Emil was a young school boy from a small town in Germany . One day , his mother gave h im some money and asked him to fly to Berlin to see his grandmother . In order to save more money , Emil took a bus to the railway station . He was very careful not to lose the money and used a needle( 别针 ) to pin it to the inside of his jacket . On the train to Berlin , Emil met a man called Grundeis. He was so hospitable that he offered Emil some chocolate . Emil fell asleep after eating it . When he woke up , Grundeis was gone , and so was the money ! Emil got off immediately at an unfamiliar station , looking for Grundeis. When Emil saw Grundeis in the crowd , he followed him . However , he was unable to catch him . A local boy named Gustav helped him . He gathered 24 local children who called themselves " detectives ( 侦探 ) ” and asked them to follow the thief . Emil and the " detectives " followed Grundeis to a hotel and kept watching him all night . When morning came , they saw him go to a bank where he wanted to exchange the money for smaller bills . One of the boy “ detectives " followed him into the bank and told the bank teller ( 柜员 ) that the money was stolen from someone else . Emil came in , too . He told the bank teller his story and proved that the money was his by describing the holes in the bills left by the needle . Grundeis tried to run away but Emil and his new friends held him on tightly until a policeman arrived and caught him . E mil finally got his money back and could continue going to his grandmother ’ s home .