What readers think of The Book Thief, plus links to write your own review.

I have read the book twice and enjoyed it even more the second time. I was originally a little concerned as to how I would feel about Death as the narrator but found him to be a compassionate,likable character. Instead of spoiling the story, his telling of events in advance seemed to soften the impact, resulting in a thoughtful, powerful and sweet story rather than a thriller. I continue to recommend this book to everyone I know.

Although it took me a while to get into the rhythm of the book I liked the way it was structured and found myself drawn into the many relationships between the people who lived on and visited Himmel Street. Once you get past the fact that Death is the narrator and realize it is a book of faith not abandonment, the book comes alive. I found myself liking Mama and Papa although I expected them to be the evil foster parents depicted much of the time in literature. I half expected to find out that there was a pre-war connection between Liesel and Max or that Liesel was secretly Jewish. Having been to Munich and Dachau I was very aware of how close the camp was to its actual neighbors thus I could envision Liesel and Rudy watching the Jews being marched to the camp. I would not consider this Young Adult literature and am surprised it has been classified as such. When Max began his first book hidden in the basement I likened it to the diaries written on scraps of paper inside the camps which have become such an integral part of Holocaust history. This is a book with a unique premise that keeps the reader's attention about a time in history we can never forget.

What a wonderful read! Once I got started I could not put it down. "Death" as the narrator was an interesting concept and it worked very well. There were many beautiful and powerful passages in the book. I started to underline them , but then realized I'd be underling a lot of the book! Liesel and the other characters stayed with me long after I finished the book. I would recommend this book for young and old alike.

The Book Thief tiptoes into your life as you read the first few chapters of the book and gently steals your attention (it is difficult to put down). The language the author uses paints a haunting picture of life in Germany during Hitler's reign and makes the characters human and endearing. It reminds me that there are two sides to every war and innocent people are drastically effected by it. The story is moving and told from the perspective of the angel of death giving human emotions and feelings to tough subjects. While the book was written for teens it is a book adults will find enjoyable. A tender story that will grab any reader, loaded with elements for literary analysis and discussion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and didn't want it to end. Mr Zusak's style of prose was charming and immensely readable. His descriptions helped the reader to feel the scene and not just read about it. His characters became people. I would definitely read anything else he wrote and have recommended this book to many friends already. I am a 50ish mother and my 23 year old son enjoyed it as much as I did.

Told by Death - tough reading in the beginning, but I guarantee you will not be able to put it down after the first 100 pages. Characters vivid and very real, setting so well portrayed I felt the cold and the snow and the wetness when the characters experienced them. I don't feel it was trite in the least, as that other reviewer did. I have recommended Book Thief to friends, who have loved it. I am also glad I didn't know it was for YAs.

While this book was written from a unique point of view and gave the Holocaust a most personal perspective, I did not find myself particularly involved with the characters or their story. The story of book thievery and other thievery was an unusual combination with the story of Jewish persecution. In a small way, I felt the author was understanding of the Germans who "went along" with Hitler although he certainly represented the other side, those who helped the Jews, convincingly and poignantly. I found the book bleak which I imagine was intended. It should be an interesting book for classroom or reading group discussion however.

I was surprised to see this book rated as Young Adult Lit. I picked it up before I saw that and I'm so glad I did. The setting is a frightening time for adults and unimaginable for a child. It's like looking through the glass from the other side of the mirror, only to find that everyone's reality has melted together into the same sickening, and insecure 'present' of WWII in Nazi Germany. I kept sensing that I "know" these people - that we are all in this together regardless of our nationality or ethnicity. A great read and I recommend it to all. This is not a child's book.