The Book Thief
The extraordinary, beloved novel about the ability of books to feed the soul even in the darkest of times. When Death has a story to tell, you listen. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who 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. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time. “The kind of book that can be life-changing.” —The New York Times
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What you might want to know about The Book Thief
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Narrated by Death, the novel follows Liesel Meminger, sent in 1939 to live with new parents in a small town outside Munich. She steals her first book at her brother's grave and learns to read while a Jewish man hides in the basement.
Yes. A 2013 film adaptation directed by Brian Percival and starring Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, and Emily Watson was released. The film follows the novel's premise of a girl in Nazi Germany narrated by Death.
Yes. The Book Thief is published as YA but is widely read by adults. The narrator is Death, the perspective is unconventional for YA, and the World War II content is heavy. It is recommended for readers 12 and up.
The Book Thief was written by Markus Zusak, published in 2005 by Alfred A. Knopf.
The Book Thief is 559 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Book Thief takes most readers 8 to 12 hours to finish.
The Book Thief is a standalone novel by Markus Zusak, not part of a series.
The Book Thief is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.