It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier & will become busier still. By her brother's graveside Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook left there by accident & it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books & words as Liesel with the help of her foster father learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings the mayor's wife's library wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement Liesel's world is both opened up & closed down. The Book Thief is a story about the power of words & the ability of books to feed the soul. 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.