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MARKUS ZUSAK

MARKUS ZUSAK. Biography. Born in Australia January 1, 1975 Parents are immigrants from Austria and Germany Youngest of four children Raised in working class Sydney suburb Currently lives in Sydney with his wife and daughter Worked previously as an English teacher

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MARKUS ZUSAK

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  1. MARKUS ZUSAK

  2. Biography • Born in Australia January 1, 1975 • Parents are immigrants from Austria and Germany • Youngest of four children • Raised in working class Sydney suburb • Currently lives in Sydney with his wife and daughter • Worked previously as an English teacher • Current pass times: surfing, playing soccer and watching movies “It’s a great risk to underestimate teenagers.” Markus Zusak, NPR Interview 2006

  3. As a writer • Considered to be a “cross-over author” • Speaks to teens as though they are people; not just teens • Challenges the reader to move from a light reading experience to a literary experience • Stories go beyond the typical teen problems, issues and concerns “I used to lie about this, but now I actually know – I started writing when I was sixteen. I’m thirty now. I get my ideas from fourteen years of thinking about it.” Markus Zusak on where he gets his ideas, Random House Q&A 2006

  4. Works in brief • The Underdog, 1999 • Fighting Ruben Wolfe, 2001 (NY) • Getting the Girl, 2003 (NY) • I Am the Messenger, 2005 (NY) • The Book Thief, 2006 “I often ask two questions when I’m writing. One is, ‘What is the worst thing that can happen?’ The other is, ‘What is the unexpected thing?’.” Markus Zusak, interview with Cindy Hudson www.saltlakecountyonebook.com

  5. The Underdog • The Underdog, 1999 • First in the series about the Wolfe brothers • Not printed in the US www.fantasticfiction.co.uk

  6. Fighting Ruben Wolfe • Fighting Ruben Wolfe, 2001 (NY) • Printed in Australia in 2000 • Second in the series about the Wolfe brothers • Series is noted as a voice for male teenagers www.barnesandnoble.com

  7. Getting the Girl • Getting the Girl, 2003 (NY) • First printed as When Dogs Cry, 2001 in Australia • Final in the series about the Wolfe brothers • Series based on personal relationships • Narrated by Cameron Wolfe with his personal journals www.fantasticfiction.co.uk

  8. I Am the Messenger • I Am the Messenger, 2005 (NY) • First printed as The Messenger, 2002 in Australia • First person narrative through the eyes of Ed Kennedy, an under-aged cab driver in a Sydney working class suburb “Australian author Markus Zusak’s remarkable novel is provocative, funny, disturbing, tender, hopeful, and, above all, gutsy. Zusak takes extraordinary risks to create a story that challenges readers to think about what is ethical, what is moral, and what is right regarding the choices Ed makes, and to think about the ways the answers to these questions are far from clear.” Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2006 www.barnesandnoble.com

  9. I Am the Messenger • Awards • Michael L. Printz Honor, 2006 • Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, 2006 • Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year – Children, 2005 • Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Award in Australia, 2003 www.barnesandnoble.com

  10. The Book Thief http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ6f0_0iGf0

  11. The Book Thief • The Book Thief, 2006 • Story inspired from his mother’s childhood outside of Munich • Chose ‘Death’ to be the narrator • Acclaimed as a ‘crossover novel’ that appeals to adults and teens • Released in US as a YA; released in Australia as an adult “The Book Thief will be appreciated for Mr. Zusak's audacity, also on display in his earlier ''I Am the Messenger.'' It will be widely read and admired because it tells a story in which books become treasures. And because there's no arguing with a sentiment like that.” Janet Malsin, New York Times, 2006 www.randomhouse.com

  12. The Book Thief • Awards • ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2007 • Michael L. Printz Honor Book, 2007 • Book Sense Book of the Year, 2007 • Horn Book Fanfare, 2006 • Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award, 2006 • School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, 2006 • Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year, 2006 • Booklist Children's Editors' Choice, 2006 • Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, 2006 www.puffin.co.uk

  13. Words of Markus Zusak “Here is a book for you, but you’ve got to step up to read this. And teenagers will surprise us every time, I find.” - Markus Zusak, NPR Interview 2006

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