The Book ThiefThe Book Thief
What it's about
Germany, 1939. Liesel Meminger is nine when she's sent to live with foster parents on Himmel Street outside Munich, and at her brother's graveside she steals her first book. Her gentle, accordion-playing foster father teaches her to read, and soon she's stealing books from Nazi bonfires and the mayor's library, sharing them with neighbors in bomb shelters and with the Jewish man her family is hiding in their basement. The story is narrated by Death, who is very busy in these years.
Why it's worth reading
It's a story about the power of words in a time when words were being used to destroy, and it's told with such warmth and strangeness that it stays with readers for life. Few books make so many people cry, in a good way.
You'll love it if you liked
All the Light We Cannot See, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or Little Women
Good to know
The narrator gives away some of what's coming early on, on purpose, and it makes the ending hit harder, not softer. It's often shelved as young adult, but it's read and loved by adults just as much.
By the numbers
- Readers95 out of 100 · counts 40%+43
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%+0
- Bestseller82 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+29
- Buzz100 out of 100 · counts 15%+17
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
On the PBS Great American Read list. 65 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2024. 4.39★ from 3.0M Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #1 of the 27 young adult books we rank
- #2 of the 251 historical novels we rank
- #2 of the 666 modern books we rank
- #5 of the 1,405 books we rank
Bestseller
- 65 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2024
On the lists
- PBS Great American Read
Reads as
Moving
