Markus Zusak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Markus Zusak
Zusak in 2019
Born	Markus Frank Zusak (1975-06-23) 23 June 1975 (age 50) Sydney, Australia
Occupation	Writer
Education	Engadine High School
Alma mater	University of New South Wales
Period	1999–present day
Notable awards	Margaret A. Edwards Award 2014
Spouse	Mika Zusak
Children	3 children

Markus Zusak (born on June 23, 1975) is a famous Australian writer. He is best known for his books The Book Thief and The Messenger. Both of these novels became very popular around the world. In 2014, he won the Margaret Edwards Award for his important work in young adult literature.

About Markus Zusak

His Early Life

Markus Zusak was born in Sydney, Australia. His mother, Lisa, came from Germany, and his father, Helmut, was Austrian. They moved to Australia in the late 1950s. Markus is the youngest of four children. He has two sisters and one brother.

He went to Engadine High School. Later, he even taught English there for a short time while he was writing. He studied English and history at the University of New South Wales. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a teaching diploma.

His Writing Career

Markus Zusak has written six books so far. His first three books were The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and When Dogs Cry. These books were published between 1999 and 2001. They were all released in many countries.

His book The Messenger came out in 2002. In the United States, it was called I Am the Messenger. This book won several awards in 2003. These included the CBC Book of the Year Award for Older Readers. It also won the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature.

The Book Thief was published in 2005. It has been translated into more than 40 languages. This means people all over the world can read it! In 2013, The Book Thief was made into a movie.

In 2014, Zusak gave a talk at TEDxSydney. He called his talk "The Failurist." He spoke about how he wrote The Book Thief. He shared how he kept trying and learning until he finally succeeded.

In 2016, Zusak talked about his book Bridge of Clay. He said it was almost finished. He mentioned that he had changed a lot since he started writing it. The book was finally released in October 2018.

A TV show based on The Messenger started on ABC in 2023. Zusak has said his next book will be a "memoir type thing." This means it will be about his own life, not a made-up story.

Awards and Recognition

Markus Zusak has won many awards for his writing. In 2006, he received the Young Australian Novelist of the Year Award.

In 2014, he won the Margaret Edwards Award. This award is given by the American Library Association. It celebrates authors who have made a big and lasting impact on young adult literature. This means his books have really helped and inspired young readers for a long time.

His book Bridge of Clay was chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection. This means it was picked as a great book for young readers.

In 2005, two important groups, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and Publishers Weekly, named I Am the Messenger as one of the best children's books of the year.

Here are some of the awards his books have won:

• 2001
  • Fighting Ruben Wolfe received an Honor from the Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers.
• 2002
  • When Dogs Cry received an Honor from the Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers.
• 2003
  • The Messenger won the Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers.
  • It also won the Ethel Turner Prize from the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.
• 2006
  • The Messenger received an Honor from the Michael L. Printz Award.
• 2007
  • The Messenger won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.
• 2006
  • The Book Thief was a finalist for the Cybils Award for Young Adult Fiction.
  • It won the Kathleen Mitchell Award.
  • It also won the National Jewish Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.
• 2007
  • The Book Thief received an Honor from the Michael L. Printz Award.
• 2008
  • The Book Thief won the Ena Noël Award for Encouragement.
• 2009
  • The Book Thief won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.
• 2014
  • Markus Zusak was selected for the Margaret Edwards Award. This was for his books Fighting Ruben Wolfe, When Dogs Cry, The Messenger, and The Book Thief.

See also

In Spanish: Markus Zusak para niños