Book of the Day: "The Book Thief" — a novel for those who enjoyed "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"

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Sometimes the most important books come to us not through school curriculum, but through chance encounters—on a shelf, in conversation, in someone's casual recommendation.

"The Book Thief" (2005) by Markus Zusak is exactly one of those books. It tells a story about war, but not through generals and tanks—through the heart of a girl who steals books to keep from going insane in a world where books are burned. And yes, Death itself tells this story—not cold, not evil, but tired and compassionate.

What the novel is about

The story unfolds in Nazi Germany, winter 1939. Nine-year-old Liesel Meminger loses her brother and mother and ends up with a foster family—the good-natured Hans and stern but loving Rosa Hubermann.

Her new life begins with stealing a book at a funeral. Liesel can't read yet, but she already senses that words will be her salvation.

On Himmel Street in a small house, she learns to read, finds friends, hides a Jewish boy in the basement, and tries to survive each day in this chilling nightmare.
Writer Markus Zusak in a dark shirt smiles next to a book cover featuring a girl dancing with a skeleton
Markus Zusak and the cover of the novel "The Book Thief"
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And Death, who's almost always nearby, simply watches—and tenderly tells this story.

Themes that stay with you

Here, it's not the war that matters, but what it does to ordinary people. The book speaks about love and death, about language as resistance, about literacy as an act of freedom, about fear, guilt, friendship, and growing up in a world where growing up is a matter of survival.

Death here isn't the enemy. It's a weary narrator who can see beauty in horror. Death says: "Even death has a heart." And for the first time in a long while, it really wants to spare someone.

Liesel grows—as a girl, as a reader, as a human being. With each stolen book, she becomes herself. And we grow along with her.

Film adaptation

In 2013, the novel was adapted for film by director Brian Percival. The cast includes Sophie Nélisse (Liesel), Geoffrey Rush (Hans), and Emily Watson (Rosa).
Actress Sophie Nélisse sits in a basement with a book in her hands near a man sleeping on the floor
Scene from The Book Thief film adaptation
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And thankfully, the movie turned out well—delicate, warm, very careful. It tries its best. But honestly, the book's spirit escapes a bit. Where the novel leaves an aftertaste, the film just tells the plot.

But the music is pure magic. John Williams wrote one of the most tender soundtracks of his career for "The Book Thief." According to Wikipedia, it was nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe, and won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Album.

"The Book Thief" is a book about how you can still be human even in the darkest times. Especially if you're someone who knows how to read. I'd add that this novel is perfect for those who fell in love with John Boyne's works—from "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" to "The Boy at the Top of the Mountain." Earlier on zoomboola.com, we wrote about "The Goldfinch"—a novel about theft, art, and coming of age.