Zusak, Markus (2006). I am the Messenger. New York, New York: Knopf Books.
ISBN: 9780375836671
368 pages
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 15-19
Stars: 5 stars
Subjects: Crime, Outcast, Relationships, Robbery, Failure, Life
Reader's Annotation
Ed is a 19-year old loser whose life changes after he inadvertently stops a bank robbery and a mysterious person begins sending him on missions.
Summary
Ed Kennedy is, by society's standards, a complete loser. He is an underage cabdriver, he lives in a shack, he can't play cards to save his life, and his love life is nonexistent. Still, he manages to live a fairly simple life and get by just fine until one day he becomes an accidental hero by stopping a bank robbery. That's when he starts getting cards in the mail that tell him where to go and when. With so little to lose, and a desire to know who is sending these messages to him, Ed goes on these missions where he changes other peoples' lives- and, in the process, his own.
Notes
Although the ending isn't completely satisfying- there isn't enough clarification about events- this is a great book for the characters it presents. Each person is uniquely described and they seem to jump off the page, and that's what really allows readers to dive into the book. They, too, will wonder who is sending these messages and how things will turn out for Ed.
Awards
Michael L. Printz Honor
Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year-Children
Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award (Australia)
Other Information
Author Information
