Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner

Classic translation

Keeping with the theme of the classics, this time I’m going to be writing about Emil and the Detectives, a less well-known but as enjoyable classic as the others I have reviewed. It was originally written in German and I read the English translation. Emil is a fun loving school boy brought up by his hard working single mother in a small Bavarian town.

One year she sends Emil to Berlin by himself, to see a few relatives since she has to continue working and earning money. Emil’s mother packs his things and hands him some to money which she is sending to her mother, who needs it. She urges Emil to be very very careful and not lose the money as it’s many months of her work.

Emil gets onto the train for his long journey to Berlin and due to his politeness earns a seat in the only carriage left. As is empties, Emil starts to feel drowsy and without realising it, he falls asleep. When he wakes up, he realises to his horror that the money is gone! He sees the other person in the carriage, a man with a bowler hat, walking out of the carriage and getting off at the station. Without a second thought Emil jumps off the train and starts to hurry through the crowd following the man in the bowler hat.

And from that moment his adventures in the big city of Berlin begin. I’m not going to tell you more about what happens because that would be too much of a spoiler, but the good news is that Emil makes some friends in the big, unfamiliar city and there’s eventually a happy ending.

We see Emil exploring the city and learning to be independent. One of the reasons why I was excited to read the book was a personal connection to Berlin, since I lived there for a few years and also love the city. I would recommend this book to readers who like gentler adventures and mysteries but still enjoy the thrill of suspense. If you enjoy the book, you might want to read Emil and the Twins after this. Ages 8-11 years.