I wasn't in Germany around 1940's, but I was taken back in time by Markus Zusak with his historical fiction novel "The Book Thief" to see what could have happened. While I believe "The Book Thief" is an incredible book the reader should be a certain age limit before committing to reading it. This is a story full of acts of selflessness, thievery, and the love of words. Be prepared to walk away with a sad, but inspired feeling. This is the story of true love, friendship, death, and most importantly book thievery on Himmel Street in Nazi Germany during World War II.

Before we discuss the book, we must discuss the author and what could have inspired Zusak to write "The Book Thief". To begin, Markus Zusak lives in Australia, so why would he write a book about Nazi Germany? Wouldn't he inherit the same stereotypes as most everyone did at the time that the Germans were to blame? According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Zusak , Markus Zusak may have grown up in Australia, but his parents grew up in Europe during the time of Hitler. His mother Lisa grew up in Germany and his father Helmut grew up in Austria. They emigrated to Australia in 1950. Furthermore, Markus Zusak would have known of his parent's experiences and stories and would have been able to incorporate them into his book to break down stereotypes.

In order to understand the "The Book Thief", you first must understand it's extremely unique narrator. While the book jumps between first person and third person you will need to know that this unique narrator just so happens to be Death. When most people think of death they think of a grim reaper snatching them up in the night. However, this form of death has a sense of humor and feelings, probably not what you would expect. Instead of enjoying the war, you will find Death frustrated with his job and all the chaos. While most of this book is third person, he will occasionally jump in and add little details that help you understand the book. When you read this book you may realize that this form of death will be guiding you and trying to make even the saddest parts of this book somewhat bearable.

Now that you know who Death is, we can talk about Liesel Meminger and other very important main characters. Liesel is the foster daughter of Hans and Rosa Hubermann. The book doesn't often talk about Liesel's real mother since Liesel doesn't see her since the beginning of the book. Liesel's best friend Rudy is by far my favorite. With his spunky attitude and interesting hair that brings the book to life, who wouldn't like him?! Rudy also has a huge crush on Liesel that leads to a very interesting teenager relationship, however, it will never quite be the relationship that Rudy hopes for. Hans Hubermann is also one who pulls you into the story with his fatherly love and interesting background which you may find out about later. Altogether, you will find that multiple characters in this story that have an incredible impact with their actions of either love or hatred.

  This love is often demonstrated through acts of selflessness that will touch your heart and open your mind to the true world of Nazi Germany. We have Liesel's mother, a communist, give up her children to keep them safe. The book also has a Jew leaving a safe basement of trusted Germans to make sure the kind family won't be harmed, as well as a father leaving his home to protect his son. Along with these selfless acts you will be able to gain a deeper connection with the book and open your eyes to the love that was in Nazi Germany in "The Book Thief".

  While at this point you may have made up you mind about reading this book or not I need to get a few important things across that can change your mind. While reading "The Book Thief", you will need to be aware that there will be foul language you will come across. There are also mature topics which means the reader has to be a certain age limit and know a bit about puberty. An example of this is on page 311 when it says, "She became thirteen years of age. Her chest was still flat. She had not yet bled." If you do not understand what this means, or you don't enjoy the reference to it you will not understand or enjoy "The Book Thief". As a result of not being mature, it could ruin your experience or if you want to read it later when you do understand all of these references.

  To conclude, "The Book Thief" is a really good book that helps the reader see what could have really happened in Nazi Germany. As long as the reader is mature enough to handle it, they can enjoy it as well. You can connect with the book as I have with its  narrator and characters. Lastly, you will be able to break down stereotypes you could have made about the Germans and see that a lot of them were just as terrified and human as the rest of the world. I would recommend this book if the reader meets all of the qualifications.