World War II was a time of hunger, poverty, genocide, and struggle.  Germany was the center and cause of all of these things.  Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer, or dictator of Germany targeted certain groups that he felt were subhuman, especially the Jews.  They were sent to live in Ghettos, and then concentration camps, where they were starved to death, forced to work long hours, and were eventually lead into gas chambers, where they greeted death.  Hitler had 90% of Germany under a spell making them believe that this was all what needed to be done, but 10% saw right past his square mustache, and in that 10% was The Book Thief.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is a story that follows Liesel Meminger, a young German girl, from the time that she was nine years old to fourteen.  Because of her single mother’s struggle to provide for her, it was decided that she and her younger brother would go live with a foster family.  On the way to their foster home, Liesel’s brother dies of frostbite, leaving Liesel alone with her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubbermann, who just happen to be anti-Nazi.  When someone in 1940’s Germany wasn’t a Nazi, death was waiting for it’s chance to take them away. It becomes even more dangerous for Liesel when she begins to hate Hitler herself, and her family decides to take on something that could lead them right into the face of death.

Meanwhile, Max Vandenburg is a man that spends his time in hiding.  He is deemed as subhuman by the Nazis, and the only thing that gives him hope is a promise from Hans Hubberman, a friend of Max’s dead father.

Out of five stars, this book earns four and a half.  It is a great source of education because it focuses on a less popular group of WW2 victims–the anti-Nazi Germans.  Another interesting aspect of the story is who it’s narrated by(read the book and find out!).  The way that the author connects the stories of Liesel and Max is amazing.  Though they are considered different in the Nazi era, they aren’t very different at all.

This book is a must read for everyone!