The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel, a little girl who is taken to a new home because her mother can't afford to take care of her. The story is told by Death, who becomes a character you come to respect and even feel sorry for by the end. The narration puts an odd perspective on the story. Much of what Death says is very philosophical, and even beautiful.

The Book Thief is set in Nazi Germany, at the start of World War Two. On the journey to her new home, Liesel's younger brother dies and she steals her first book: The Gravedigger's Handbook. When she arrives at her new home, she suddenly has a new mama and papa. Haunted every night by nightmares of her brother's death, Liesel and her Papa set themselves the challenge of reading the book, Liesel's last link to her brother.

I found this book a bit of an eye opener. It is one of the first books about the war that I have read that is from somebody living in Germany's point of view. It makes you realise that so many people in Germany became victims of the war, that they weren't all evil as they are often portrayed. It is not the kind of story that has you crying one moment and laughing the next. The sadness surrounding Liesel's story creeps up on you, until suddenly you realise that it was like this for so many, and how serious it was, and is.

In reflection, The Book Thief leaves behind a sense of guilt, in some ways. Because it is the British bombs that are falling in Germany, the British who kill so many in the story and leave the reader's cheeks soaked in tears.

Overall I would rate it 8/10, and recommend it to anyone aged 13 and upwards, as it is a serious story, and may not be fully understood by those younger.

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