The Book Thief

The Book Thief

By: Markus Zusak

Pages:552

ISBN: 9780375842207

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: Germany during WWII

In this story we met death, first hand. He is our narrator. He tells us the story of how he met The Book Thief so many different times. Liesel Meminger has had an unfortunate being to her life. She is on her way to be dropped off to her foster parents’ house by her mother, when her little brother dies. Her first time meeting death and her first time stealing a book. Here is where the book thief is born. Liesel moves in with her foster parents who she eventually begins calling Mama and Papa. The war continues to get worse and Max moves into the basement. He moves into the basement because he is a Jew. Liesel and Max have a special relationship. It isn’t brother/sister or love it is a whole different state of understanding. He writes her two books. And they are added to her collection. Rudy, Liesel’s best friend is another driving force in her thievery. It comes something of a hobby for them, but it was really stealing to survive than anything at all. In the end the war is the main setting. I want to leave this one without details because this book takes a great effort to read because the reader has to think. So read it if you want to know if Liesel gets to meet death face to face; what happens to the family that hides a Jew; if Rudy and Liesel ever fall in love; and if you want to know about the interesting relationship between Max and Liesel.

I like this book. I felt at certain points it was a little drawn out. But I never really knew what was going to happen next. I was left guessing. I was always interested in Rudy, maybe because that is my grandpa’s name and I never met him. He was an immigrant from Denmark that had lived in Germany for a few years with my grandma. I felt connected to the book in a small way. I think in the far distance I may read it again when I have a few days to spare.