Michael Rosen, former children's laureate and guest director of this year's Brighton festival, has chosen a German classic of 20th century children's literature for his special project, Young City Reads. Emil and the Detectives was published in 1929 and set in Berlin, so Rosen returns to the city to to walk reporter Kate Connolly around some of its historic locations. There they meet up with Kästner expert Tomas Von Pluto, who explains how important the novelist was to Germany in the 1930s.
Plus, we find out from Swiss novelist and journalist Rolf Dobelli about his book, which has topped the German charts for months and has just been published in the UK. The Art of Thinking Clearly offers 99 fallacies that stop people from leading successful lives. He explains how not every swimmer can have a perfect swimmer's body and why reading news is bad for you.
Reading list:
Emil and the Detectives, by Erich Kästner (Cape)
The Art of Thinking Clearly, by Rolf Dobelli (Sceptre)
You don't have to live in Brighton to join Young City Reads. To find out more, go to the Brighton festival website
