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y separately published work icon The Messenger single work   novel   young adult  
Issue Details: First known date: 2002... 2002 The Messenger
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Meet Ed Kennedy - cab-driving prodigy, pathetic card player and useless at sex. He lives in a suburban shack, shares coffee with his dog, the Doorman, and is in nervous-love with Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence - until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. - back cover

Exhibitions

18388424
18387981
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Adaptations

y separately published work icon The Messenger : The Play Ross Mueller , 2008 Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2008 Z1545846 2008 single work drama

'Meet Ed Kennedy - underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That's when the first Ace arrives. That's when Ed becomes the messenger...

'The Messenger is a darkly humorous, thought provoking and moving story that reminds us how difficult it is to find our place in the world.'
form y separately published work icon The Messenger Sarah Lambert , Kirsty Fisher , Kim Wilson , Magda Wozniak , Australia : Lingo Pictures Australian Broadcasting Corporation , 2022 24583549 2022 series - publisher film/TV

Reading Australia

Reading Australia

This work has Reading Australia teaching resources.

Unit Suitable For

AC: Year 10 (NSW Stage 5)

Themes

fear, human experience, identity, morality, morals, social responsibility

General Capabilities

Critical and creative thinking, Ethical understanding, Information and communication technology, Literacy, Personal and social

Teaching Resources

Teaching Resources

This work has teaching resources.

Teachers' notes via publisher's website.

Notes

Affiliation Notes

  • This work is affiliated with the AustLit subset Asian-Australian Children's Literature and Publishing because it has Chinese, Japanese and Korean translations.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Sydney City, Inner Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,: Pan , 2002 .
      image of person or book cover 7970376878062050257.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 386p.
      Description: port.
      ISBN: 0330363883, 0330422634 (pbk)
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,      :       Knopf ,       2005 .
      image of person or book cover 7400173774773011270.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Alternative title: I Am the Messenger
      Extent: 357p.
      Edition info: 1st American ed.
      ISBN: 0375830995 (trade), 037593099X (lib. bdg.)
    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Picador , 2006 .
      image of person or book cover 1784363484896961795.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 386p.
      Note/s:
      • Republished for the adult market.
      ISBN: 0330422634
    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Picador , 2009 .
      image of person or book cover 4102907519078996536.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 399p.
      Note/s:
      • Includes reading notes.
      ISBN: 9780330424738 (pbk), 0330424734 (pbk)
    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Picador , 2013 .
      image of person or book cover 5526416400741892230.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 396p.
      Note/s:
      • Published: 01/11/2013
      ISBN: 9781742613529
    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Pan Macmillan Australia , 2023 .
      image of person or book cover 8036275511187381789.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 396p.
      Edition info: TV Tie-In
      Note/s:
      • Published 28 March 2023
      ISBN: 9781761263811
Alternative title: メッセージ
Transliterated title: Messeeji
Language: Japanese
    • Tokyo, Honshu,
      c
      Japan,
      c
      East Asia, South and East Asia, Asia,      :       Takeda Random House Japan ,       2005 .
      image of person or book cover 8698746188509307525.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online. (Volume two)
      Extent: 2vols. 302, 303p.
      ISBN: 4270100206 (vol.1), 4270100214 (vol.2)
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Other Formats

  • Sound recording.
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Related Works

y separately published work icon The Messenger : The Play Ross Mueller , 2008 Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2008 Z1545846 2008 single work drama

'Meet Ed Kennedy - underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That's when the first Ace arrives. That's when Ed becomes the messenger...

'The Messenger is a darkly humorous, thought provoking and moving story that reminds us how difficult it is to find our place in the world.'
VIEW ALL RELATED WORKS (1)

Works about this Work

‘I Remember the Exact Words’ : Markus Zusak on The Messenger – and the Review He’ll Never Forget Sian Cain , 2023 single work interview
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 12 May 2023;
[Essay] : The Messenger Felicity Castagna , 2013 single work criticism
— Appears in: Reading Australia 2013-;

