One of Philip Pullman's favourites: "A great political story: democracy in action."
If his mother had known the amazing adventures Emil was going to have in Berlin, she would never have let him go. But when his money goes missing on the train, Emil's determination to get it back leads him to team up with the detectives he meets in Berlin - and that was just the start.
Erich Kästner was born in Dresden in 1899. He is the author of many novels in children's books, poems and essays. Together with other German writers, he tried to attack Hitler's totalitarism and lack of freedom with humour and pacifist ideas. Kästner's children's books reflected his social optimism based on his belief in the renewing power of the each new generation of youth. He was awarded with the Hans Christian Andersen in 1960. Though he became popular through his children's books, he was also very successful among adults as a novelist and poet.
