The Book Theif

Zusak, M. (2006). The Book Thief. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.

This multi-award winning book, including the Commonwealth Writers Prize, Daniel Elliot Peace Award, School Library Journal's Best Book of the Year and many more, is a must read. Narrated by Death, this book follows the life of a poor young girl in Nazi Germany who becomes 'the book theif'. Put into foster care by her destitute mother, Liesel builds a network of loved ones on Himmel Street, including her curmudgeonly foster mother, her foster father who teaches her to read, a poor neighbourhood boy who becomes a constant companion, and a Jewish boxer her foster father agrees to hide in the basement.  Liesel is a clever, curious girl who sees the world and those in it in poetic detail.   Books (and words) become Liesel's secret strength even before she learns to read and each book theft occurs at a turning point in her life. Zusak portrays the injustice and horrors of Nazi Germany with compassion and hope and creates characters with depth. Despite, or perhaps because of, the tragedies in Leisel's life she never succumbs to the hatred around her. Be ready to laugh, cry and mourn - Zusak's poetic language and imagery bring this book to life.

Young Adult