It is 1939 in Nazi Germany, and Death narrates a story he will become busier telling. Liesel Meminger is a young foster girl living outside Munich who scratches out a meager existence and begins stealing books she cannot resist.
With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns to read and shares stolen books with neighbors during bombing raids and with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. The novel follows these people, their relationships, and the dangers of wartime Germany as seen through Death’s voice.
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Liesel Meminger learns to read with her accordion-playing foster father and steals books that she then shares during bombing raids. The story is set outside Munich in Nazi Germany and includes the immediate danger of war and a Jewish man hidden in a basement. Death serves as the novel’s narrator, giving a persistent, external point of view on events. Expect a focus on survival, personal relationships, secrecy, and the role of books amid wartime circumstances.
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G-NRIS™ identifies The Book Thief primarily as Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, and War Fiction. Its strongest themes include The Power of Books and Literacy, Coming of Age, Survival in Wartime, Morality and Courage, and Death and Mortality. Prominent narrative patterns include Unusual Narrator (Death), Hidden Refugee, Book Thief, and Foster Family.
“I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
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