The Book Thief

The ‘Book Thief’ is set in Germany during World War 2 where being a Nazi was displayed in every street. The book focuses on the main character Liesel Meminger who has just lost her brother while on the way to being given away to a foster family in the town Molching with Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Once Liesel settles into her foster family she explores her town and meets other people including her best friend Rudy Steiner which then leads to her exploring her interest in books which “coincidentally” connects to the book title. Liesels life gets a big obstacle when Max Vadenburg, who is a Jewish man, comes into Liesel's home and he has to hide in her basement while the family is already being suspected of being against Nazi views. The Book Thief explores challenges Liesel has to face and tragedies that occur due to living under Nazi rule. Overall there wasn’t anything I disliked about this book and I think a huge part of it was because of how much I liked the scenes given to us along with the characters. For example, the book-burning scene is strong as we see the people's ability to learn the truth being taken away. At the same time, we also see Liesel being rebellious when she steals a book from the ashes, marking a quiet rebellion against the Nazis. Then we have heartwarming scenes in the book like when Hans Hubermann teaches Liesel how to read. Then we are given the friendship of Liesel and Max who is the Jewish man in her basement, they have a touching relationship as Liesel treats him kindly and their connection grows stronger when he gives her a hand-drawn book. Since this book brings both dark, strong, and heartwarming scenes you can’t complain about not getting one of them. I feel like this is done because the book is narrated by Death, Death doesn’t focus on the negative, it's only made to tell Liesel's story. The characters in the book are characters you wouldn’t forget because they each have their traits. Liesel who is the main character stands out the most because of how rebellious she is even during the Nazi time and we’re able to see her figure out who she is during this time while having to go through obstacles. The way each character was written is a reason why I didn’t dislike this book because you never get bored with them, even if you seem to hate them, they’ll still give you a reaction. [SPOILER ALERT] In the end, the book is a book I'll never forget but it’s because of the tragic ending it has in which the town Liesel lives in gets bombed and Liesel loses almost everyone she loves, excluding the Jewish man Max in the basement. It’s a heartbreaking tragedy that will most likely get you to tear up or even cry (I cried) Markus Zusak has a writing style that is one you never see in other books because he was able to write this book in the narration of Death. With the book being told by Death you are already given foreshadows of what will happen in the book but it’s also an explanation of why the book has a dark tone while also being neutral because Death isn’t on either side, it’s only there to collect and observe. Then the book is slow paced which is what allowed us to get a deeper connection with the characters and the author gave us many scenes that either gave us a wake-up call on what each character had to go through or gave us details on what made each character them. Aside from the author's being able to write the book as if they’re Death, the characters are what made the storyline, without them the setting in Nazi Germany wouldn’t have had such a strong impact. Nazi Germany was already a tough time to live in but the author adding a Jewish character that they had to hide made the storyline more interesting. Aside from the Jewish character, Markus made other unique characters and each has their own story that makes you either like them or not. For example, Rosa Hubermann who you can say is Liesel's foster mom, has a strong personality where she comes off as rude and it seems she doesn’t have much care towards Liesel or her husband Hans Hubermann. Throughout the story and especially in the end the author lets us get a deeper sense of her personality and that she truly cares for her husband and Liesel. The actions that she does are made to help her family even if they seem as harsh as she just wants to protect them and keep them afloat. Then her husband, Hans Hubbermann is a character that was made for everyone to love, Hans doesn’t show any dislike towards Liesel and is the one to help her settle in and learn more about the world. In the book, Hans helps Liesel learn to read which helps Liesel's obsession with reading books. The author did an awesome job of making Hans a caring father figure for Liesel which did not help with [SPOILER ALERT] seeing Hans die at the end. Then we have the main character Liesel Meminger whose unique character was created because of what’s been thrown onto her life like losing her brother, being sent away to a foster family, and having to adapt to the Nazi world and being careful of what she does and says. What makes her even more interesting is her rebellious nature, like her stealing the books and she even goes onto stealing food with her new friend Rudy. The characterization was incredible in this book and it’s why it’s so well written and something you don’t see in other books. For ‘The Book Thief’, if you’re a reader who enjoys slower-paced books and stories that connect to World War Two you would enjoy this book a lot as the plot is based on Nazi Germany. There is a lot of historical context, so if you’re a history nerd it’ll be easier to get through this book. Aside from the plot being based on Nazi Germany, the book has a lot of poetic writing and powerful scenes that aren’t action filled but shows a lot of symbolism. It’s similar to books like ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ and the show ‘Anne with an E’ or the movie Jojo Rabbit’. Then those who may dislike this book are readers who like fast-paced books and prefer books that have actual action fighting scenes like ‘Percy Jackson’. This book has a lot of poetic phrases and words that have deep meanings because of the tragic theme. Readers who don’t like heavy-themed books and prefer books that have jokes and light themes wouldn’t like this book either. Overall this book goes through the story of Liesel Meminger who had to live through the time of Nazi Germany and having to adapt to her foster family.

