I Am The Messenger.

I'm not a book reviewer, but I enjoy sharing books that I like.  I think a shared book is one of the best gifts you can give a friend. 

This is my gift to you, friend!

I finished Markus Zusak's I Am The Messenger today, and I thought it was a great read.  The main character, Ed Kennedy, and his friends Ritchie, Marv, and Audrey were wonderful to spend time with.  The plot was beautifully constructed and I found myself smiling as Ed delivered message after message, transforming himself from an ordinary person into someone with the power to change lives, often with the smallest gestures.

If you enjoyed The Book Thief then I suggest picking up this book.  The voice is similar, especially as Ed spends a lot of time making observations before taking action.  Also along the lines of Book Thief, Messenger's narrator delivers some of life's great truths in beautiful little packages:

• On carrying eighteen hardcovers home from the library: "I didn't know words could be so heavy."

• To his mother, who blames Ed's dead father for her state of affairs, and blames Ed for reminding her of her husband: "It's the person, Ma, not the place. If you left here you'd have been the same anywhere else.  If I ever leave this place I'll make sure I'm better here first."

• After standing at his father's grave, remembering that no one in his family spoke at his father's funeral: "I want words at my funeral. But I guess that means you need life in your life."

Messenger isn't new.  I'm always the last one to the party, and I thought it was new when I saw it on the endcap.  It actually was published four years before The Book Thief.  I'm so happy I picked it up, though, and I hope that you enjoy it.