful "colored" girl about his age with whom he hits it off right away, he's in heaven. Though he doesn't know it at the time, she's also a wealthy heiress.

After a few more late-night adventures, Dave and Irma Lee hatch a plan for Dave to escape the HHB and live in her basement. But just as Dave gets the chance to get back his Noah's ark and make a break for it, he starts thinking about all the good things about where he lives. There are his buddies -- all the other elevens (11-year-olds) who share everything with each other. Then there are the art lessons from Mr. Hilliger, who says he has a gift for drawing. If he leaves, will he miss having a chance to follow in his artistic father's footsteps?

Though "Dave at Night" lacks much of the wit and lively writing of the Newbery-winning "Ella Enchanted," young readers will enjoy the exotic setting of the Harlem Renaissance and relate to Dave's struggle to find happiness and his place in the world.

Nancy Matson is the author of "The Boy Trap," a juvenile novel from Front Street/Cricket Books that comes out this fall. Visit her Web site, which features book reviews, lesson plans and a monthly column.

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