I purchased this book on my Kindle, which I totally love - but its one downside is that you can't pass a book along to somebody else when you're done with it. If I'd known how much I'd want to share this book, I would have bought a paper copy. I might actually go ahead buy a few copies just so I can share them. I heard the following explanation of why it's in the "Teen Literature" genre (I don't know if this explanation is correct, but it makes sense): It was originally published in Australia in the normal "Literature" genre, and was fully intended for an adult audience. When the publisher brought it to America, though, they decided that books in the Literature genre don't sell as well here and it would get more exposure in the "Young Adult" and "Teen" market, so they threw it in there to make more money. I think probably every teen SHOULD read this, in the same way they should all read The Diary of Anne Frank, but I doubt it will appeal to many of them. Certainly not to the same crowd of teens that's gone crazy recently over Twilight and Harry Potter before that. It's the (fictional, but very true-to-life) story of a young girl raised by foster parents in Germany during World War II. Her family is hiding a Jew, and so is in constant danger of being discovered by the Nazis. (In this way, it's reminiscent of The Diary of Anne Frank but told from a completely different perspective.) Interestingly, the story is actually narrated by Death. Death himself is very much a character in the book even though he takes no direct hand in the plot other than quietly and compassionately collecting souls when their time comes. He interjects his own opinions and notes throughout. (At first these interjections seemed distracting, but before long they became one of my favorite aspects of the book.) By tying such a narrator so closely to the story the author ensures that the right mood is maintained throughout. The author's concept of an personified Death is very different than the ones we are used to. In one parenthetical statement Death even alludes to his more classic personification when he comments, "I like this human idea of the grim reaper. I like the scythe. It amuses me." The main character of the book is Liesel. Everything she's ever had, even her family, has been taken from her, so early on in the book (the first chapter or two, if I recall), in attempt to have anything at all that is hers, she steals a book left accidentally on the ground by an apprentice grave digger just after the funeral of her younger brother. It's "The Gravedigger's Handbook". She can't read, and has no idea of what the book is - it's just one of the only things in the world that is hers now, so she hides it away like a treasure. When her foster father finds it, he realizes that she'd like to learn how to read. Being too poor to afford any other book, they use that one to teach her. He's hesitant about the subject matter but, in a wonderful illustration of the character's optimism in the face of even the most depressing situation he laughs and tells her as they get started, "Well, promise me one thing Liesel. If I die any time soon, you make sure they bury me right. No skipping chapter six or step four in chapter nine." The Gravedigger's Handbook becomes the first of several books that she steals, and the story tells how each one changes her life. This is the first fictional novel to ever actually make me cry. A few times throughout the book I realized I was about to let loose a tear, but I managed to get through those without actually crying. (Typical male: Just had to man-up, ya know?) But then, as I finished it, my face was literally wet. It's an amazingly moving book. In addition to the tears, it also made me laugh in a lot of places, made me happy and inspired in a lot of places, and just generally ran the gamut of human emotion. I've never had a book affect me like that, and certainly not one that I knew was fictional. (But just because it's fictional doesn't mean it isn't full of truth. It shows many of the horrors of war in such realistic terms that you'd swear it could only be written by somebody in Anne Frank's position.) I've always felt for the Jews who were persecuted during that war, but this book has given me a whole new appreciation for the few German citizens who were brave enough to protect some of these persecuted people, the ones who were wise enough to recognize the Nazi propaganda against the Jews for what it was, and who were human enough to risk their lives and families to do what they could do to help the oppressed. As far as actual objective quality of writing, I wouldn't go so far as to say that The Book Thief is written as well as a few others I've read. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett comes to mind as one with higher quality writing, as does The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell. But the writing here is incredibly poetic in many places, and when it comes to grabbing your emotions and making you feel like you're living in the story, I've never seen another book as well-done. Because I'd heard it was in the Teen section of the bookstore, I started it very skeptically, and it took a while for me to get used to the very odd narrative style - but by the time I was a third of the way through I was completely hooked. Whoever it was at the publishing company who decided to call it "Teen Literature" needs to be strung up by the thumbs. I'll admit that if every teen read this book during their most impressionable years then it would probably make the world a better place because more of them would grow up into people who want to actively avoid war. But I doubt that many teens have the social maturity to really appreciate all that this book has to offer. I know there are many who do, and those that do have my complete respect, and I hope this book finds them. But the adult market is a far more appropriate venue for this book that I can only hope becomes regarded as a classic in years to come.