The Book Thief

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is not only a crisp, new look at the Holocaust but a story about hope, life, and (most importantly) death. The book‘s dry humor drew me in immediately. Death, the narrator of the story, provides insight on situations both funny and serious. The main character of the book is a girl named Liesel. The book begins with the death of Liesel‘s brother, which leads her to being taken in by her new foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hubermann.

This book is about the power of words and how Liesel gets an insatiable craving for them, which leads to theft. In between the stealing of books, Liesel meets people like her friend turned partner-in-cime, Rudy, and the Jewish fist-fighter named Max who hides in her basement. For each person she meets and each book she steals, she learns harsh lessons about life and the difference between right and wrong. Each character Markus Zusak creates has flaws and that‘s why I like his book so much. It is very real and astonishingly inspiring.

By Maggie, August 2006