Markus + Diana

MARKUS + DIANA by Klaus Hagerup
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 10/1/06
Publisher: Front Street
Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
Rating: 4 Stars

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.