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is suppose to be one of those rare book that comes along every so often and change your outlook on life. It's sad, depressing and makes you really think on what is most important in life. Did it succeed in doing that for me personally? Honestly, I wouldn't really say so as I've definitely read other more life changing stories that The Book Thief but that isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the book. It is definitely something special and I'm extremely glad that a movie was made of it as it broadens the audience members. Instead of always watching mindless action flicks, I hope more movie-goers give this movie a chance in hopes of experiencing something a little different than what they are normally used to. If you've never liked stories that uses a war torn WWII Germany as the backdrop, then well, that's exactly what you'll be getting here! Personally, I can never tire of it. It usually makes for a somewhat depressing yet captivating story. The Book Thief is told through the eyes of a very special "narrator" and I'm sure that if you've read some of the other reviews for the book, someone somewhere must have given it away. Luckily for me, I just picked up the book and started reading without every going through one user review at all. It does make for a very interesting narrative as you'll follow along in the childhood of Liesel Meminger of Himmel Street. Being very poor, there's not much that Liesel can do that requires money. Eventually though, Liesel finds that she would come alive through the power of words in a book. As the title already gave it away, stealing books would become one of Liesel's favorite hobbies. What I liked most about The Book Thief is the poetic nature of the author's writing. He never lost me for one moment throughout the book, which is quite lengthy if I think about it now. The author just finds a way to write ever so smoothly from page to page and once you discover who the narrator is, the poetic style of writing feels even more haunting and chilling to say the least. It might put some readers off in the beginning but if you stick with it, you'll feel right at home after a few chapters in. What I'm most disappointed with in The Book Thief is that well, I actually thought it would involve more book stealing! I thought it would involve Liesel finding more clever ways to get her next book in the collection but it's not really about that. The characters in the story are a bit dry as they just seem to remain the same throughout the book save for a few instances. On a positive note however, I still can say that there were many memorable pieces sprinkled throughout the book to makeup for the negatives. The Book Thief in my opinion definitely deserves its praises but everything is with fault and so is this book. When you have such a highly rated and popular book, there are bound to be many readers who gets sucked into the hype only to realize that its not worth it. That is fine because you can't create something that everyone will like. The Book Thief gives me yet another look into one of the darkest periods of mankind and for that it was worth reading in my eyes.

"The Book Thief " is one of the best novels I have read. Truly! Author Markus Zusak's storyline is both sad and wonderful, as it deals with Germany during WWII and the Holocaust. His memorable characters have tremendous depth, and the plot is extremely original. However, what makes this book so extraordinary is the author's writing, which, at times, is more poetry than prose. I frequently found myself reading passages of the elegantly written narrative aloud. Appropriately for the times, Death is our narrator and a major character. Death, the "gatherer of souls," writes of himself, "I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold. And I don't have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance. You want to know what I really look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue." In the Prologue, Death states, "Here is a small fact: you are going to die. Does that worry you? I urge you - don't be afraid. I'm nothing if not fair." The figure describes himself as amiable, even affable, but warns, "don't ask me to be nice. 'Nice' has nothing to do with me.'" When the novel begins, Death is gearing up for mass production. It is 1939 and WWII has just begun. By 1945 the entire world will be at war. And it is Death who comments on man's inhumanity to mad, almost without emotion, in as objective a manner as possible. This inhumanity will cause it/him to work 24/7 in various places in the world at once. That's what I call multi-tasking. Nine year-old Liesel Meminger is our protagonist, "the book thief," although when we meet her, she is unschooled and cannot read very well. Liesel, her little brother Werner, and their mother are on a train to Munich. All three are skinny and pale, with sores on their lips. It is on the train that Death comes to claim young Werner's soul. Liesel and her mother despair. The boy is buried near the city, and one of the gravediggers, an apprentice, drops a black book as he walks away in the freezing winter weather. Liesel picks up the book, without calling out to notify the gravedigger of his loss. The book is titled, in