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The Book Thief
The Book Thief
hardback | English
Published:
1 January, 2007
hardback | English
Published:
1 January, 2007
Description
'It's just a small story, really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery ...' This work is narrated in the all-knowing matter-of-fact voice of Death, witnessing the story of the citizens of Himmel Street: When nine-year-old Liesel arrives outside the boxlike house of her new foster parents, she refuses to get out of the car. Liesel has been separated from her parents - 'Kommunists' - for ever, and at the burial of her little brother, she steals a gravedigger's instruction manual which she can't read. It is the beginning of her illustrious career. In the care of the Hubermans, Liesel befriends blond-haired Rudy Steiner, her neighbour obsessed with Jesse Owens. She also befriends the mayor's wife, who hides from despair in her library. Together Liesel and Rudy steal books - from Nazi book burning piles, from the mayor's library, from the richer people of Molching. In time, the family hide a Jewish boxer, Max, who reads with Liesel in the basement.. By 1943, the Allied bombs are falling, and the sirens begin to wail. Liesel shares out her books in the air-raid shelters.
But one day in the life of Himmel street, the wail of the sirens comes too late...A life-changing tale of the cruel twists of fate and the coincidences on which all our lives hinge, this is also a joyous look at the power of book to nourish the soul. Its uplifting ending will make all readers weep.
Prizes
Shortlisted for British Book Awards: Waterstones Newcomer of the Year Award 2008 and Independent Booksellers' Week Book of the Year Award: Children's Book of the Year 2007 and YoungMinds Book Award 2007.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780385611466 |
| ISBN10 | 0385611463 |
| Number Of Pages | 592 |
| Item Weight | 920 g |
| Product Dimensions | 160 x 52 x 236 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Doubleday |
| Format | hardback |
| Edition | First Edition |
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Author's Bio
Markus Zusak, a prize-winning author, lives in Sydney with his wife and daughter. The Book Thief has been optioned for film, and has been published to critical acclaim in Australia and in America, where it reached No. 1 on the The New York Times bestsellers list.