Erich Kastner: 3 books

In the book that spawned the beloved movie The Parent Trap, nine-year-old Lisa from Vienna-bold, with a head of curls-meets Munich's buttoned-up Lottie at summer camp. Soon, a newspaper clipping tells the tale: they're identical twins, Lisa living a colorful, big-city life with her father while Lottie...

Going to the Dogs is set in Berlin after the crash of 1929 and before the Nazi takeover, years of rising unemployment and financial collapse. The moralist in question is Jakob Fabian, “aged thirty-two, profession variable, at present advertising copywriter . . . weak heart, brown hair,” a young...

On the train, his fellow passengers are impressed with how polite and grown-up Emil is, and the man in the bowler hat offers him some chocolate—but Emil keeps checking his coat pocket, where he’s pinned the money that he is taking to his grandmother. Soon, though, Emil finds himself getting sleepy...