The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: 11 September, 2007
ISBN: 9780375842207
Pages: 576
Subjects: Juvenile fiction, General
Available as: Trade Paper, 978-0-375-84220-7 Library Binding, 978-1-4177-9738-7 Trade Cloth, 978-0-7569-8440-3 Trade Cloth, 978-0-7862-9021-5 Trade Cloth, 978-0-375-83100-3 Audio Recording Downloadable, 978-0-7393-4834-5 E-Book - netLibrary, 978-0-313-08779-0
Description:
It's 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. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist-books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.


From the Hardcover edition.
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PW Publishers Weekly
Review Source: Publishers Weekly
Review Date: 2006-11-13
Copyright: (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Corduner uses considerable zeal and a talent for accents to navigate Zusak's compelling, challenging novel set in Nazi Germany. Death serves as knowing narrator for the tale, which is framed much like a lengthy flashback. The storytelling aspects of this structure include asides to the listener, and lots of foreshadowing about what eventually happens to the various lead characters-appealing features for listeners. But Corduner seems to most enjoy embracing the heart of things here-the rather small and ordinary saga of 10-year-old Liesel Meminger, who has been given over to a foster family following her mother's branding as a "Kommunist" and the death of her younger brother. Under her foster parents' care, she learns how to read, how to keep terrifying secrets and how to hone her skills as a book thief, a practice that keeps her sane and feeds her newfound love of words. With quick vocal strokes, Corduner paints vivid, provocative portraits of Germans and Jews under unfathomable duress and the ripple effect such circumstances have on their lives. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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