Have you ever wondered if all Germans were on Hitler's side in World War II? This book shows that side of the story. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a book that I highly recommend reading. The author gives you a great feel for this book as if the main character were his mother. The book breaks the typical stereotypes of Germans during WW II. One of the main characters is a German girl named Liesel. She demonstrates courage, love, and hate. The book is different from others because it is Death narrating. Zusak makes the story fun and page-turning.

According to wikipedia, the author tells this story well because it is about his mother and father’s accounts of WW II. Zusak was an Australian with German and Austrian blood. Even though he is the youngest of four children, Mr. Zusak has written many great books. He has won four awards for the Book Thief. The book was runner up for United States Young Adult Library Services Association.

Turning to the book, in WW II, I and plenty of others I’m sure thought all Germans were Nazis. But some of them, such as the Hubermanns, helped the Jewish people. They try to hide the Jews and help them get out of Germany and away from the Nazis. They also have to sacrifice more because they have to share their food when there may not be a lot of food for the family’s. Anyone that showed remorse for the Jews would be mistreated and rejected in their own community by both their friends and family.

Throughout the book Liesel shows emotions for her friends and family such as love, hate, and courage. She starts to love her papa as he teaches her to read and write. She shows hate for the Fhürer for persecuting the Jewish. The way courage is seen in the book is the acts of courage the Hubermanns show throughout the entire book. After seeing everything Liesel has gone through, the book helps you to be thankful for what you have.The girl’s emotions grow so strong it feels as if you know her. Even the narrator wants to know what happens to her as the story goes on.

The narrator (Death) is a great narrator for this book because he gives you detail that if it was another narrator would not have. The narrator affects the story because he splits off at different times to show you everything else that is happening in one of the other character’s life. Death also makes it a bit better to bare the sad parts of the book. The ending, however sad, will make you be thankful for what you have. I enjoyed this book and I think you will too.