The Book Thief. 10Th Anniversary Edition: Markus Zusak - Softcover

". . . a beautifully balanced piece of storytelling . . . Unsettling, thought-provoking, life affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, masterfully told. It is an important piece of work, but also a wonderful page-turner"

"Zusak's playfulness with language leavens the horror and makes the theme more resonant - words can save your life . . . It's a measure of how sucessfully Zusak has humanized these characters that even though we know they are doomed, it's no less devastating when Death finally reaches them"

". . . this is a weighty novel worthy of universal acclaim . . . A sense of dread prevades this beautifully written novel . . . As The Book Thief draws to a close, Death says: ". . . There's a multitude of stories . . . that I allow to distract me as I work." The story of the Book Thief, who tried to change the world in her own small way, proves one formidable and inspiring distraction"

". . . a moving work which will make many eyes brim"

". . . it is certainly extraordinary, resonant and relevant, beautiful and angry"

"It wasn’t until four years ago that I read The Book Thief, by Australian writer Markus Zusak. Narrated by “death” and set in Nazi Germany, the book follows a group of street-smart German children and how they deal with the atrocities that happen in their small town. It’s a difficult read but the writing is so vivid you’ll remember it for the rest of your life."

"His faith in the transformative power of storytelling bestows this gentle but worthwhile novel with its own narrative strength and power"

"Brilliant and hugely ambitious"

"Elegant, philosophical and moving. A work to read slowly and savour. Beautiful and important"

". . . a fantastic book . . . it packs a huge emotional punch"

SPECIAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION with exclusive extra behind-the-scenes material from the author

It is 1939. In Nazi Germany, the country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier - and will become busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed forever when she picks up a single object, abandoned in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, and this is her first act of book thievery. So begins Liesel's love affair with books and words, and soon she is stealing from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library . . . wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times, and when Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, nothing will ever be the same again.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

Now a major film from Twentieth-Century Fox starring Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson.