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The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

Stories and survival in Nazi Germany

Bestseller
Regular price $18.75 USD
Regular price $31.25 USD Sale price $18.75 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Bestseller

    #1 New York Times bestseller

  • Editorial selection

    TIME Magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time

    Included among TIME Magazine's 100 best YA books of all time.

AlbakiReads Editorial

Stories and survival in Nazi Germany

Set in 1939 near Munich, the novel connects Liesel Meminger’s growing relationship with books to the dangers surrounding her family and neighbors under Nazi rule. Liesel steals books and learns to read with help from her foster father, then shares what she has found during bombing raids and with a Jewish man hidden in the family’s basement. The narrator is identified as Death, a framing presence for a story about reading, secrecy, and the ways people seek connection amid persecution and war. Its Holocaust-era setting places private acts of care alongside the pressures of life in Nazi Germany.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in historical fiction set during the Holocaust.
  • Readers interested in stories about books, literacy, and sharing stories.
  • Readers seeking fiction centered on family, secrecy, and life under Nazi rule.

Themes

Books and literacyNazi Germany and the HolocaustPersecution and warFamily and careSecrecy and sharing stories

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - ONE OF TIMEMAGAZINE'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. 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."

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Customer reviews

M
AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

T
AlbakiReads
Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

O
AlbakiReads
Olivia

Smooth.