The Book Thief

The Book Thief

Reviewed By: Amanda S.
By: Markus Zusak
Rating: It was amazing!

“The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak is a powerful, thought-provoking read. The story is mainly centered around Liesel, a strong hearted young girl living in Nazi Germany. Written from the perspective of death, the author gives a thoughtful and interesting description of her life, making this book a definite page-turner. Liesel, 9, is adopted in the beginning of the story by the Hubermann’s, shortly after the Nazis take her mother and the death her brother. Her thieving career begins at his funeral, where she finds “The Gravedigger’s Handbook” and takes it on impulse, despite not being able to read. One night, after Liesel has a particularly bad nightmare, her foster father Hans discovers the book, and decides right then that he will teach her to read. After many weeks of struggling through the book page by page, word by word, Liesel begins to develop a strong love for reading. She continues to steal various books with her partner in crime Rudy Steiner, a boy made famous in the town by the “Jesse Owens incident”. But Liesel’s happy and sheltered life will, of course, not last long. Her world is turned upside down when Max, a Jew, comes and finds shelter in their basement. Trouble is brewing between Germany and other countries, and tragedy is on the horizon... I would highly recommend this book for any teen or adult, it is full of surprises and thoughtful outlooks on life. It may appeal especially to people who enjoyed other works about the times of the Holocaust, such as “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Night” by Elie Wiesel, or individuals who like to contemplate the subtle ironies in life.

I would recommend this to: Teens/Adults