David, an only child, lives with his mother and father in London as Hitler’s armies gradually advance across Europe during World War II. David loves his mother more than anything or anyone. Sadly, his mother is dying, and to keep her alive, David performs “routines” such as favoring even numbers and getting out of bed with his left foot first. He feels like following these rules he has created for himself will help his mother survive. He sits by her bedside every day after school, and she instills in him a reverence for stories. Even before she became sick, David and his mother loved to sit together and read their own books. David’s mother says that stories come alive when they are told and have the power to, “transform the reader” (3).

When David’s mother dies, he feels partially responsible. Perhaps he failed to perform one of his routines perfectly, and her death is his punishment. During his mother’s burial, David wonders whether she feels lonely or if she’s already in heaven. Following his mother’s death, David loses himself in books. He feels strangely drawn to the stories his mother used to read to him, and he hears the books talking to him.