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.
On the train, his fellow passengers are impressed with how polite and grown-up Emil is, and the man in the bowler hat offers him some chocolate-but Emil keeps checking his coat pocket, where he's pinned the money that he is taking to his grandmother. Soon, though, Emil finds himself getting sleepy . . . and the next thing he knows, the man in the bowler hat is gone- and so is the money! With the help of some new friends Emil becomes a detective and tracks the thief through the city. Filled with enduring themes of leadership, courage, and teamwork, and the delightful illustrations of Walter Trier, Emil and the Detectives is a rollicking, heartwarming tale come alive.
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.
