The Book Thief

What an amazing book. It’s a touching story, beautifully written, with enough action and humor to keep the pages turning. I have to admit that I found it a little hard to get into at first, because the narrator is Death, as in “angel of.” But once I accepted the narrator’s plausibility and felt comfortable with the format, it was a truly amazing story.

The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster child living in Germany during World War II. Populating Liesel’s world are many very real and likeable characters, including her foster father Hans, her friend Rudy (who I think I liked best), and Max, the Jewish refugee the family hides in their basement. But the main character of the book isn’t Liesel, in my opinion, but the books, both those she steals and those that are given to her. And ultimately this is not a story about Nazi Germany and World War II, but instead is a story about the power of words.

The book was marketed for young adults, but I didn’t know that until after I had read it, and I never guessed that it was not intended for adults. I highly recommend it.