Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Published: September 11, 2007

Number of pages: 550

Format: paperback

Publisher: Knopf

Genre: historical fiction

Rating: YA

Verdict: 5 hoots out of 5

Summary: 

Liesel Meminger’s life changes when she finds a black book near her brother’s graveside and is taken away from her mother to live with her foster parents: Hans and Rosa Hubermann. It’s 1939 in Nazi Germany and the entire country is holding its breath as World War II begins. Meanwhile, Liesel creates a new identity for herself: the book thief as she steals books and secretly reads them in her new home. But danger lurks as her family hides a Jew in the basement and Liesel’s world is turned upside down.

My Review: 

There are books that make you smile, books that make you laugh, and there are books that make you sad. This book is the latter. If you like reading stories with happy endings then this book isn’t for you. But if you like reading stories that make you feel melancholy and you care about the characters, then I recommend this book. It’s so beautifully well written and the language is poetic and lyrical, that after I finished I sat still for a few minutes as I was overcome with grief. This book will do that to you.