Product Description

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #165 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-11
• Released on: 2007-09-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when shes roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The Washington Post
Death, it turns out, is not proud.

The narrator of The Book Thief is many things -- sardonic, wry, darkly humorous, compassionate -- but not especially proud. As author Marcus Zusak channels him, Death -- who doesn't carry a scythe but gets a kick out of the idea -- is as afraid of humans as humans are of him.

Knopf is blitz-marketing this 550-page book set in Nazi Germany as a young-adult novel, though it was published in the author's native Australia for grown-ups. (Zusak, 30, has written several books for kids, including the award-winning I Am the Messenger.) The book's length, subject matter and approach might give early teen readers pause, but those who can get beyond the rather confusing first pages will find an absorbing and searing narrative.

Death meets the book thief, a 9-year-old girl named Liesel Meminger, when he comes to take her little brother, and she becomes an enduring force in his life, despite his efforts to resist her. "I traveled the globe . . . handing souls to the conveyor belt of eternity," Death writes. "I warned myself that I should keep a good distance from the burial of Liesel Meminger's brother. I did not heed my advice." As Death lingers at the burial, he watches the girl, who can't yet read, steal a gravedigger's instruction manual. Thus Liesel is touched first by Death, then by words, as if she knows she'll need their comfort during the hardships ahead.

And there are plenty to come. Liesel's father has already been carted off for being a communist and soon her mother disappears, too, leaving her in the care of foster parents: the accordion-playing, silver-eyed Hans Hubermann and his wife, Rosa, who has a face like "creased-up cardboard." Liesel's new family lives on the unfortunately named Himmel (Heaven) Street, in a small town on the outskirts of Munich populated by vivid characters: from the blond-haired boy who relates to Jesse Owens to the mayor's wife who hides from despair in her library. They are, for the most part, foul-spoken but good-hearted folks, some of whom have the strength to stand up to the Nazis in small but telling ways.

Stolen books form the spine of the story. Though Liesel's foster father realizes the subject matter isn't ideal, he uses "The Grave Digger's Handbook" to teach her to read. "If I die anytime soon, you make sure they bury me right," he tells her, and she solemnly agrees. Reading opens new worlds to her; soon she is looking for other material for distraction. She rescues a book from a pile being burned by the Nazis, then begins stealing more books from the mayor's wife. After a Jewish fist-fighter hides behind a copy of Mein Kampf as he makes his way to the relative safety of the Hubermanns' basement, he then literally whitewashes the pages to create his own book for Liesel, which sustains her through her darkest times. Other books come in handy as diversions during bombing raids or hedges against grief. And it is the book she is writing herself that, ultimately, will save Liesel's life.

Death recounts all this mostly dispassionately -- you can tell he almost hates to be involved. His language is spare but evocative, and he's fond of emphasizing points with bold type and centered pronouncements, just to make sure you get them (how almost endearing that is, that Death feels a need to emphasize anything). "A NICE THOUGHT," Death will suddenly announce, or "A KEY WORD." He's also full of deft descriptions: "Pimples were gathered in peer groups on his face."

Death, like Liesel, has a way with words. And he recognizes them not only for the good they can do, but for the evil as well. What would Hitler have been, after all, without words? As this book reminds us, what would any of us be?

Reviewed by Elizabeth Chang
Copyright 2006, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger,took a risk with his second book by making Death an omniscient narrator—and it largely paid off. Originally published in Australia and marketed for ages 12 and up, The Book Thief will appeal both to sophisticated teens and adults with its engaging characters and heartbreaking story. The Philadelphia Inquirer compared the book's power to that of a graphic novel, with its "bold blocks of action." If Zusak's postmodern insertions (Death's commentary, for example) didn't please everyone, the only serious criticism came from Janet Maslin, who faulted the book's "Vonnegut whimsy" and Lemony Snicket-like manipulation. Yet even she admitted that The Book Thief "will be widely read and admired because it tells a story in which books become treasures." And, as we all know, "there's no arguing with a sentiment like that."
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Time well stolen
I really didn't know what I was getting into when I bought this book based solely on the buzz I was hearing about it. I had heard it was set in WWII Germany and the narrator was Death. With that very small introduction, I dove into the book.

Writing Style
For the most part, I really enjoyed the writing style.

