Emil and the Three Twins

'Password Emil!'

Emil and the detectives are on holiday by the seaside when they meet the three acrobat twins, the three Byrons. One Byron is the father and the other two are the sons, Mackie and Jackie. Jackie is bigger than Mackie and Byron Senior is very annoyed about it. But what is Jackie to do? When Emil and the detectives discover that the father is planning to desert poor Jackie they are determined to come to the rescue but not before they've been cast away on a desert island...

Includes exclusive material: In ‘The Backstory’ you can test your knowledge of Emil and his adventures and discover some fun seaside activities!

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.

ERICH KASTNER was born in Dresden in Germany in 1899. Much like Emil himself Erich Kastner was an only child. He was devoted to his mother who worked as a hairdresser to supplement their family income. Erich Kastner 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 Kastner was the only one who was present as his books were tossed on to the flames in 1933. Luckily, Hitler and Goebbels may have thrown Kastner's books on to the flames in 1933, but Emil has outlasted them and lives to spy another day. Erich Kastner was awarded the American Library Association Mildred L. Batchelder Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. He died in 1974.