Emil and the Detectives

Has sold over 1.5million copies and translated into over 30 languages

'Password Emil!'

Emil is excited to be taking the train on his own for the first time. He doesn't like the look of his fellow passenger, the man in the bowler hat. Emil will just have to keep his wits about him and his money in his pocket. But Emil falls asleep and when he wakes up the man in the bowler hat is gone - and so is the money! Emil is determined to get it back. He teams up with a gang of young detectives and so begins a hair-raising chase across Berlin to catch the dirty rotten thief...

Includes exclusive material: In ‘The Backstory’ you can learn all about the book's brave author and find out just how good a sleuth you would be.

Vintage Children’s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from Peter Pan and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Includes original illustrations

Extra material includes: 'who's who' guide to characters, quiz about the book, author biog, test your detective powers, 'child power' suggestions for further reading.

Erich Kästner was born in Dresden in Germany in 1899. Much like Emil himself Erich Kästner was an only child. He was devoted to his mother who worked as a hairdresser to supplement their family income. Erich Kästner went into the army in 1917, and his experiences there made him feel strongly that war and violence were wrong. He published Emil and the Detectives in 1928 and Emil and the Three Twins in 1933. The books were very popular but when Hitler's government - the Nazis - were in power Kastner's books were labelled anti-German. Joseph Goebbels, who was in charge of the Government Propaganda, said "In the name of the fight against decadence and moral corruption! In the name of breeding and rectitude in state and family, I consign to the flames the writings of Heinrich Mann, Ernst Glasser and Erich Kastner!" Erich Kästner was one of the only authors who was present as his books were tossed on to the flames in 1933. Luckily, although Hitler and Goebbels had Kastner's books thrown on to the fire, Emil has outlasted them and lives to spy another day. Erich Kästner was awarded the American Library Association Mildred L. Batchelder Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.He died in 1974.

Walter Trier was the celebrated illustrator of many children's books. He illustrated several other of Erich Kästner's children's books, including The Flying Classroom and Emil and the Three Twins.