Die Bücherdiebin

In Nazi Germany, a girl named Liesel Meminger, whose brother dies on the way to her foster home, steals a gravedigger's handbook and begins a series of thefts that feed her new love of reading. Living on Himmelstrasse with Hans and Rosa Hubermann, she befriends Rudy Steiner and reads aloud to Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man hidden in the basement. Death, the narrator, follows her through air raids and book burnings, and is moved by her stubborn resilience.

Perfect for readers who want a young-adult historical novel that does not shy from loss. You come away with a sense of how stories give people comfort in extreme circumstances.

Inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?