Emil and the Detectives

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Emil and the Detectives is a novel for children written by the German writer Erich Kästner.

1 Plot
2 Film adaptation
3 See also
4 Trivia

[edit] Plot

The story begins in Neustadt, a provincial German town and the home of a grade school kid named Emil Tischbein. His father is deceased and his mother raises him alone working as a hair stylist. At the beginning of the story, she sends Emil to Berlin with 120 marks to give to his grandmother and 20 marks for himself. On the way he is very careful to not lose the money and uses a needle to pin it in the lining of his jacket. But on the train to Berlin, he falls asleep alone on a car with a man named Herr Grundeis. When he wakes up the money and Herr Grundeis are gone. When he gets off the train, he finds Herr Grundeis and follows him. He dares not call the police since the local cop in Neustadt had seen him paint a moustace on a local monument, so he feels that he is "a kind of criminal" himself, not entitled to police pprotection. However, while he is concealing himself, he is found by a local boy named Gustav who offers to help. Gustav assembles 24 local children who call themselves the detectives. Emil gets his money back when Herr Grundeis goes to a bank and tries to exchange the money for smaller bills. One of the detectives follows him into the bank and tells the bank teller that the money is stolen. Emil comes in and tries to tell the bank teller his story. He proves that the money was his by describing the holes left by the needle he used to pin the bills in the lining of his jacket. Herr Grundeis tries to run away, however Emil's cousin has brought a police officer to the bank. Herr Grundeis is arrested and is found out to be a bank robber. Emil receives an award of 1000 marks for capturing Herr Grundeis.

[edit] Film adaptation

Made into film in 1931, 1954, and 2001. A Hollywood version was produced in 1964.

[edit] See also

List of films made in Weimar Germany

[edit] Trivia

In Indonesia, the novel is published as 'Emil dan Detektif Cilik' by Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Emil's last name, Tischbein translates to table leg.
Herr Grundeis translates to Mr. Ground ice.