Markus + Diana

This book is hysterical! Markus is a timid geek and his hobby is collecting autographs by writing letters to celebrities. Oh. He pretends to be someone other than his thirteen-year-old wormster self. The story takes place in Norway, and Markus, under the pretense of being a lonely and sympathetic millionaire, writes to Norwegian-born Hollywood actress Diana Mortensen. When Diana makes a plan to visit him, Markus' savvy friend Sigmund dreams up a plot to make it all happen. But they must practice social skills, so they plan a fancy dinner-date with two schoolgirls. Since neither boy knows how to execute a date in a fine restaurant, Murphy's law abounds, and anything hysterically atrocious that can happen, does. The ending of the novel is wonderfully redemptive. Markus and his widowed father, as well as Sigmund and Diana experience a heartfelt learning curve in honesty, vulnerability and communication, all with a sizeable helping of genuine laughter. It's a totally refreshing read!

Markus Simonsen is just like his father--he's scared of heights, the dark, and girls. Especially girls. He's scared of dogs and the wild and losing his father, since he already lost his mother. Markus is practically scared of the entire world. He doesn't have that many friends, except for Sigmund and his father. Markus isn't the best at school or sports. He just isn't that great at anything. Well, except for writing notes to random celebrities. Disguising himself as someone else, Markus is the best at making up stories, causing celebrities to feel bad for the character he becomes that week, bad enough to where they send him a personally autographed picture. Who's his next celebrity victim? Well, it is none other then the very beautiful Diana Mortensen. With the correct address, Markus is now ready to become the millionaire who understands the crazy world of fame and all the ups and downs that it brings with it. But Diana is different from all the other celebrities. She writes back, but so do the others. Except Diana's letter actually has deep feelings written all over it. She actually expresses what she truly feels. But the only thing is, those feelings are for Markus Simonsen, the millionaire, not Markus Simonsen, the intimidated kid. Markus's world is the funniest I have ever come upon. The adventures of Markus in MARKUS + DIANA is rightfully hilarious and just screams "MAKE ME INTO A MOVIE!" Klaus Hagerup creates a character that is not only humorous but also imaginative. He inspires others to be creative, to think outside the box, and to not be scared of the places that your imagination takes you. MARKUS + DIANA is a great read and is perfect for when you need a nice, long laugh. Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

...using a tennis ball, an etiquette book, and not *quite* enough money for dinner at a fancy restaurant. This is a fun little book (part of a series of books) about Markus and his friend Sigmund, who are best friends in grade school; the kids call Markus "Wormster" and he's an outcast, yet the popular and confident Sigmund remains loyal to him. Markus develops a serious crush on a Norwegian actress who went to Hollywood to become a big star, and is surprised when she answers his fan mail--hijinks ensue. Hagerup's series about Markus are very popular in Europe, and this is the first installment of the series in English. It's targeted at kids between ca. 7-13--and it treats issues like self-esteem and the inner emotional lives of unpopular kids (but with a strong dose of Norwegian humor).

Imagine two sixth-grade boys: Markus is afraid of just about everything it's possible to be afraid of and his best friend Sigmund seems pretty much fearless, especially around girls. Markus writes a fan letter to a famous actress pretending that he's a millionaire and then they end up having to meet the actress. So then Markus and Sigmund try to memorize this etiquette guide. Hilarious! You've got to read this book!