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The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

(37)

| Paperback | 9780552773898

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Book Description

Nine-year-old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp, and during the funeral for her brother, she manages to steal a macabre book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers’ instruction maContinue

11 Reviews

4 people find this helpful

I loved this book! I found it slow going at times, but overall and in the end I loved it. Markus Zusak is a wonderful author, I can't wait to see what he does next. Death, the narrator, wa a unique and interesting perspective. Liesel's love for words and books was especially interesting and nice to ... (continue)

I loved this book! I found it slow going at times, but overall and in the end I loved it. Markus Zusak is a wonderful author, I can't wait to see what he does next. Death, the narrator, wa a unique and interesting perspective. Liesel's love for words and books was especially interesting and nice to see.

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― SheReads said on Mar 6, 2007 about the Hardcover edition | 1 feedback

2 people find this helpful

The words

"There would be punishment and pain, and there would be happiness, too. That was writing."
This is the complete book, covering the wide range of emotions that will leave you laughing and then crying. A beautiful examination of love in Nazi Germany while the world spins out of control. Everyon ... (continue)

"There would be punishment and pain, and there would be happiness, too. That was writing."
This is the complete book, covering the wide range of emotions that will leave you laughing and then crying. A beautiful examination of love in Nazi Germany while the world spins out of control. Everyone should read this, it will touch your heart.

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― MoirneStark said on Aug 13, 2008 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

Powerful

Not what I expected...technically a YA novel, I think it would be the rare young adult who could really appreciate the depth of emotion found here. Zusak personifies death as the narrator of his searing story of Nazi Germany. My dad was an American m.p. in Germany from 1943-45. There are pictures of ... (continue)

Not what I expected...technically a YA novel, I think it would be the rare young adult who could really appreciate the depth of emotion found here. Zusak personifies death as the narrator of his searing story of Nazi Germany. My dad was an American m.p. in Germany from 1943-45. There are pictures of him smoking a pipe & writing letters among the rubble of bombed out cities. It has given me a whole new perspective.

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― Marion the librarian said on Mar 11, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

Written in a very different and creative format!!
Even though is labeled under "young adult", the book is a great read. Full of emotions and definitely haunting like all stories taking place in Nazi Germany.

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― Nini said on Dec 17, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

"Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness." - my favorite line from the book

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― Amusaur83 said on Jun 6, 2008 | Add your feedback

it's a bit of a slow start (it's hard to gauge where the book is going to go at first), but it becomes really gripping while still making you stop and think - that is, it's a real page-turner, but not the sort that has you flipping pages without really reading.
I've seen this around as a middle ... (continue)

it's a bit of a slow start (it's hard to gauge where the book is going to go at first), but it becomes really gripping while still making you stop and think - that is, it's a real page-turner, but not the sort that has you flipping pages without really reading.
I've seen this around as a middle school recommendation. It's really sophisticated, though, and I think it's appropriate for high school students too. For example, Death is the narrator, and the reader would need a good general sense of WWII history (to catch a lot of the references). It's wonderfully written and the characters are very well-developed. The array of characters is so varied, and virtually none of them are only what meets the eye. Of course, as an adult - I thought this book was GREAT.
An interesting conversation would be why the author chose The Book Thief as the title.

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― gg said on Apr 23, 2008 | Add your feedback