The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

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Author Markus Zusak hails from Austria and Germany but lives in Australia. He is most well-known for his novels The Book Thief and The Messenger, which became international bestsellers.

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a novel of mercilessness, neediness, and trust. Her mother has placed Liesel Meminger, a young girl, in foster care.

The Book Thief

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On these nights, in an effort to distract Liesel from her suffering, her foster father begins teaching her to read. Liesel learns to find solace in reading. When the war starts, being in a state of comfort becomes rare, so Liesel finds ways to find it.

Together with her mother and brother, Liesel Meminger takes the train to Munich. Liesel's brother passes away before they can get there, and he is buried by strange people in a strange town.

In the middle of the night, Liesel experiences nightmares that prevent her from sleeping. On these nights, Hans, her foster father, comes to her rescue and helps her sit up until she is safe enough to sleep. Hans finds the book Liesel stole on one of these nights.

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Liesel begins to adjust to her new surroundings. Soon, Liesel forms friendships with Rudy, a neighbor boy who is her age. When Liesel is not required to assist her foster mother, Rosa, in picking up or delivering the laundry that she washes for extra money, Rudy and Liesel play soccer with the other children in the neighborhood.

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Ilsa, wife of the mayor, is cold and quiet, according to Liesel. However, when the silent woman sees Liesel stealing a forbidden book from a Nazi party bonfire, she becomes afraid of Liesel. Liesel is certain that the woman will discover her and arrest her. Instead, Ilsa lets Liesel use her private library and invites her over to her house. Liesel frequently makes trips to the library, where she spends the afternoon reading as many books as she can.

The Hubermanns, Liesel's foster parents, have been keeping a Jew hidden in their home for this time. Hans promised to do anything for this man's wife and son, so when Max needs a place to hide from the government, Hans opens his home to him. Max Vandenburg is the son of a man Hans credits with saving his life during World War I.

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The idea that the Gestapo will come to his house to arrest him and look for Jews who are hiding causes hans to feel afraid. Hans decides that Max must leave. However, the Nazi Party accepts Hans' membership and forces him to join the military rather than arresting him.

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Hans breaks his leg in a car accident while performing this duty, and he is sent home. Six months later, a bomb that was dropped on Himmel Street by mistake kills Hans and Rosa. This catastrophe has only left one survivor, Liesel.

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