Momo is full of imagination and bravery and friendship, and has an important message for modern readers in a time-poor and overscheduled world. This kind of drab, workaholic attitude does not play with our in-the-moment Momo, and when it becomes apparent that the Men In Grey’s savings scheme is literally sucking the city dry of spare time, it is up to her to save the day. The story takes a sinister turn when grey-suited, grey-skinned businessmen infiltrate the relaxed city, urging citizens to work harder and play less, so they might deposit their ‘saved time’ in the Timesavings Bank.

This updated cover is by my favourite illustrator, Chris Riddell, but the cover I remember from my childhood attracted me with Momo’s black hair and brown skin – a rare sight on kids’ books in the 1980s. Momo soon enchants the adults with her superior listening skills, and the children with her powers of make-believe. Momo is ageless, wise, without possessions and thoroughly enigmatic (‘I’ve always been around’ she says, when asked where she was born). The mysterious Momo sets up camp in an abandoned amphitheatre in a city that resembles Rome, and is adopted by concerned locals. Momo is a surreal (and at times creepy) fantasy about time theft, starring a very charming heroine. Michael Endes works have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 20 million copies, and have been adapted into motion pictures, stage plays, operas and audio books. German author Michael Ende might be better known for his novel The Neverending Story, but it is the sweet and magical Momo that holds first place in my heart. Other books include Momo and Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer (Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver).

Momo michael ende