The Messenger by Markus Zusak

The First Message: 1 – Diamonds

 Chapter Ace

• A robbery at the bank
• Ed, Marv, and Ritchie are lying on the floor talking
• Ed, Marv, and Ritchie go to the local Police Station
• Marv’s car is stolen

Chapter Two

• You are given an introduction to Ed’s life
• Andrew, Marv and Ritchie have thier usual poker game
• Doorman is Ed’s pet dog, he is 17 years old
• Ed drives for a company called “Vacant Taxis” (He is the youngest driver)

Chapter Three

• Ed gets an ace of diamonds playing card in the mail with three addresses on it.
• Ed forgets to pick up his mother’s table

Chapter Four

• Ed visits court to talk about what happened in the bank robbery
• The bank robber threatens Ed, “You’re a dead man”

Chapter Five

• Ed visits the 45 Edger Street address
• Ed finds a girl and women crying on the porch
• Ed realises he has to kill the women’s husband

Chapter Six

• Ed sees the girl and women in a local shopping centre
• Ed has lunch with Audrey and then gets back to driving taxis

Chapter Seven

• Ed visits the 13 Harrison Avenue address and finds an old lady lives there alone
• Ed talks to Misha, the bank teller during the robbery
• The lonely old lady’s name is Milla Johnson and she is 82 years old

Chapter Eight

• Ed picks up and drops  off the coffee table to his mother
• Ed reads a book and looks at photos with Milla Johnson
• Ed visits his father and Jimmy Johnson’s grave

Chapter Nine

• Ed visits the 6 Macedoni Street address
• Ed meets a girl called Sophie, he is surprise to see she runs competitively with no shoes

Chapter Ten

• Ed meets up with Audrey
• Ed visits Milla Johnson and they talk while looking at old photos
• Ed leaves an empty shoe box at Sophie’s house
• Sophie gets tripped up in her race

Chapter Jack

• Sophie says thank you to Ed

Chapter Queen

• Ed goes to the 35 Edgar Street address, where he meets Angelica
• Ed gets a gun in the letter box

Chapter King

• Ed borrows a taxi from “Vacant Taxis”
• Ed takes the father of Angelica to the Cathedral to shoot him

The Stones of Home: 2 – Clubs

Chapter Ace

• Ed does not kill the man
• Marv reminds Ed of the Annual Sledge Game
• Ed takes Doorman for a walk through the park

Chapter Two

• Ed visits 35 Edgar Street to see how the women and Angelica are going without the husband/father
• Ed goes home to find two men in his kitchen eating pies, named Daryl and Keith
• Daryl and Keith know that Ed did not kill the man
• Ed gets punched
• Daryl and Keith leave an envelope behind

Chapter Three

• In the envelope is the playing card, ace of clubs, and a letter
• The letter congratulates Ed for what he has done and informs Ed about the man he almost killed
• On the card it reads “Say a prayer, at the stones of home”

Chapter Four

• Ed tells Audrey of the playing card and of the time he nearly killed the man

Chapter Five

• Ed, while driving his taxi, picks up an interesting women named Alice and takes her to The Quay Grand
• Alice is a hooker who calls herself Sheeba on the job

Chapter Six

• Ed has a kick with Marv at the local grounds to prepare for the sledge game
• Ed visits Milla Johnson, and Sophie
• Ed picks up a random man whom wants to be dropped off at Ed’s house
• The man runs off and does not pay the fee
• Ed finds the stone of home
• There are three names carved into the rocks, “Thomas O’Reilly, Angie Carusso and Gavin Rose”

Chapter Seven

• Ed visits Thomas’s brother, Tony O’Reilly and gets asked to tell Thomas O’Reilly “greed hasn’t swallowed me up yet”
• Ed finds out where Thomas O’Reilly lives and that he’s a priest
• Ed tells his brother about the playing cards
• Ed goes to Henry Street and meets Thomas O’Reilly
• Ed goes to the church where Thomas O’Reilly is the priest
• Ed plans to fill the church on Saturday

Chapter Eight

• Ed plans to have a ‘Meet a Priest Day’ at the church with food, dancing, singing and free beer
• At each end of Main Street they write the details on the road
• Ed invites Sophie, Milla and Tony O’Reilly to the special day
• The ‘meet a priest day’ is a success
• The church is filled with people

Chapter Nine

• Thomas drops by Ed’s house to thank him for the ‘Meet a Priest Day’
• The police drop by with equipment for Ed

Chapter Ten

• Ed finds Angie Carusso in the phone book.
• Ed visits Edgar Street, Thomas O’Reilly and Milla Johnson
• Ed discovers Gavin Rose.
• Gavin and his older brother seem to fight every night
• Ed talks to Gavin after a fight with his older brother

Chapter Jack

• Ed buys Angie Carusso an ice-cream
• Angie Carusso cries and says ‘it doesn’t taste the same as it use to’

Chapter Queen

• Ed beats up Gavin Rose until he can’t move
• Ed runs to a phone box and rings Gavin’s brother to inform him of Gavin’s location
• Gavin’s brother locates Gavin and helps him home

Chapter King

• Ed walks down to the stone of home and the names carved into the rock have been ticked off excepted for Gavin’s name
• Ed gets beaten up by Gavin, his brother and four other guys

