The Book Thief

My soul book

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My soul book is probably the best book in the world:

The Book Thief By Markus Zusak.

The book is about Liesel Meminger, a girl from Germany that in the time of the war, discovers the pleasure of reading books,but can’t afford books, so she steals from everywhere she can.

The story is told by the Grim Reaper, that is very ocuppied for some years. The story begins like that:

“HERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE”

and continues with Liesel. Liesel was a girl from Germany that lived in a very poor family, so her mother decided to give her and her brother to adoption. They were in the train to München, a city very near to Molching, the place they had to go. Liesel’s brother was very sick and he died in the train. He was burried near the railway. A book falls out of the coat of a young apprentice grave digger, and he doesn't notice. Liesel steals her first book, but she doesn’t understand anything, because she can’t read.

Finally, she arives at her new house in Himmel street(Himmel means heaven). She meets her new parents: Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Rosa is very severe, but Hans is very loving. Also, she meets Rudy: a neighbour of Liesel.

At night, she shows Papa(Hans) her book and tells him that she wants to read it but she can’t. So Papa starts learning her how to read.

After some time, she finishes her first book. But this can’t be her only book.

So it’s the time for another stealed book. It’s the Führer’s day, so it’s the time to make a big fire and burn all the books. Everyone was throwing books in fire and Liesel did that to. When everyone left, she stealed a book from the fire.

And then Liesel continued to steal books from everywhere she could: from the Bürgermeister’s house and many other places.

Meanwhile, Max came to the Hubermann house. Max was a jew that Hans had to help, because Max’s father saved Hans in the first war. Max became friend with Liesel, and Liesel had to tell Max, that stayed in the basement, how the weather is. One day, they made a snowman in the basement. Because the snowman melted, Max nearly died because he sleeped in the cold water. After that, Max leaved the Hubermann house.

Many things happen, then the Himmel street is bombed. Liesel is the only survivor, because she sleeped in the basement. No one can describe how sad was Liesel when she saw her parents and her friends dead.

After some years, Liesel meets Max again. Then her life happily continues, and she dies at the age of ninety years.

The Grim Reaper met some times before she died with Liesel. Because of this, the Grim Reaper says to us at the end of the book:

“I’m haunted by humans.”

I love this book because it has a powerful message: the power of the words.