“Big things are often just little things that people notice.” -I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

This story is rated 9 jellybeans out of 10 jellybeans. I ate that one other jellybean because I was starving for more words. You will definitely enjoy the complexity and dark turns this anfractuous story leads. Definitely a must-read.

Imagine looking in your mailbox. What do you expect? A letter from an old friend? Magazine subscriptions? Cash (every day I’m all like, today I’ll find money, and I never do…)? How about a jack of diamonds with three addresses and times on it? That is exactly the sort of situation that Ed Kennedy, Mr. Invisible, the most unlikely hero, faces. Literally, he looks at the faces on the card.

Ed’s life was about as sad as it gets. His whole family is out there making their mark on society, and Ed is playing card games with his friends, Ritchie, Marv, and the girl he’s completely in love with Audrey, being an underage cab driver, and feeding the smelliest dog in the world a cup of coffee. He goes through the usual daily routine every 24 hours of every 28-31 days of every 12 months. Until one day he is an everyday hero, finds the card, and opens his eyes to the situations around him in his own neighbourhood. His story is not only under hills and over hills; it’s through hills, marshlands, and torture in order to help others and himself in a way he can’t understand. He is there to bring hope, destroy hope, and renew hope in a way that no ordinary person can. Or can they?

I endorse this story because it’s hands-down fabulous. Considering it is a young adult novel, it takes the reader to darker parts of life. This book reminds its readers that the world is not happy-go-lucky, nor is life based around you and your troubles. To understand and consider others, you have to actually converse with them, comfort them, be there to understand them. You won’t learn what is going on around you unless you make a decent effort to. That’s what I love about this book. It isn’t afraid to speak of dark times. It doesn’t worry that the content may not be age appropriate. The book does not decide what you read, it is simply there to be informational and of enjoyment. Things like depression, rape, and bullying shouldn’t be kept in the dark. These are real matters, and closing yourself off from them doesn’t solve the issue at hand. This story is confusing and complex; and you cannot read it without thinking. It’s dark and foreboding, but simultaneously light and inspiring. Markus Zusak’s writing style has a way of doing that to the reader.

My recommendation is for everybody. No matter happy or sad. Frivolous or serious. Wild or cautious. The world will advise that a restriction be put on this book to protect the young, but if you have read young adult, anything, then you should read this book. If you’re ten or one hundred and ten, there’s no age limit to reading, and there should not be a minimum on books. To all who can read, read.

Formula: Realistic + Hero + World Problems + Love = Royal Flush

#5stars #katie #realistic