Although we were born in the year 2002, we felt as if we were there in Nazi, Germany in 1939, because Markus Zusak made us smell the fear in the air. In this historical fiction novel, The Book Thief, readers live in one of the darkest times of history while they feel emotions like joy, love, anger, sadness, fear, and regret.

We feel these emotions as Death narrates the story. Death's intriguing point of view is one of the reasons we enjoyed the book. His odd sense of humor adds to his personality and makes this book impossible to set down. You learn not to fear Death’s calm, gentle nature. It is almost welcoming.You learn that he has emotions similar to humans. He expresses sadness, compassion, and stress. According to steppenwolf.org  Zusak chose to have death as the narrator because a common saying is that war and death are best friends.  Death has a fascination with a girl named Liesel. 

Liesel is the main character of the book. The young girl moves to Himmel Street to live with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa. There she grows up making many new friends along the way. Liesel makes a special connection with her foster father Hans. They bond throughout the book. Together, they demonstrate courage as they hide Max, a Jew, in their basement.

While hiding Max, Liesel demonstrates one common theme expressed throughout the entire book: the power of words. As soon as Liesel learns to read, she immediately falls in love with words. They calm her in times of stress and aid her in her time of need. Also, Liesel and Max gain a strong relationship as they read together. In The Book Thief page 328 it reads, "She gave The Dream Carrier to Max as if the words alone could nourish him." This quote explains how Liesel believed in the power of words, as she thought it could bring life.

Furthermore, we encourage everyone to read this insightful book. Even if you are not interested in historical fiction, this is not like any other book you may read. Markus Zusak makes it easy to connect to the characters. You can feel the strong sense of love and compassion the small families on Himmel Street express to one another. It will make you laugh, cry, understand, and love in this novel that is exciting, informative, and intense. This book changes your point of view and makes you perceive war differently. We reassure all that this book is worth your time because this isn't just any other novel-- This is a book of courage and friendship.