Imagine a world where you must constantly look behind your back, because Death might sneak up and attack. A place where innocent people must die because of their religion. This was how people lived in 1940 Germany. Liesel Meminger is only nine years old when she was torn away from her own family, and was taken to live with the Hubermanns, on Himmel Street in Molching, Germany. Liesel arrives on Himmel Street with two things. A small suitcase with a few items of clothing, and The Grave Digger’s Handbook, a book cleverly hidden beneath the snow next to her brother’s grave. During her the years she spends with her new family, Liesel starts to develop a taste for knowledge, and obviously, stealing books.

Liesel starts abducting books from the Mayor’s house, and wherever they can be found. She continues to steal, with the help of her partner-in-crime, and best friend Rudy Steiner. When Liesel’s foster-father, Hans Hubermann starts hiding a Jew in their basement, Liesel begins to understand the difference and the importance of life and death, and the strong feeling of grief, when you see someone you truly love suffer.

The author, Markus Zusak described the characters wonderfully, it was like you were transported into the book, and you could actually see and feel what the characters lived through. Zusak gives you a vivid picture of the story, and he describes the character’s actions so the story segues perfectly into the next scene. The Book Thief is a cordial story about friendship, love, courage, grief, death and the true power of words. This Liesel Meminger’s story, narrated from Death’s point of view.