The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (reviewed by Dana Franzetti)

I read this book a few months ago, and I couldn’t put it down. It is about a young girl, Liesel, who lives in Nazi Germany. When she is ten, Liesel is sent to live with a family on Himmel (heaven) Street which is in the poor part of town. When she arrives, she can hardly read. Her foster father, Hans, helps her learn to read. She meets her best friend, Rudy, who eventually helps her steal books. She sometimes reads these books to the Jewish man, Max, who has come to live in her basement. The book traces her time in Nazi Germany from 1939 until the end of the war, including everything from bomb raids to Hitler Youth. The relationships between the characters, while sometimes abrasive on the surface, are very tender.

The really interesting part of this book is the fact that it is narrated by Death. As you can imagine, Death sees quite a bit during World War II, and specifically, in Nazi Germany during World War II. At the beginning of each part of the book, Zusak, the author, lists the event that are going to happen in that part. He doesn’t give anything away, and the list acts more as a hook than anything else.

I would recommend this book for ninth graders and above. It is long (550 pages) so it would take awhile to read, but it is well worth it. Also, it is a pretty fast read so don’t be too intimidated by the number of pages.

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