silver letters, "The Gravedigger's Handbook." It is the first book she steals. So much has been taken from her, the grieving child feels like she settles part of the score when she commits the theft. In Munich the girl's mother bids her good-bye and turns her over to a foster care woman. The mother disappears, never to be seen again. Liesel and the woman make their way to a small town, Molching, on the outskirts of Munich, close to the Dachau death camp. They stop at a small house on Himmel Street, where her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, await the little girl. Hans is a kind and loving man who quickly takes to Liesel and visa versa. Rosa is also basically kind, although she puts up a front as a shrewish loudmouth. She is a laundress by trade and Hans is a house painter who loves to play the accordion. He is not a member of the Nazi Party. When he realizes he is losing customers because of his lack of enthusiasm for Hitler and the Nazis, he tries to join but his papers are on permanent hold. Their two children are grown and live away from home. Liesel has terrible nightmares and occasionally wets the bed. Hans, hearing her late night screams, sits with her and comforts her, sometimes until dawn. Occasionally he plays the accordion for her until Rosa yells at him to "shut up!" The empathetic, kindly man and the traumatized little girl form a close bond and Hans begins to teach Liesel to read, especially as she is fascinated by words. She believes that words have great power, after all, Hitler didn't need guns to persuade the German people to follow him and to hate Jews. He used words. When she begins school and the teacher realizes that the girl can't read, she is placed in a class with younger children. Most humiliating! It is during one of Liesel's frequent nightmares, that Hans begins to teach her to read. Since the Hubers have no books of their own, Hans uses Liesel's "The Gravedigger's Handbook." as a teaching tool. Then another book, a copy of "Mein Kampf," is acquired, one of the few available books which have not been burned. And yet another book, "The Shoulder Shrug." which Liesel snatches from a pile of burning books, is added to her collection. "Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, books and of course, people." Eventually, Liesel acclimates to her new home and makes friends, especially with Rudy, the boy next door and her biggest fan. She never overcomes her nightmares, however, nor does she ever forget her mother and brother. It is at this time when she is forced to join Hitler Youth. Then Max Vandenberg, a German Jew in hiding, comes to ask Hans to fulfill a promise he made to his father, a comrade in arms who saved Hans' life during WWI. A Jew seeking refuge...what to do? Hans, an honorable man, feels obligated to keep his promise, even though it would mean death for Rosa and himself if Max were discovered in their home. Liesel is sworn to secrecy. The Hubers take the man in and set up living quarters for him in the basement. Max becomes part of the family and forms a close friendship with Liesel. She becomes his eyes and ears to the outside world. He eventually writes a book for her, "The Standover Man" - a simple, illustrated and haunting book about what it is like to be born Jewish in Hitler's Germany. Life goes on. Liesel learns to read and steals more books - fourteen in all. She and her friends adventure. Germany declares war on Russia. Death's work increases, especially on the eastern front and in the concentration camps. He/it feels overwhelmed by the souls to collect from the camps, gas chambers, battlefields, and causalities from air-raid bombings. Max begins to do crossword puzzles in the old newspapers Liesel occasionally finds for him. Rosa's and Han's workload diminishes significantly. Times are tough, rationing is strict, and people don't have money to send out their laundry or to have their houses painted. And, of course, Hans carries the stigma of not belonging to the Party. I don't want to include any spoilers, so I will stop my summary here. This is a powerful novel that kept me riveted throughout. As I wrote above, I sometimes stopped to read parts of the prose aloud. There is humor here also. One needs comic relief when reading a novel about such a heinous period in mankind's history. Markus Zusak's parents grew up in Nazi Germany and Austria. He frequently thought of writing about the things his parents had seen during the war. He says he thought about the "importance of words in that time, and what they were able to make people believe and do." The novel's last words belong to Death: "A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR: I am haunted by humans." Jana Perskie

Full disclosure here; I do judge books by their covers and quite often by their titles. I miss out on a lot of great reads this way, but the way I look at it is that there are more great reads in existence than I have existence left for anyway, so no great loss there. I've never read, for instance, [The Corrections] because it puts me in mind of pop quizzes and I won't read [Freedom] because of a George Michael video with spoiled super models and I have never read the [The Book Thief], until now, because I had plenty of those in my life already. Every friend, acquaintance and family member who 'borrowed' a book, in fact. Luckily I had some down time away from home and nothing with me but a kindle so I bought it because it was cheap (five bucks and well worth every penny) and I was bored. The book does have a lot of book thievery. It begins with a little girl stealing a book about burying the dead and ends with Death