The Book Thief

Read the most by: boys and girls

librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found here.

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

Death has never been busier, and it will become busier still. Liesel Meminger's life is changed when, by her brother's graveside, she picks up an 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 foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, and wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.

Narrated by Death, The Book Thief is a story about the power of words and the ability of books to feed the soul. Award -winning author MARKUS ZUSAK has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.