'The underlying theme in Marcus Zusak’s novels is ordinariness. Whether he is writing from the perspective of two working-class brothers struggling to get noticed for their boxing abilities in Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2000), or from that of Ed in The Messenger (2002) – ‘the epitome of ordinariness’ – the theme looms in complex ways over his writings. Even a character such as Death in his best-known work, The Book Thief (2005), is depicted as facing the same mundane issues as most human beings: he is easily distracted, he can’t make up his mind, he feels overwhelmed by his demanding work.' (Introduction)
A Sporting Chance : Class in Markus Zusak's The Messenger and Fighting Ruben Wolfe Elizabeth Bullen , 2006 single work criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , December vol. 16 no. 2 2006; (p. 46-50) In this essay, Bullen focuses on the interrelationship between class consciousness and individual agency in two novels by Markus Zusak, Fighting Ruben Wolfe and The Messenger. She interrogates how both texts reflect and contest class prejudice in relation to those who are marginalised and stigmatised through particular economic circumstances. By looking at how sport is used as a metaphor for life, Bullen critiques the popular motif of (social) winners and losers that permeates children's sport stories, particularly the assumption that success in sport is emblematic of success in other social fields. Fighting Ruben Wolfe centers upon illegal boxing, a sport often associated with or reflective of 'informal, lower class activities' and Bullen looks at the implications of class location and low status lifestyles by questioning the representation of social games in terms of social mobility, particularly when the notion of upward mobility assumes that a 'less desirable social location is left behind' (50).
Fiction Cameron Woodhead , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 12 August 2006; (p. 25)
— Review of Metro Alasdair Duncan , 2006 single work novel ; Inventing Beatrice Jill Golden , 2006 single work novel ; The Messenger Markus Zusak , 2002 single work novel
Today's Australian Adolescent Fiction: The Point of It All Maureen Nimon , 2005 single work column
— Appears in: Orana , March vol. 41 no. 1 2005; (p. 11-13)
[Review] The Messenger Lucy Sussex , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 24 March 2003; (p. 10)
— Review of The Messenger Markus Zusak , 2002 single work novel
[Review] The Messenger Hugh Rayner , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: Fiction Focus : New Titles for Teenagers , vol. 17 no. 1 2003; (p. 41)
— Review of The Messenger Markus Zusak , 2002 single work novel
Children's Book Council of Australia : Review of Short-Listed Books 2003 Wendy Michaels , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: Classroom , vol. 23 no. 5 2003; (p. 6-17)
— Review of The Girl from the Sea James Aldridge , 2002 single work novel ; Painted Love Letters Catherine Bateson , 2002 single work children's fiction ; The Song of an Innocent Bystander Ian Bone , 2002 single work novel ; Walking Naked Alyssa Brugman , 2002 single work novel ; Njunjul the Sun Meme McDonald , Boori Pryor , 2002 single work novel ; The Messenger Markus Zusak , 2002 single work novel ; Where in the World Simon French , 2002 single work children's fiction ; Rain May and Captain Daniel Catherine Bateson , 2002 single work children's fiction ; Horrendo's Curse Anna Fienberg , 2002 single work children's fiction ; Tom Jones Saves the World Steven Herrick , 2002 single work children's fiction ; The Slightly True Story of Cedar B. Hartley (Who Planned to Live an Unusual Life) Martine Murray , 2002 single work children's fiction ; The Barrumbi Kids Leonie Robin Norrington , 2002 single work children's fiction ; The Potato People Pamela Allen , 2001 single work picture book ; Guess the Baby Simon French , 2002 single work picture book ; Too Loud Lily Sofie Laguna , 2002 single work picture book ; A Year on Our Farm Penny Matthews , 2002 single work picture book ; Bear and Chook Lisa Shanahan , 2002 single work picture book ; Playmates Jane Tanner , 2002 single work picture book ; Old Tom's Holiday Leigh Hobbs , 2002 single work picture book ; Jethro Byrde, Fairy Child Bob Graham , 2002 single work picture book ; In Flanders Fields Norman Jorgensen , 2002 single work picture book ; Diary of a Wombat Jackie French , 2002 single work picture book ; Awesome! : Australian Art for Contemporary Kids Laura Murray Cree , 2002 single work information book ; The Mighty Murray John Nicholson , 2002 single work non-fiction ; Discover and Learn About Australian Forests and Woodlands Pat Slater , 2002 single work information book ; Iron in the Blood : Convicts and Commandants in Colonial Australia Alan R. Tucker , 2002 single work information book ; Black Snake : The Daring of Ned Kelly Carole Wilkinson , 2002 single work biography ; Endangered! Working to Save Animals at Risk Rick Wilkinson , 2002 single work information book
But What Do the Real Experts Say? Saul Lazar , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 16 August 2003; (p. 10)
— Review of The Messenger Markus Zusak , 2002 single work novel
Young Reviewers of the Year Joy Burton , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 12 August 2003; (p. 4)
— Review of The Messenger Markus Zusak , 2002 single work novel
Misery's Triumph Andrew Bolt , 2003 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 24 August 2003; (p. 80)
CBCA Acceptance Speeches : Markus Zusak Markus Zusak , 2003 single work column
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , November vol. 47 no. 4 2003; (p. 2)
The Children's Book Council of Australia Annual Awards 2003 2003 single work column
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , August vol. 47 no. 3 2003; (p. 2-12)
Know the Author : Markus Zusak Jo Goodman , 2004 single work column
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , May vol. 19 no. 2 2004; (p. 16-18)
The Story of Your Life Candice Francis , 2005 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 9 May 2005; (p. 4)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (23)

Awards

2014 shortlisted APA Book Design Awards — Best Designed Young Adult Book designed by Sandy Cull.
2007 winner German Youth Literature Award — Jugendjury Der Joker
2007 winner Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis
2007 winner Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis — Youth Jury Prize Award shared between Zusak and the German translator, Alexandra Ernst.
2006 honour book Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
VIEW ALL AWARDS (7)
Last amended 8 Dec 2023 11:39:55
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