The 35th of May, or Conrad's Ride to the South Seas
Erich Kästner
 The novel is about Conrad, a young boy, who spends each Thursday afternoon with his uncle, Mr. Ringelhuth. One Thursday — it happens to be the 35th of May — they meet Negro Caballo, who is well-versed in German literature, and at the same time, is the best roller skater in the world. Negro Caballo is a black horse that can speak. Together they enter Uncle Ringelhuth's huge wardrobe, which stands in the hallway and end up in a series of fantasy lands, starting with the land of Cockaigne ("free entry — children half price"), followed by a mediaeval castle complete with jousting, an upside-down world in which children send bad parents to reform school, a science fiction nightmare city with mobile phones and moving walkways, and a south sea island. On his return to the real world, Conrad writes a school essay about his experiences. The plot device of a magic wardrobe through which protagonists enter magical lands anticipates the similar device used by C.S. Lewis in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.