I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

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

Markus Zusak Website

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Zusak, Markus (2006). The Book Thief. New York, New York: Knopf Books.

ISBN: 9780375831003

576 pages

Classification: Fiction: Fiction

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 15-19

Stars: 5 stars

Subjects: Books, Nazis, World War II, Death, War, Germany, Holocaust

Reader's Annotation

Death tells the story of a 9-year-old book thief, Liesel Meminger who first steals a book at the burial of her 6-year-old brother and thereafter continues to steal books as she avoids Death even as it envelops World-War II era Nazi Germany. 

Summary

Death is not a very involved narrator- he is rather dry and sardonic at times, but he weaves the story of Liesel Meminger incredibly well. 9-year-old Liesel is sent away with her 6-year-old brother to live with a family in the countryside and avoid detection from the Nazis. On the way there, her brother develops a cough that proves fatal. At his burial, Liesel steals her first book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, even though she can't read. She learns to read and she marks the years by the various books she manages to steal as well as a group of friends she meets. As she survives when so many others do not, she begins to write her own story, and that is what seems to be her own saving grace. 

Notes

There have been a number of books on World War II and the Holocaust, and most readers will be familiar with Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl. This basis of knowledge will serve them well as they read this heartwrenching story. The dry tone it is told with makes the material palatable, and the rich story and characters created present hope in the most unlikely of places, in the most unlikely of times. 

Awards

New York Times Bestseller

Other Information

Readers who enjoy this book may also enjoy Zusak's I am the Messenger. 

Author Information

Markus Zusak's Website