El ladrón de minutos

Edu is a precocious ten-year-old with the body of a scrawny eight-year-old and the brain of a fourteen-year old, although he wishes the situation was the other way round. Apart from his fondness for learning and using new and advanced vocabulary, Edu lives a seemingly normal life with his parents, his teenage sister Nuria and his aged grandmother. He attends school and spends his free time in his room playing on his games console or reading, having a kick-about in the square with his friends or hanging out with his best friend Laura.

However, Edu’s world is turned upside down when the Authorities suddenly decree that there are too many days in the year and make an executive and irreversible decision that October 6th, Edu’s birthday, is surplus to requirements and will henceforth be removed from the calendar. Having just turned ten, Edu is faced with the new reality that he will remain ten forever and never celebrate another birthday, while his friends and family continue to grow up, gain knowledge and maturity and enjoy all the festivities associated with birthdays…

El ladrón de minutos is an engaging and entertaining book that covers the important themes of friendship, happiness and making the most of the lives and opportunities we have been given. These, along with childhood cares and concerns and ideas surrounding growing up are universal, making the story likely to travel well into other languages. The themes and overall message of the book are as relevant to children in the UK as they are to Spanish children and there are no instances of cultural difference so great that they are likely to need significant explanation or adaptation to allow young UK readers to enjoy and access the story.

In Edu, Lozano has created an engaging and authentic first-person narrator. El ladrón de minutos is enjoyable, original and amusing even for an adult reader...

The cover and interior illustrations are by David Guirao (www.davidguirao.com [1]), an established illustrator and graphic artist. Guirao’s illustrations are a good match with the story.

From the reader´s report by Izzie Kaufeler [2].