I Am the Messenger

I Am the Messenger

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? “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 Meet Ed Kennedy--underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack with his coffee-addicted dog, the Doorman, and he's hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That's when the first Ace arrives. 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? Winner of the 2003 Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award in Australia, I Am the Messenger is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love. "From the Hardcover edition. 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. the holdup The gunman is useless. I know it. He knows it. The whole bank knows it. Even my best mate, Marvin, knows it, and he's more useless than the gunman. The worst part about the whole thing is that Marv's car is standing outside in a fifteen-minute parking zone. We're all facedown on the floor, and the car's only got a few minutes left on it. "I wish this bloke'd hurry up," I mention. "I know," Marv whispers back. "This is outrageous." His voice rises from the depths of the floor. "I'll be getting a fine because of this useless bastard. I can't afford another fine, Ed." "The car's not even worth it." "What?" Marv looks over at me now. I can sense he's getting uptight. Offended. If there's one thing Marv doesn't tolerate, it's someone putting shit on his car. He repeats the question. "What did you say, Ed?" "I said," I whisper, "it isn't even worth the fine, Marv." "Look," he says, "I'll take a lot of things, Ed, but . . ." I tune out of what he's saying because, quite frankly, once Marv gets going about his car, it's downright pain-in-the-arse material. He goes on and on, like a kid, and he's just turned twenty, for Jesus' sake. He goes on for another minute or so, until I have to cut him off. "Marv," I point out, "the car's an embarrassment, okay? It doesn't even have a hand brake--it's sitting out there with two bricks behind the back wheels." I'm trying to keep my voice as quiet as possible. "Half the time you don't even bother locking it. You're probably hoping someone'll flog it so you can collect the insurance." "It isn't insured." "Exactly." "NRMA said it wasn't worth it." "It's understandable." That's when the gunman turns around and shouts, "Who's talkin' back there?" Marv doesn't care. He's worked up about the car. "You don't complain when I give you a lift to work, Ed, you miserable upstart." "Upstart? What the hell's an upstart?" "I said shut up back there!" the gunman shouts again. "Hurry up then!" Marv roars back at him. He's