The descriptions were vivid and gripping. The language was fluid and natural while also being engrossing and emotional. I often felt very connected to Liesel and her community.

Having Death as narrator provided a non-human view to the grotesque inhumanity that was World War II. Death has a sacrilegious, sarcastic and cynical tone to many of his comments, but his voice is also dripping with sincerity and depth.

My main complaint is that death had no sense of tension or foreshadowing. Far too often I found myself reading with some anxiety or curiosity only to have Death comment on it by telling me exactly what was going to happen in a few months or years to finalize the drama of the situation. At other times, the thought of possible conflict/drama/disaster hadn't even crossed my mind when Death brings up the possibility and immediately tells me how it's going to end. I would have much preferred a bit of solid foreshadowing rather than explicitly telling me the future.

From an authorial standpoint, I suspect the author had Death explicitly diffuse the drama in an effort to keep the book more light hearted despite the heavy overtones. Still, there are things I would rather have experienced in their due course along with Liesel rather than already knowing the outcome.

Characters
The characters are amazingly full and exciting. Zusak really fleshes out the characters through many very simple means. He provides us a ton of small, intriguing quirks that make each character vivid and real. Papa is the accordian playing, cigarette rolling house painter with a ton of compassion. Mama is the large foul mouthed deep snoring woman who stands by her family no matter what. Rudy is the kid who paints himself black and runs around the track like Jesse Owens while commentating his own race. And the Liesel is the hurt, confused, lover of words trying to find her place in the world.

And then, there's the narrator...Death. We don't learn much about the physicality of Death, but we learn a great deal about his perceptions of life, earth, and humanity in general. Death is a very vivid character and is used very well to turn a mirror on our own lives and make us think about our behaviors and attitudes.

Plot/Pacing/etc
As alluded to, the plot of the book is heavy and difficult as is understandable considering the setting. Still, things are kept light thanks largely to the narrative style and to Liesel's overarching power to overcome and persevere despite the darkest situations.

There were a couple of times where I was briefly confused as to where I was and where I was going within the plot. For example, the first time we meet Max, I was thrown completely off balance and read that initial page/introduction a couple of times to make sure I didn't miss anything. I was quickly set back on track, but I was still confused for a moment. That was one time that I felt the narrator didn't tell the reader enough about what was going on as opposed to telling us too much.

It was also refreshing to find the story taking paths differently than I anticipated. Without spoiling the plot of the book, I will just say that there were many times I expected stereotypical WWII style occurrences and was strangely and pleasantly surprised when things turned out differently.

Overall
As I mentioned, I went into this book largely blind based solely on some good buzz. And I came away anything but disappointed. In fact, this is one of the better books I've read this year. The story was refreshing (yes, some will tell you that it is a depressing story...and to an extent, they're right...but the tone is light enough to counter the dark material). The narrative voice was honest and thought provoking. The characters were real and engaging. This is one of those books that I'll remember and think about for years to come.

3.5 stars
****

The Book Thief: Insatiable for words
I was initially intrigued by the idea of death recounting the story of the little girl known as the "book thief." That is what drew me to this book.

I don't read many novels anymore, but when I do, I hope to find something entertaining. Or perhaps it could offer a refreshing new style (e.g. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). Ideally, I also want to learn something new about the world around me, such as a historical period, a certain culture, or the human condition.

I found the plot of The Book Thief engrossing. The mind boggling cruelty that humanity inflicts upon itself is well articulated here -- so is the saving grace of friendship and love.

As for the style, it is quite original, but there are also points where descriptions are too long and far removed from any obvious meaning or emotion. In such instances, a reader like myself is apt to skip over countless paragraphs. No big deal, but still, I kept thinking "why be so wordy?" This book could have been edited to far fewer than 576 pages without sacrificing the depth of the storyline.

Beyond the style, The Book Thief offered a refreshing perspective: that of ordinary German citizens during the Hitler regime. Countless books have been written about the atrocities of the holocaust, but here we also get to glimpse the trials and tribulations many Germans had to endure. This was the part of the book I was most glad to discover.

All in all, an entertaining, although quite depressing, read.

What a Change of Pace
I read this book based on a friend's recommendation and I absolutely loved it. Zusak's style of writing, I found, was incredibly original. A definite page turner. I can't believe that people found this book to be confusing -- maybe out of the ordinary, but that was the beauty of it. A definite must read for adults.