stealing a book about the life of little girl. I could kick myself for not reading it sooner. This book is allegedly for a young-adult audience but it reads more like literary fiction that high schoolers could enjoy as well. Zusak grabs the reader's attention immediately with his choice of narrator, Death, and he keeps it by making him very charming and really kind of funny. In Death's words this is a book "about, among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter and quite a lot of thievery." A simple story about what makes us human. The girl is Liesel Meminger, an orphan whose greatest joys and greatest sorrows in life come from words. The words used to label her father a communist, the rhetoric of Hitler, the words she flings like knives to wound someone who has hurt her and the words in the books she steals that help her cope with the horrors of Nazi Germany. Her foster father, the accordionist, teaches her to read using her first stolen book, The Grave Digger' Handbook, at the age of ten and from then on she's unstoppable. Whenever she's under stress she copes by stealing a book. While stealing gives her a sense of control over her life her true love is language and literature. There is so much to love about this book. Every character in the novel is so believable that you would recognize them instantly if they ever walked down your street. Papa, Hans Huberman, a decent man who keeps his promises regardless of the cost to himself, The great-hearted, ill-tempered, foul-mouthed Rosa Huberman, Max Vandenburg, the hidden Jew who gave Liesel two of her most precious books and most of all Liesel's best friend Rudy Steiner, a vivid, funny, life-loving boy who breaks Death's heart. Even the secondary characters are finely drawn. And then there is the irresistible prose. In Death's diary he notes of the aftermath of the bombing of Cologne: 'Five hundred souls. I carried them in my fingers, like suitcases. Or I'd throw them over my shoulder. It was only the children I carried in my arms.' And when Liesel finally kisses Rudy, who'd been in love with her for years: 'Liesel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips. He tasted dusty and sweet. He tasted like regret in the shadows of trees...' Not least of all, of course, is

The Book Thief is beautifully written. Markus Zusak turns a phrase and his analogies in describing scenes are poignant. Though, some say the book is for youth because the main character is young, there is no reason adults shouldn’t read it. The Diary of Anne Frank was universal. The story is touching and special. It is different than other Holocaust or World War II books in challenging our assumptions and our capacity for understanding. Death narrates the story. How unique is that? Can Death be objective? The story begins in 1939 Germany (and ends in 1943), as 10-year old Liesel Meminger is on a train with her mother and six-year old brother. The brother dies. They get off the train to bury him and Liesel, unable to read, picks up the book the gravedigger drops, a manual on grave digging. It is her first book theft. She is to be put in the foster care of Hans and Rosa Hubermann on Himmel Street (“would anyone bomb a street named Heaven?”) in Molching, on the outskirts of Munich. They are an older couple with two grown children, the son a staunch Nazi. The reader’s – at least, mine – assumption is Liesel is Jewish, who is being rescued by a non-Jewish couple, but she is not Jewish. There are inferences later that her father might have been a Communist. Liesel calls Hans and Rosa Mamma and Papa. The loose end is the neighbors unquestioning about this when they know there were two older children. Rosa is acerbic and verbally abusive toward her husband and Liesel. Hans is the calming influence, tending to Liesel when she is awoken by nightmares, using the time to teach her to read, using the gravedigger’s manual. Despite the tenor of Nazi Germany and specter of war, the children of Himmel Street engage in the innocence of childhood. Liesel becomes immediate friends with the boy next door, Rudy Steiner, and she is the only girl in the street soccer games. Rudy gained fame a few years earlier, when he was so impressed by Jesse Owen’s four gold medal performance in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he painted his face and went to a local track to copy Owens. That did not go over well. The children attend school and obligatory Hitler Youth meetings. Everybody hangs Nazi flags on Hitler’s birthday. You don’t hear the children utter Anti-Semitic comments, so maybe in this corner of Nazidom, these German children weren’t accepting the brainwashing propaganda. Rudy gets in trouble with the Hitler Youth leader when he tries to explain Tommy Müller can’t keep in goosestep because he is hard of hearing. Hans’ application to the Nazi Party has been rejected or delayed and he doesn’t seem to care. As a painter, many of his customers were Jews. Now that the Jewish neighborhood has been ransacked, he no longer has work. A Jewish man saved Hans’ life in World War I, which cost the man his. Now, the parallel story begins. Twenty years later, the man’s 22-year old son, Max Vandenburg, shows up at the Hubermann’s door. You expected Rosa to yell at Hans, saying they are at danger if they hide Max. Instead she feeds Max soup. Her manner changes from that point. A special relationship develops between the two protected people. He, too, is haunted by nightmares. There are great differences. He is hidden in the basement. Liesel has a room upstairs. Max must be a secret. Liesel can go out and live. She brings him the crossword puzzles from the