I recently read "I am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak for a teen book group (which is now, unfortunately, no longer going on). The premise is rather interesting, but somewhat cliched - an antihero of an underage cab driver finds a way to make his life meaningful. He receives several playing cards in the mail with clues for him to use to help people. This young man then puzzles out all the clues and goes through a journey of self-growth to provide the individuals on the cards with the assistance they need. However, Zusak did not deliver on the origin of the cards. While ordinarily I would have said Zusak should have followed up on where the cards came from, I felt it was not the point of the book. Intentionally or not, the story was more about Ed and his vigilante ways - not where or whom the playing cards came from. While it provided a convenient delivery mechanism for the cards, trying to throw in the "Big Brother" agents felt like a cop-out and an unnecessary one at that. It was completely unnecessary and cheapened the purpose of the book.
Overall: 6/7 out of 10.
Details:
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 9, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375836675
ISBN-13: 978-0375836671
