The Book Thief

A beautiful, immensely human and moving novel that describes the adventures of a nine-year-old German girl from the time she is given up for adoption by her mother until the end of World War II.

ONE OF THE 30 BEST HISTORICAL NOVELS OF ALL TIME ACCORDING TO ELLE

Once upon a time there was a town where nights were long and death told its own story. In the town lived a girl who wanted to read, a man who played the accordion, and a young Jewish man who wrote beautiful stories to escape the horror of war. After a while, the girl became a thief who stole books and gave away words. With these words a beautiful and cruel story was written that is now an unforgettable novel.

Critics have said...
«The Book Thief dazzles with its extraordinary characters, its ability to move without clichés and, above all, with its omnipresent reflection on the value of words.»
Ricard Ruiz Garzón, El Periódico de Catalunya

«Liesel's hope is impregnable... Young readers need these kinds of alternatives to ideological rigidity, as well as explorations of the importance of stories. And, come to think of it, so do adults.»
The New York Times

«Elegant, philosophical, moving, beautiful and important.»
Kirkus Reviews

«Deserves to be alongside Anne Frank's Diary in our library.»
USA Today

«An extraordinary narrative.»
SLJ

«Zusak doesn't sugarcoat anything, but manages to make an apparently sad subject tolerable just as Kurt Vonnegut did in Slaughterhouse-Five: with a dark, comforting humor.»
Time Magazine

«A great achievement. [...] A challenging book in length and theme.»
Publishers Weekly

«One of the most anticipated books in years.»
The Wall Street Journal