The Book Thief

Books | Young Adult Fiction / Historical / Holocaust

4.5

(377)

Markus Zusak

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME • A NEW YORK TIMES READER TOP 100 PICK FOR BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURYThe extraordinary, beloved novel about the ability of books to feed the soul even in the darkest of times.When Death has a story to tell, you listen. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time. “The kind of book that can be life-changing.” —The New York Times “Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” —USA TodayDON’T MISS BRIDGE OF CLAY, MARKUS ZUSAK’S FIRST NOVEL SINCE THE BOOK THIEF.

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Author

Markus Zusak

Pages

592

Publisher

Random House Children's Books

Published Date

2007-12-18

ISBN

0307433846 9780307433848

Ratings

Google: 4.5

Community ReviewsSee all

"I read this book but later, not during school since I was already an adult when it came out. It made me cry."

Norma Blanco

"Saving books from the nazis "

Nicole Sinders

"Genuinely one of the saddest books I’ve ever read. Really makes you think about how horrible some people are. "

Rylee Elyse

"I am so mad at myself for not reading this book (properly) sooner than I actually did. I just finished it about an hour ago, and I seriously need to write down my thoughts. First of all, if you haven’t read this novel yet, what are you waiting for? There’s a reason why it’s so well known. Now then, since all the non readers are gone, let’s talk about the novel (spoilers). This book really changed my perspective on the holocaust, as it’s not from the perspective of a Jew. I find that often in media they show the suffering of the Jews only, and not all those who suffered outside of the camps. Liesel was one of those suffering, along with almost everyone else she ever knew. She was wish and interesting character, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a well written one either. She is so young at the beginning of the novel, yet she suffers so much in that first chapter. It makes me sad reading the ending, which I read repeatedly as I couldn’t comprehend why Marcus would finish it like this. One of my favorite characters has to be Rudy, and I know that’s what everyone always says, but he really is. What I especially liked about Rudy was the dynamic between him and Liesel. It broke my heart seeing Death describe how he dreamt of kissing her, knowing that he would not be breathing for it. Reading The End Of The World (II) was just heart breaking, and I think what made it so great was the narrative. Death provides such a unique feeling to the story, and he really makes the characters seem more alive, which makes it so much sadder when he talks about their souls being alive, while their body is not. Sorry for nonstop talking, but I just really need you to read this book. It hurts, but not because it’s sad. It hurts because it’s human."

Lara Bailey

"DNF. I really tried to get into it but it just felt like a chore to read so ultimately decided to stop at page 181. Probably just not my genre because it was very boring for me."