The Book Thief
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4.6 • 1.6K Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The extraordinary international bestseller from the author of new novel Bridge of Clay.
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
"Brilliant and hugely ambitious ... the kind of book that can be life changing" The New York Times
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath.
Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery.
So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.
The Book Thief is a story about the power of words to make worlds. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.
ACCLAIM FOR THE BOOK THIEF
"The Book Thief deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel's Night. It seems poised to become a classic." USA Today
"Elegant, philosophical and moving ... Beautiful and important." Kirkus Reviews
"Extraordinary, resonant and relevant, beautiful and angry." Sunday Telegraph
"...a beautifully balanced piece of storytelling...Unsettling, thought-provoking, life affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, masterfully told. It is an important piece of work, but also a wonderful page-turner." The Guardian
"A moving work which will make many eyes brim." Independent on Sunday
AWARDS FOR THE BOOK THIEF
Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (South East Asia & South Pacific) 2006
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 2006
Daniel Elliott Peace Award 2006
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year 2006
National Jewish Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature 2006
Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book 2006
Michael L. Printz Honor Book 2007
Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children's Literature 2007
Winner of the ALA Youth Medal Awards' Margaret A. Edwards Award 2014
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Markus Zusak’s renowned novel is set during World War II, but this is no war story. Rather, it’s an exploration of life and death, family and love, and the ultimate power of words—for good and evil. Narrated by an omnipresent Death, The Book Thief tells the tale of Liesel, a young German girl who learns to read and write while the horrors of Hitler’s reign close in on her. Written in a stunningly vivid, poetic style and told in a manner that's digestible and utterly engaging, it's no surprise that this poignant book is enduringly popular.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This hefty volume is an achievement a challenging book in both length and subject, and best suited to sophisticated older readers. The narrator is Death himself, a companionable if sarcastic fellow, who travels the globe "handing souls to the conveyor belt of eternity." Death keeps plenty busy during the course of this WWII tale, even though Zusak (I Am the Messenger) works in miniature, focusing on the lives of ordinary Germans in a small town outside Munich. Liesel Meminger, the book thief, is nine when she pockets The Gravedigger's Handbook, found in a snowy cemetery after her little brother's funeral. Liesel's father a "Kommunist" is already missing when her mother hands her into the care of the Hubermanns. Rosa Hubermann has a sharp tongue, but Hans has eyes "made of kindness." He helps Liesel overcome her nightmares by teaching her to read late at night. Hans is haunted himself, by the Jewish soldier who saved his life during WWI. His promise to repay that debt comes due when the man's son, Max, shows up on his doorstep. This "small story," as Death calls it, threads together gem-like scenes of the fates of families in this tight community, and is punctuated by Max's affecting, primitive artwork rendered on painted-over pages from Mein Kampf. Death also directly addresses readers in frequent asides; Zusak's playfulness with language leavens the horror and makes the theme even more resonant words can save your life. As a storyteller, Death has a bad habit of forecasting ("I'm spoiling the ending," he admits halfway through his tale). It's a measure of how successfully Zusak has humanized these characters that even though we know they are doomed, it's no less devastating when Death finally reaches them. Ages 12-up.
Customer Reviews
Gorgeous Book !
This was a book that I picked up with no expectation of what it was about or even if it would be good….it was amazing !! One of those books that you find it impossible to put down and when you finish it a tear almost forms on your cheek as you loved the characters so much.
I would recommend this book to any/everybody as it is truly gorgeous ! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
The Book Thief
A surprise and delight that lingers long after reading.
It touched my soul
I didn't want it to end, yet I wanted to get to the end. Tears were never far away as I read, and realised that war causes suffering to friend and five alike. The enemy is human.