Book 88: Emil and the Detectives, by Erich Kästner

I very much enjoyed this brief tale of a lad from the country town of Neustadt who goes by train to Berlin to visit his grandmother. Emil's mum sends him with some money for his grandma and warns him to be careful of it. But disaster strikes! Before he reaches Berlin, Emil's money is stolen from him. Desperate to get it back before he meets his grandmother, Emil turns detective. This is a very joyful childhood story in which the characters enjoy an implausible amount of freedom as they cavort about Berlin on a quest to bring justice. It has a promising title, and I wasn't disappointed.