The Book Thief- Markus Zusak

This may be my only 10 this season (only because it is so fresh and wonderfully written). Simply put, of all the stories to be written about the holocaust, this one takes the bait. Usually they follow the same line and point of view, that of a Jewish prisoner or victim. This one is told from Death's point of view. It is beautiful in it's simplicity. It mostly concentrates on Liesel, a girl in a foster home (who is loved dearly by her parents, although her mother reinforces rules with a good spanking and some prolific swearing) and her walk as a German girl at the time. This review hardly does this book justice. If you cannot stand other Holocaust fiction (because it can become repetitive, seem whiny, long, and unoriginal) then this is most certainly your read. Strikingly simple, Zusak weaves a spell without having to rely on building up suspense by withholding information. A riveting tale, un-paralleled this season.

"I've seen so many young men
over the years who they're
running at other young men.
They are not.
They're running at me" (Zusak, 174)

"'Saukerl,' she laughed, and as she held up her hand, she knew completely that he was simultaneously calling her a Saumensch. I think that's as close to love as eleven-year-olds can get." (Zusak, 144)

10/10 (I've only given one of these out...two years ago)

Miss Anne Thropic
Isabelle