The Book Thief by Markus Zusak TEEN Zus

Death tells the story of Liesel Meminger who, at nine, is taken by her mother to live with foster parents in a small town just outside Munich.  The time is 1939 and Germany is in the grip of the Fuhrer.

Despite the hardships of living in a time of war, Liesel comes to love her foster parents - kind, soft-spoken Hans who sits with her and reads with her every evening after her nightmares wake her and Rosa whose brashness covers her soft heart.  Her best friend is Rudy, the boy next door, who has two wishes - for Liesel to kiss him and to run as fast as Jesse Owens.

The war and the Third Reich intrude ever more into the daily lives of Liesel and her family and friends.  Rationing, Hitler Youth and reduced income are hard but the hardest part happens when Max, a young Jew shows up on their doorstep.  He is the son of the man who saved Hans' life during World War I and spends the next two years living in their basement.

What saves Liesel is her discovered love of words and reading.  She is "The Book Thief" of the title and it is this love of reading that helps her survive the horrors of war.  And with Death as the narrator, you know there will be horrors.

I put off reading this novel for years.  Death as the narrator?  A teen novel with adult appeal?  World War II?  It had many strikes against it in my eyes and not much going for it.  When I saw previews for the movie, however, I decided that maybe I should rethink my opinion.

I'm glad I did.

Who better than Death to narrate a novel set in wartime?  Who else could explain the horrors of war?  And this novel, while long at 500+ pages, is a quick read - the advantage of a teen novel.  While the setting may be World War II Germany the actual theme is about books and reading and the power of words to both save and hurt.  What book lover could resist that?

I've read the book, now I look forward to seeing the movie.