
The Book Thief
Paperback – Illustrated, September 11, 2007
Random House Children's Books · Paperback · September 11, 2007
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME • A NEW YORK TIMES READER TOP 100 PICK FOR BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE CENTURY The extraordinary, beloved novel about the ability of books to feed the soul even in the darkest of times.
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- Who it’s for
- An immersive, sharply voiced read with a dark edge.
- Themes
- Holocaust, Resilience, Power of Books
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
Bridge of ClayMarkus Zusak72% match
Me and Earl and the Dying GirlJesse Andrews57% matchShares Death & Grief for Teens
Looking for AlaskaJohn Green57% matchShares Death & Grief for Teens
Between Shades of GrayRuta Sepetys60% matchShares Holocaust Stories for Teens and War & Military YA
The Boy in the Striped PajamasJohn Boyne57% matchShares Holocaust Stories for Teens and War & Military YA
They Went LeftMonica Hesse70% matchShares Holocaust Stories for Teens and War & Military YA
I'll Give You the SunJandy Nelson58% match
Along for the RideSarah Dessen57% match
For younger readers: Number the Stars
For older readers: The Diary of a Young Girl, The Tattooist of Auschwitz [movie-tie-in]
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Start with this bookAbout this book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME • A NEW YORK TIMES READER TOP 100 PICK FOR BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE CENTURY 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.
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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 “Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” —USA Today DON’T MISS BRIDGE OF CLAY, MARKUS ZUSAK’S FIRST NOVEL SINCE THE BOOK THIEF.
Darkly Immersive
An immersive, sharply voiced read with a dark edge.
Come here for
- immersive storytelling
- edgy emotional register
Expect
- historical fiction atmosphere
- teen-centered orphan-story frame
Where it sits
| Holocaust Stories for Teens | 97% |
|---|---|
| War & Military YA | 46% |
| Death & Grief for Teens | 29% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- YA Orphan & Foster Stories
- Holocaust Stories for Teens
- Death & Grief for Teens
- Authors
- Markus Zusak
- Publisher
- Random House Children's Books
- Published
- September 11, 2007
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Holocaust · Resilience · Power of Books
- Reading lane
- YA Orphan & Foster Stories
Around this book
- Interview with Markus ZusakAn interview from Chicago Public Library. Zusak discusses the novel’s origins, its World War II setting, and the ideas behind its characters and themes.
- Interview with Author of The Book ThiefAn interview from Steppenwolf Theatre. Zusak explains how family stories informed the novel and reflects on its inspiration and enduring appeal.