The Book Thief Book Review

Author: Markus Zusak

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Fantasy

Themes: The Power of Words


Recommended Age for Reading: Middle School and up.

I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to finish this book.  I started it while on vacation with my husband this summer in June, and didn't finish it until sometime in October.  Usually I finish books at a much quicker pace, but I am a busy working mom, and it took me a while to really get into it.  Honestly, I don't think I really ever got "hooked" into this book, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth reading.  It's actually a book that I think everyone needs to read.  

The protagonist of the story is Liesel Meminger who is for some unknown reason is willingly orphaned by her mother.  She is taken in by her foster family during the Nazi Germany era.  The most interesting aspect of this book in my opinion is that it is told from the point of view of "Death."  We see the Nazi Germany and World War II era told from "The Grim Reaper."  We see the lives he took during this time, and the impact this little girl made with "Death."  Despite not being able to read, Liesel is intrigued by the written word so much, that she goes through great lengths to steal whatever books she can find.  The words eventually impact her and cause her to inspire others.  

This book can be confusing at times, because the narrator doesn't always tell the story in a chronological order.  Even though this book is told from "Death's" first person perspective, he is somewhat of an omniscient narrator by allowing the readers to get into the heads of the other characters in the book.  

The reason why I recommend this book for Middle School is because there is some mild language.  Most of the crude language is in German, but there are some words in English that students in elementary school may not be ready for.  


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