Product Description

The story of a young orphan girl who steals books, about her foster family and the Jewish boxer hidden in their basement as they struggle to survive in Nazi Germany, narrated by the voice of Death.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52456 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-03
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Synopsis
1939, Nazi Germany - The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. Some important information - This novel is narrated by death. It's a small story about: a girl, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. Another thing you should know - death will visit the book thief three times.

From the Back Cover
`Brilliant and hugely ambitious.' New York Times

HERE IS A SMALL FACT

YOU ARE GOING TO DIE

1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION
THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH

It's a small story, about:

a girl

an accordionist

some fanatical Germans

a Jewish fist fighter

and quite a lot of thievery.

ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW
DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES

`Extraordinary, resonant, beautiful and angry.' Sunday Telegraph

About the Author
Markus Zusak, a prize-winning children's author, lives in Australia with his wife and daughter. This is his first adult novel. His story of Liesel, the girl who loved words, is a statement of their importance for the Nazi regime, and what they were able to make people believe and do. The Book Thief has been published to critical acclaim in Australia and America, where it reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestsellers list.

Customer Reviews

A Modern Classic
This is such an unexpected book. Absolutely brilliantly conceived it is compelling from the very first page. I can only agree to all the reviews and urge you to buy it and read it for yourself. You will think about it long after you have turned the last page.

It will leave you breathless!
The Book theif gives a harrowing time in german history from a little girl's point of view. This could have so easily become a book of bitterness, pain and misery, but watching events unfold through the eyes of death is the work of a genius.

Book Theif made me smile. I cried. I found myself waking up at 3.00 in the morning to read just a few more pages.
You can't read Book Theif without it leaving it's mark on you.
A truly fantastic read!

Utterly brilliant and truly heartbreaking
Death thinks that the fact humans represent him carrying a scythe is amusing, and only wears a black cloak when it is cold. He (or she) notices colours to keep him sane whilst all around him he is collecting souls. He tries not to get caught up with the stories of those souls he collects but one story moves him - the story of the book thief - which is why he chooses to tell the story to us.

This book is beautifully written. It is neither complex nor heavy - the story is a simple one, packed with happiness and tragedy and a constant overtone of the strength of human spirit. Despite the fact that Death chooses not to surprise us - he tells us 'what happens at the end' about halfway through the book, I still nearly cried when the end came. The actual story is not just about people and war - it is just as much about the power of words to revive, bring hope, brainwash and kill.