Young Adult/Literature
Ed Kennedy just happens to be in a bank when a really bad bank robber holds up the bank. Ed manages to stop the robbery and is lauded as a local hero. Shortly thereafter he receives his first ace in the mail. An ace of diamonds with the name of three people on the card. Ed soon realizes that he must visit these people and bring them a message.
Some of the messages are good, such as keeping company with an elderly lady and reading her Withering Heights. Some of the messages are bad, like it being suggested that he murder a man that rapes his wife every night. Ed knows that there are more cards coming and more messages that need to be sent and they get harder and harder with each card.
This is supposed to be a young adult book but it sure doesn't read like one. The themes are more mature than what I would expect to see in a young adult. As soon as I started reading this, I was hooked. Even though Zusak uses a lot of short sentences, which doesn't always lead to a well written book, that's not the case. I very easily connected with the characters and couldn't put the book down to learn how Ed was going to help out each of his messages and which message he was going to give them. I like this book just as much as The Book Thief, which I also thoroughly enjoyed!
First Line: "The gunman is useless."
Rating: 
(4.5/5)
The Book Thief is a unique book in many ways. It is the story of an illiterate, poverty-stricken young German girl during WWII. The story is narrated by Death: not a callous, frightening Death but a caring over-worked Death. Leisel Meminger is the Book Thief. She steals her first book at her brother's funeral. Her foster father teaches her to read and therein fosters a love of books and words. Liesel steals books from Nazi Book burnings and the mayor's wife's library.