The Book Thief

Summary: The world is being torn apart in World War II. Leisel Meminger has watched her brother die. She has watched her mother leave her to live with strangers. Yet her struggles are far from over. Her new home, Hummel Street, is a poor, downcast street in Munich. As she struggles with nightmares, she begins to feel at home on Hummel Street and makes friends such a Rudy Stiener. The Book Thief is about Leisel’s journey as she realizes the power of words, and the world through the eyes of a grief stricken girl who is slowly learning to be happy again. This book is narrated by death, which makes it dark sometimes, but very interesting.

My Review: I LOVE this book. It is one of my favorites! The writing is AMAZING!!! Not only are the characters and the plot amazing, but there is also so much depth to it. Even though Death is the narrator, there is still a lot of humor in it, and this give it a unique twist.

My Takeaway: This story is about a girl who discovers not only healing despite the war raging around her, but also the power of words. Parents might want to be aware that the whole book has a dark feeling to it, as it is narrated by Death. There is an inappropriate thought of someone naked towards the end, and one of the characters struggles with the darkness of his situation.

Romance: Hardly any, but there are a couple inappropriate thoughts at the end. A boy obviously has a crush on Leisel, but it’s very lighthearted.

Nudity: Light, there is one thought of someone naked towards the end of the book, not descriptive.

Language:  Mild (leaning towards heavy) There is a good bit of language. Part of this has to do with the setting, which is a poor street. A good amount of it is in German, but it usually translates it.

Alcohol/drugs/smoking: Light, The people smoke, and they drink, but there aren’t any drugs in it.

Violence: Mild, bombings, hate crimes against jews.

Darkness: Mild, narrated by death, so there is a lot of talk about how much death there is in World War II.

Bad Messages: Acceptance of thievery.

Good Messages: Found family, importance of friendship, kindness, redemption

Stars: 5