The Book Thief

The Book Thief (2006) by Markus Zusak. Liesel Meminger is a young foster daughter living in Nazi Germany during World War II. Her real parents have been taken away by the Nazis because her father is a professed communist. Liesel succeeds in forming a bond with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Huberman. She loves books, something that does not endear her to the Nazi authorities. She is poor, of course, and the only way she can get books is to steal them. "The Book Thief" is narrated by Death, who has a lot to do during this period in history. This book is designated "Y," or Youth, by the library, but I think it has a lot to offer for adult readers. It would be hard not to become involved in Liesel's story, and the stories of those she becomes involved with while living on Himmel (Heaven) Street in Molchin, a suburb of Munich. I found this book absorbing and moving. Grade: A