The Book Thief (Definitions)

New
Paperback
2008
$8.73

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down. The Book Thief is a story about the power of words and the ability of books to feed the soul. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

Synopsis

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down. The Book Thief is a story about the power of words and the ability of books to feed the soul. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 592
Publisher: Definitions (Young Adult)
Published: 03 Jan 2008
ISBN 10: 186230291X
ISBN 13: 9781862302914
Children’s book age: 12+ Years
Book Overview: The New York Times #1 Bestseller.
Prizes: Shortlisted for British Book Awards: Waterstones Newcomer of the Year Award 2008 and Independent Booksellers' Week Book of the Year Award: Children's Book of the Year 2007 and YoungMinds Book Award 2007.

Media Reviews

... a beautifully balanced piece of storytelling ... Unsettling, thought-provoking, life affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, masterfully told. It is an important piece of work, but also a wonderful page-turner Guardian Zusak's playfulness with language leavens the horror and makes the theme more resonant - words can save your life ... It's a measure of how sucessfully Zusak has humanized these characters that even though we know they are doomed, it's no less devastating when Death finally reaches them Publishers Weekly ... this is a weighty novel worthy of universal acclaim ... A sense of dread prevades this beautifully written novel ... As The Book Thief draws to a close, Death says: ... There's a multitude of stories ... that I allow to distract me as I work. The story of the Book Thief, who tried to change the world in her own small way, proves one formidable and inspiring distraction -- Lianne Kolirin Daily Express ... a moving work which will make many eyes brim -- Marianne Brace Independent on Sunday ... it is certainly extraordinary, resonant and relevant, beautiful and angry -- Lisa Hilton Seven - The Independent

Author Bio

MARKUS ZUSAK's bestselling novel The Book Thief was originally published in the UK in 2007. It has since become a modern classic, published around the world and turned into a film. Markus Zusak lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and two children.