The Book Thief

Reader reviewed by Grace

The Book Thief is "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". It tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a girl sent to live with foster parents during World War Two in Nazi Germany. Liesel Meminger is also known as the book thief, and can't resist the urge to take books whenever she gets the chance. But this story is more than just about book stealing. It is about a blonde-haired boy named Rudy and two foster parents who hide a Jew in their basement. It is about human nature, resilience, love, and at the same time, war, death, and chocolate-covered skies.

It will make you laugh and it will make you cry.

Reader reviewed by Saba

World War Two is just on the brink of beginning. Chaos is everywhere - and so are Nazis.
Liesel Meminger and her brother are to be transported to another home, for reasons unknown. She is both sad and exhilarated - what is happening?
But her brother dies on the journey, and Lisel finds it hard to face the grief. She and her mother, silent and solemn, conduct a funeral for the little boy outside in the snow.
That is when it catches her eye - "the Gravedigger's Handbook", a lone book lying on the ground. She pockets it, and this is her first act of book thievery.

Life goes on. Her new, foster family, the Hubermanns, enrol her in school, where she finds a friend in the mischievious, lemon-yellow-haired Rudy. But her eye is always on the look out for new books to steal - from Nazi book-burnings, or the Mayor's house's library.

This is a story with a unique and interesting plot. It is a story that shows us the importance of words, and where we would be without them. Narrated by "Death" itself, it captures aspects of life and love, and the power of words.

A must read.