— Random House Kids
Liesel Meminger is a nine-year-old German girl when her brother dies and she is sent to live with a foster family. Set in Germany from 1939 to 1943, this is a story about the power of words for good-- like a girl who steals books and reads them to make herself and others feel better-- and for evil-- like hateful man who used words to gather his own hateful army and destroy whatever or whomever he desired. It is a story about the duality of humanity, about the constant coexistence and codependency of light and dark. Told in a gripping narrative by Death itself, this is a story you won't soon forget, and will read again and again. It is a young adult book, but Zusak manages to avoid sugarcoating while also bringing humor and triumph to such a horrific and tragic time in history. The Book Thief not only stands up to rereading, but gets better every time. — Paige Mushaw
This book made me cry. That hasn’t happened since Anne Frank’s Diary. This time, death wasn’t a plot event, it was the story’s narrator. — Bonnie Winchester
On the top of my list for the decade. Superbly written. The metaphors leave you gaping, the story opens your heart, the characters are your friends. Powerfully compelling...everything a novel should be! — Chris Morrow
A hauntingly cinematic portrayal of a young girl's story in the days of Nazi Germany. When Liesel's foster family hides a runaway Jew in their basement, her world becomes entangled with questions of loss and her own mysterious past. Brilliantly written and overflowing with powerful imagery, it reads almost like a lucid dream told by a narrowing narrator - this book is not to be missed. Read it - it might be life changing! — Ramsay Eyre