newspaper. He asks for weather reports, since he can’t even look outside. With war arriving, rationing hits Germany, too (just as in Europe and America). Rudy and Liesel join gangs going on expeditions stealing apples from farms. Liesel, with Rudy often as lookout, steals books from the Mayor’s wife’s library. Meanwhile, Max is sketching and writing a book about his experience, The Word Shaker, to be given to Liesel at another time. Words and books play a central role, and a reference is made to Hitler coming to power on words. The challenge is can we identify with these people? After all, they are German. Germany was the enemy. That was difficult with the movie, Das Bot. What comes across in The Book Thief, is there are innocents in all wars on all sides, and it’s usually children. Once when their end of Himmel Street is in a bomb shelter, Rudy’s father is able to coax everyone to hold hands. “From other shelters, there were stories of singing “Deutschland über Alles”…No such thing happened in the Fielder shelter. In that place, there was only fear and apprehension…The cold hands melted into the warm ones, and in some cases, the feeling or another human pulse was transported. It came through the layers of pale, stiffened skin. Some of them closed their eyes, waiting for their final demise, or hoping for a sign that the raid was finally over…Did they deserve any better, these people? How many had actively persecuted others, high on the scent of Hitler’s gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his opus? Was Rosa Hubermann responsible? The hider of a Jew? Or Hans? Did they all deserve to die? The children? The answer to each of these questions interests me very much, though I cannot allow them to seduce me…I pitied them, though not as much as I felt for the ones I scooped up from various camps in that time. The Germans in basements were pitiable, surely, but at least they had a chance. They were not sent there for a shower. For those people, life was still achievable.”

When I saw the movie version of The Book Thief was coming out I thought it was the perfect time to finally read my copy of the book that has been sitting on my shelf for some time. With all the lovely reviews I have read I was sure I would love it as well and I was definitely not disappointed. While I cannot say that it is a feel good read in any way it is an incredibly beautiful story and one who's characters I will never forget. First and foremost the narrator of this incredible story is death himself. He's not the usual scythe and darkness death we have seen before but a death who is just doing his job and trying not to get too distracted by the strange lives of the living he passes by. There is a heart beating in that cold chest, one that cannot turn away from our main character, Liesel Meminger, a girl who refuses to let this horrid life she has been born into break her spirit. It might sound strange but, with all the war stories I have read in my lifetime, it is this book narrated by death that presents the most humane and heartbreaking story yet. Liesel is another wholly unique character. Made to go live with foster parents when the Communist label attached to her family becomes too dangerous, Liesel's younger brother dies on the way to their new home. Finding a book in the snow by her brother's grave, Liesel steals the book and resolves to learn how to read it. It is with this first theft that Liesel resolves to steal words when the world takes things from her. However words become so much more to our young heroine: a bridge connecting her to her foster Papa, Hans Hubermann; a way to escape the horrors happening around her, both figuratively and literally; a way to emotionally relate and communicate to the young Jewish man the Hubermanns hide in their basement. For someone who love words as well I became very attached to Liesel and her various ways of dealing with the unpredictable, often hypocritical world she had to try and navigate. How else might a young German girl, a member of the local Hitler Young group, deal with the unwarranted hatred she sees being thrown at Jewish people like the young man in their basement she has come to love like family? I couldn't end this review without mentioning the other unforgettable characters that saturate this story. By far my favorite character is Liesel's best friend, Rudy Steiner, a young boy always willing to do what his heart feels is right, regardless of the danger it might present for himself, and a boy who wants nothing more than a kiss from Liesel. I don't want to give too much away regarding their sweet, innocent relationship but I will advise you prepare and have some tissues when you begin reading the last 50 pages or so of the story. Another unforgettable character is Papa, a man who seems to have unlimited amounts of kindness and another character who refuses to let the propaganda of the Fuhrer dement what he knows to be the right way to be. There are so many more remarkable characters - Max, the young Jew in the basement, Liesel's harsh yet caring Mama, Rosa, the many colorful characters inhabiting Himmel Street - and this collection of humanity makes the ending of the book that much more poignant. I've never quite read anything like it. Anyone who loves reading history from an alternative viewpoint, especially history dealing with WWII, would be remise not to read this book. This is a powerful, beautiful, bittersweet story. It's the kind of story that you will not only never forget but one that, once you have read it, will make you forget what it was like to have not known and loved these characters. Truly a life changing story.

