I Am the Messenger - by Markus Zusak

About the Book

Winner of the 2003 Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award in Australia, this tale is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love.

Book Synopsis

DON'T MISS BRIDGE OF CLAY, MARKUS ZUSAK'S FIRST NOVEL SINCE THE BOOK THIEF AND AN UNFORGETTABLE AND SWEEPING FAMILY SAGA.

From the author of the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, I Am the Messenger is an acclaimed novel filled with laughter, fists, and love.

A MICHAEL L. PRINTZ HONOR BOOK
FIVE STARRED REVIEWS

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That's when the first ace arrives in the mail. That's when Ed becomes the messenger. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?

Review Quotes

"Funny and gripping." --The Miami Herald

"Both serious and funny, touching and exciting." --The Salt Lake Tribune

"Fresh and thought-provoking." --The Grand Rapids Press

"Raucous, poignant, and at times laugh-out-loud funny." --BookPage

"Compulsively readable." --Publishers Weekly, Starred

"Unpretentious, well conceived, and appropriately raw." --School Library Journal, Starred

"Zusak outdoes himself here." --The Bulletin, Starred

"Zusak succeeds brilliantly." --Booklist, Starred

"Funny, engrossing, and suspenseful." --KLIATT, Starred

About the Author

Markus Zusak is the award-winning author of The Book Thief and I Am the Messenger, both Michael L. Printz Honor Books. An international bestseller, The Book Thief has sold over 4.5 million copies in the U.S. alone and has garnered worldwide critical acclaim. The New York Times called it "Brilliant and hugely ambitious. . . . It's the kind of book that can be life changing," and The Guardian (UK) said, "Unsettling, thought-provoking, life-affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, masterfully told. It is an important piece of work, but also a wonderful page-turner."

Markus Zusak is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. He lives with his wife and children in Sydney, Australia.