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I Am the Messenger

by Markus Zusak
I Am the Messenger

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  • Synopses & Reviews

ISBN13: 9780375836671
ISBN10: 0375836675
Condition: Standard


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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

By the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, this is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love.

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?

This book is a 2005 Michael L. Printz Honor Book and recipient of five starred reviews.

Review

"One of the most highly anticipated young-adult books in years." The Wall Street Journal

Review

"An extraordinary narrative." School Library Journal, Starred

Review

"Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak's poignant tribute to words, survival, and their curiously inevitable entwinement is a tour de force to be not just read but inhabited." The Horn Book Magazine, Starred

About the Author

Markus Zusak received the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year Award for I Am the Messenger. He lives in Sydney, where he writes, occasionally works a real job, and plays on a soccer team that never wins.

4.4 10

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.4 (10 comments)

`
Sheree Whitelock , July 28, 2015 (view all comments by Sheree Whitelock)
The amazing thing about this book is that I can use direct quotes from the book to tell you exactly how it made me feel. "I didn't know words could be so heavy." It reminded me that "Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are." And the most important thing it told me to hold onto in life is that "Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of."

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Sheila Deeth , October 24, 2014 (view all comments by Sheila Deeth)
If you’re looking for a novel like The Book Thief, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a seriously intriguing read, with a seriously irreverent layabout teen lead character, and a mystery that draws you deeper into inexplicable strangeness, even as the message remains disguised, then look no further. This card-player’s cryptic cards will lead Ed on a chase through character and plot, making even the most disturbing scene seem uplifting or even redeeming. Meanwhile the truth behind Ed's mission stays deviously disguised. These teens drink and swear---it’s part of what makes them real, and it’s not gratuitous. They live half-wasted lives in that wasteland before adulthood. They cope with disappointing parents and parental disappointment, and struggle to heal from lack of direction or hope. Meanwhile the protagonist learns that both young and old have problems of their own. He learns to care. And he learns to see what's needed while others are blind. The question, of course, is what hope is there for him, if he’s just the messenger. And the answer? You’ll have to read it to find out. Aimed at older, mature teens, and wonderfully enthralling and revealing for adults too, I Am The Messenger offers a wonderful message in a story that won’t let go. Disclosure: I loved the Book Thief and I knew this would be different, but I love this too.

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mizmeliss87 , January 01, 2012 (view all comments by mizmeliss87)
I love Markus Zusak's writing style. He writes as his characters would think and talk. The book is written from the perspective of a 19 year old Australian boy who is trying to figure out his place in the world. He is a flawed character who makes mistakes, takes forever to act, and can retreat far into himself. His flaws make him human and his struggles make the reader think. This book challenges readers to think beyond a good story and to ask the tough ethical questions of the grey areas in life. As Ed Kennedy struggles to answer the questions of "who am I?" and "What the hell am I doing with my life?" the reader in turn asks the same questions. Ed is challenged in the story but at the same time, he challenges readers as well.

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hbrophy , January 15, 2011
I couldn't put this down...I love Markus Zusak's voice...after all, in some small way we are all messengers...

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pixie cat , April 08, 2008
A remarkable story and amazingly addictive. Really tells you that sometimes the smallest acts of love can really change another person’s world. For the better.

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queen_normajeane , March 10, 2008
This book is one of the best books I've ever read. It's powerful, funny, and deep all at once. "You don't complain when I give you a lift to work, Ed, you miserable upstart." "What the hell's an upstart?" Thumbs up to Zusak. I fell in love with his writing!

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Larry Robinson , January 30, 2008 (view all comments by Larry Robinson)
Zusak has quickly become one of my favorite young adult authors. Enjoyable for adults, but great for kids 14 and up.

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crowyhead , August 29, 2007 (view all comments by crowyhead)
After reading The Book Thief and loving it, I was curious about I Am the Messenger. It's not as brilliant as The Book Thief, but it's a good read nonetheless. Ed Kennedy is 19 and basically isn't doing a whole lot with his life. He has an elderly, smelly dog named the Doorman, he drives a cab, and he gets together with his friends a few nights a week to play cards. He's in love with Audrey, his best friend, but can't tell her. This all begins to change when Ed foils a completely inept attempt at bank robbery. Soon afterward, he receives a playing card in the mail with three addresses written on it. At each address, there is a problem to be solved, an intervention to be made, and thus begin the strangest months of Ed's life. The book could be a sappy one, and occasionally it strays into sentimental territory. However, Zusak's unflinching portrayal of life's petty brutalities, as well as his sure sense of the ways that friends (including friends that are dogs) interact with each other, keep this from being overly preachy. The ending takes an unexpected turn that might throw off some readers, but I rather liked it.

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`
, July 17, 2007
This wasn't a very god book, it just didn't grab me in the first few chapters, i wasnt interested in some one like me.!

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`
nicoleslaw89 , July 20, 2006 (view all comments by nicoleslaw89)
When i picked this book off the shelves i thought it was going to be just another crime novel with a loveable, yet forgetable hero. However, as i flipped the pages and was faced with delimmas that seemed so real and organic i realized that Ed was giving me a message as well. Meet Ed, the unforgetably honest character that has character and promise no matter what he thinks. Zusack makes the words and story flow so well i kept thinking that this would make a great TV series. Ed seemed so human and his wit charmed me from the bank robbery scene right till the end. Although the romance with Audrey leaves something to be desired, i really like that Zusack kept it realistic right till the very end. It was a really good book that ended up being more about human emotions than your typical shoot em up crime novel. Zusack is truly an innovative author that deserves respect and my time. in fact, i think i will go to the library and get another book of his i enjoyed I am the Messenger so much.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780375836671
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
05/09/2006
Publisher:
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Pages:
357
Height:
.90IN
Width:
5.30IN
Thickness:
1.00
Age Range:
12 and up
Grade Range:
7 and up
Number of Units:
1
Illustration:
Yes
Copyright Year:
2006
UPC Code:
2800375836673
Author:
Markus Zusak
Media Run Time:
B
Subject:
Heroes
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General
Subject:
Children s Middle Readers-General

Ships free on qualified orders.
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$7.50
List Price:$10.99
Used Trade Paperback
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