The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak takes place in 1939 Nazi Germany. The main character Liesel Meminger is traveling to Munich via train with her brother and mother. Liesel and her brother were about to be given over to foster parents, when tragedy strikes and Liesel’s brother passes during the train ride. Liesel is only nine years old and is experiencing life-altering changes. Things don’t get much better when she arrives at the home of Hans and Rosa Hubberman in Molching. Liesel has nightmares every night for the first several months. Hans would sit up nightly with her helping her through her nightmares, eventually creating a trusting relationship between the two. Liesel starts school and is soon made fun of because she can’t read. The only thing that helps Liesel through the days and nights in Molching is her only possession that serves as a connection between her and her mother and brother; The Grave Digger’s Handbook. The presence of the Nazi party grows strong in Liesel’s new home. The burning of enemy propaganda takes place. Liesel finds a book that survives the burning and keeps it for herself. Little does Liesel know, she is caught taking the book by Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife. It turns out, Ilsa has an extraordinary collection of books herself in her home library and shares her loves of books with Liesel. Liesel and her school friend Ruby visit the mayor’s house frequently in the night to steal books from the library. Her actions become notably accepted when Liesel finds a dictionary/thesaurus left by the window of the library one night as a gift. Aside from Liesel’s book thievery, she carries another secret with her daily. In the basement of the Hubberman’s home lives a man by the name of Max. Max is the son of a the man who saved Hans life during World War I. In return, Hans offered to repay him in anyway possible. Max and Liesel became good friends after realizing that both of them have lost their families, are fist-fighters and both have nightmares. Max is also fascinated with the power of words like Liesel, and writes Liesel a book about his life for Liesel’s birthday. When the air raids begin, Liesel and Rudy’s families find protection in a neighbor’s basement after determining their basement’s were not deep enough to protect them from the bombings. Ilsa Hermann brings Liesel a black book one day so that Liesel may start writing the words to her own story. Liesel is in the basement writing her book as bombs begin to drop on Himmel Street, where Liesel lives. She emerges from the basement to find her mama, papa and Rudy dead from the bombings. Liesel is taken away by air raid officers and it is then that Liesel’s book is found. The Book Thief ends with the story of Liesel’s death by age after living a life in Sydney, far from Molching and Himmel Street with her husband, her three children and her many grandchildren. Ever too often do you pick up a book where there is just word after word filling page after page. However, in Markus Zusak’s young-adult fiction novel The Book Thief, Zusak appeals to many different elements of literary composition. I enjoyed how the book was separated into ten parts plus a prologue and an epilogue. This helps you follow Liesel’s story as she grows into a strong, young women throughout the Nazi invasion in Germany. I also liked the bold text inserted selectively within the text serving as means of clarification for parts of the story. Sometimes, the bold text would be a definition, an excerpt of dialogue or thoughts from inside the mind of one of the characters. The plot of the story is simply surviving the Holocaust. However, embedded within this broad plot are smaller character plots such as Liesel’s struggle to learn to read while stealing literature and Hans ability to protect his family from the Nazi invasion. I think the author’s decision to include multiple story plots allows this book to be enjoyed by a wider audience. Adolescents and young-adults can enjoy the youthful spirit of Liesel and her will to steal books and learn how to read while living through Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Older audiences can enjoy the adult ideas of safety, protection, war, sacrifice and choosing between right and wrong. The layered effect the author uses here keeps the book entertaining and constantly evolving without losing the reader. As a reader, I felt confused, scared, brave and inspired with the characters. The use of a narrator combined with segments of the story being told from the character’s perspective also adds to the author’s ability to share these emotions with his readers. As part of my Reading Across Curriculum Course at The Ohio State University, I was expected to choose a book to use as a multi-genre book project piece. I remembered the title The Book Thief and the great reviews about the book and the film. Instantly I knew this was the book I would choose with my passion for world history. The book contains historical topics that can generate rich discussions in the classroom around ethics and communism with middle school and high school students. Since I teach first grade, it was much more difficult to decide how this book would be appropriate in my classroom. If you think about Liesel, much of what she experienced happened to her when she between the ages of nine and eleven years old; not much older than the students in my own classroom. Some of the things she was experiencing, can be comparable to the students in my classroom as well. For example, Liesel couldn’t read. She was determined to learn how to read and went to some far measures in order to become literate. This topic could potentially create a rich classroom discussion amongst first grade students. We could also share Liesel’s story in a first grade appropriate manner, and take on the roles of Liesel, Hans, Ilsa and other important characters in the book and interview them on their thoughts about being able to read, especially girls.

