I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

“I am The Messenger” by Markus Zusak is a mystery novel about a 19-year-old boy trying to find his purpose in life. 19-year-old Ed Kennedy is the self-proclaimed “Youngest Cab Driver”, but really that's all he is. Ed doesn't really have a purpose in his life. All he does is drink and play cards with his friends (who seem to be in a similar predicament). When a strange card, an ace, appears in his mailbox his life changes. For better or worse, Ed becomes the messenger. This book had a good plot. It was a bit boring at first, but if you continue reading it, it gets more interesting. This book fits in the genres of realistic fiction, mystery, and a little bit of romance. This book did have some swearing and themes not very suitable for people under 10. I recommend “I am The Messenger” to people ages 11+ and people who like the genres I mentioned above. (Amerie. Grade 8)

Rating: 5/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 2/5

"I am The Messenger" by Markus Zusak is a story based on the life of Ed Kennedy, a cab driver who has not succeeded with anything in life other than playing cards and getting drunk. However, his whole life changes one day when he receives a mysterious message asking him to help a series of strangers. From that moment on, he will go on adventures and have to face terrifying moments for the sake of helping others. At first, these messages drive him crazy, but in the end, they bring him happiness and pride. This was a good story, and even though I found it a bit slow at the beginning, I really enjoyed it in the end. It fits in the genre of realistic fiction. I would recommend it for ages 12 and up because some content and vocabulary might not be very appropriate for younger ages. (Nina. Grade 8)

Rating: 4/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 2/5

The Messenger by Markus Zusak was quite enjoyable to read because it had a good storyline. This novel is probably best for more mature ages like Grade 7 and above as some of the langue was inappropriate. The storyline in this story was quite interesting because a regular taxi driver became sort of a mysterious good doer after stopping a bank robbery. But after he stopped the robbery he’d receive messages about how he could help people either by comforting them or hurting them and eventually he finds out who was sending him the messages. (James W, Grade 8)

Rating: 4/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 3/5