Trying Times for Ed Kennedy: 3 – Spades

Chapter Ace

• The Sledge Match
• Marv buys Ed breakfast to make sure he turns up to the game
• The crowd is large
• Ed gets bashed around on his first two runs
• Audrey turns up to the game at half time
• The game ends for Ed with him vomiting

Chapter Two

• Doorman is missing
• Ed gets Doorman back
• Ed receives his next playing card from a kid
• The playing card is an Ace of Spades

Chapter Three

• Ed’s team wins the Sledge Match and there is a party at Merv’s house
• The card has three names on it; Graham Greene, Morris West and Sylvia Plath
• Ed has a dream of a teacher killing herself in front of him
• Ed figures the three people are all writers
• Ed kisses Audrey
• Ed goes to the Library and borrows all the books under the names; Graham Greene, Morris West and Sylvia Plath
• The three addresses are 114 Glory Road, 23 Clown Street and 39 Bell Street
• The roads are in the titles of the books and the number is the page in the book with a special symbol

Chapter Four

• Ed travels to 114 Glory Road to find a Polynesian family
• Ed walks in to the house explaining to the family he once lived there
• The family puts Christmas lights up but they do not work
• Ed buys the family some new lights and leaves them at the front door

Chapter Five

• The family rock up at Ed’s house and invite him over to their house
• The family put the lights up and ‘they are beautiful’

Chapter Six

• Lau and his wife kiss under the lights
• The kids dance around the front yard under the lights

Chapter Seven

• Ed goes inside for a cup of coffee
• Lau thanks Ed for making them feel welcome
• Lau gives Ed a small dark stone with the pattern of a cross on it, for luck
• Ed says goodbye to the family

Chapter Eight

• Ed visits the 23 Clown Street address, it is an Italian restaurant called ‘Melusso’s.
• Ed meets up with Audrey and tells her everything

Chapter Nine

• Audrey kisses Ed on the cheek
• Ed goes inside Melusso’s restaurant and orders a meal
• Ed sees his mother in the restaurant with a man

Chapter Ten

• Ed visits his mother and asks her about her relationship with another man.
• Ed asks his mother “why do you hate me?” and Ed’s mum answers because “you remind me of him”, Ed’s father
• Ed and his mother talk about Ed’s father

Chapter Jack

• Ed gives Doorman his tea
• Ed rings his mother and asks her if she is alright

Chapter Queen

• Doorman and Ed go to Thomas O’Reilly’s Church
• Ed goes to the 39 Bell Street address, which is an old cinema
• Ed buys a ticket from the man at the counter
• Ed is the first customer in weeks
• Ed is the only person in the cinema
• The man at the counter forgets to change the reel during the movie and offers Ed a free movie of his choice
• The man, named Bernie, was told by Daryl and Keith that Ed was coming to the cinema
• Ed invites Audrey to the free movie
• Ed asks Bernie to come down and sit with them

Chapter King

• Ed visits the cinema, in which movies of him are depicted on the screen
• Ed receives another card, an Ace of Hearts

The Music of Hearts: 4

Chapter Ace

• On the playing card it reads The Suitcase, Cat Ballou and Roman Holiday
• They are all names of films
• Ed gives out Christmas cards to everyone.
• Ed writes ‘Merry Christmas’ on all the Aces he has received

Chapter Two

• Marv, Ed, Ritchie, Audrey and Audrey’s boyfriend spend Christmas together
• Marv kisses Doorman on the snout
• Audrey and her boyfriend leave the gathering

Chapter Three

• Ed goes to his mothers place to meet his family
• Ed visits Milla Johnson and receives a gift from her

Chapter Four

• Ed visits the old cinema and Bernie
• Ed asks Bernie about the three movies on the card
• The three addresses belong to Ritchie, Marv and Audrey
• Ed goes by Ritchie’s house

Chapter Five

• Ed goes to Ritchie’s house where Ritchie  listens to the radio
• Ed tells Ritchie his name is on one of the playing cards

Chapter Six

• Ed trys to work out what to do for Marv
• There is a party for Ritchie’s parents at Ritchie’s house
• Ed gets asked for change by a beggar

Chapter Seven

• Ed goes to Milla Johnson’s house
• Ed asks Marv for money

Chapter Eight

• Marv and Ed go to the 17 Cabramatta Road address
• Marv gets beaten up by Mr. Boyd

Chapter Nine

• Marv says thank you to Ed
• Ed picks up Suzanne Boyd and her daughter, Melinda Boyd

Chapter Ten

• Ed moves on to Audrey who is the last message
• Ed goes to Audrey’s house three times a week

Chapter Jack

• Marv drops into Ed’s place to ask about the owed money
• Ed explains everything to Marv

Chapter Queen

• Ed visits Audrey in the morning
• Ed and Audrey fall in love

Chapter King

• Ed gets another playing card with one address on it
• The Joker playing card reads 26 Shipping Street, this is Ed’s Address

The Joker: 5

Chapter Joker

• Ed nearly crashes his car on the way home
• Ed tells Audrey about the card
• A man shows up at Ed’s House and gives him a letter telling him to go to the cemetery
• Ed meets the man who sent Daryl and Keith, and set everything up, including the robbery and raping
• Ed is the message