LOVED IT! A wonderful book filled with an amazing array of characters and settings. I couldn't put it down because I was so invested in the main character and her family and friends; then the book was done and over and I was sad to have lost them all.

Parece ser um ótimo livro, uma edição especial, ocorreu tudo bem com a entrega, chegou muito antes do prazo para uma compra internacional.

I loved everything about this book, from the writing style to the character development, and it actually made me cry, something that few books have managed to achieve. Don't let that deter you, though, as it also made me laugh out loud many times. Firstly, I loved the way this book was written. The way the story was narrated by Death was clever and worked well, and the story flowed, so it really did seem to fly by, seeming much shorter than it's 500+ pages. Or, rather, it was just a much easier read than some other longer books, as The Book Thief never, ever got boring. Also, the characters were very well developed and you were given an insight into their former exploits and quirks when they were introduced so that I really felt like I knew each and every one. And lastly, for a fourteen year old girl I found the insight into Nazi Germany pretty interesting, the themes it presented intriguing and thought-provoking, and though this might not ring true for someone who has been in this world a bit longer, for me it was another element that contributed to what made this book such a good read. I recommend The Book Thief most highly!!

Lorsque je lis le synopsys de La Voleuse de Livres, je ne suis franchement pas emballée. J'ai pas envie de lire un Schindler's List. Cependant, je me suis forcée en voyant tous les avis positifs sur ce livre. Liesel Merminger est une petite fille pendant l'Allemagne nazie. Ses parents sont soupçonnés de communisme, aussi est-elle confiée aux Hubermann qui vivent en périphérie de Munich. Elle vole des livres. L'histoire est simple. Ce n'est pas l'intérêt du livre. Première surprise : un format et un narrateur inhabituels. Ce livre est en effet raconté par la Mort, une Mort qui observe l'humanité à un de ses moments les plus cruels, le nazisme. La Mort a une prose belle, simple mais poétique. Markus Zusak joue avec les codes du roman, au diable les règles de la narration, au diable le suspens, et ça aurait pu très mal se terminer mais c'est génial. L'autre particularité de ce livre, c'est qu'il n'est pas vraiment centré sur l'Allemagne nazie. Je veux dire : oui, c'est un livre dont l'histoire se passe pendant l'Allemagne nazie, mais on s'intéresse plutôt à l'humain. Aux petites personnes qui n'ont rien de spécial mais qui deviennent extraordinaires sous la plume de Zusak. Liesel Merminger est l'héroïne de ce roman - mais elle ne fait rien de spécial, rien qui ne sera reconnu dans l'Histoire, personne ne se souviendra de la petite voleuse de livres et pourtant elle est extraordinaire. On s'attache à chacun des personnages, merveilleux à leur façon et en toute subtilité. Je ne pensais pas que j'aimerais Rosa Hubermann et finalement, mon coeur se serre à chaque fois que je pense à elle et à ses "Saukerl, Saumensch". C'est un livre puissant. C'est un livre sur ces personnes que personne ne connait mais qui sont toutes sublimes à leur manière, sur l'amitié, l'amour, la famille, l'injustice, l'innocence de l'enfance. Sur le pouvoir des mots, sur le pouvoir des livres. C'est un de ces livres qui transcende sa forme et c'est mon livre favori.

Un gran bel libro che letto in lingua originale mi ha dato qualche difficoltà a capire certi meccanismi di scrittura e comprendere alcuni concetti, ma nel complesso molto valido. Il racconto della bambina ti tiene incollato al libro per ore finendo di leggerlo in pochi giorni.Il finale è da strappalacrime, è emozionante e ti fa riflettere su tutto quello che hai letto fino a quel momento. Veramente da leggere