After Liesel’s mother had to give her away to a couple who had no children, she didn’t expect her life to be full of sadness and happy moments. Liesel is a 12-year-old girl living during WWII, she experiences the turmoil of war and learns what the town called Molching had to offer, her emotions towards this town change throughout the book. When Liesel had entered the town for the first time, she was afraid and isolated, when her mother called for her to come out of the car, she had felt fear from how aggressive her mother seemed to be. After a couple of more tries her mother had given up and her father had taken control. He called for her and slowly, but surely, she made it out of the car into the town she would forever live in. From there, Liesel learns how to read, how to overcome her troubles and finds someone whom she loves.

Mark Zusak uses Death as the narrator in The Book Thief. We see everything through his eyes, the Death follows Liesel’s story, which from the time she moves into her foster home and throughout her experience in WWII. The characters are well written; Zusak utilizes colours, symbols and words to show Liesel and the other’s feelings and thoughts. Mark Zusak uses literary devices like imagery or personification to show what the town looks like, feels like and what elements are important in the book. The plot of the book is good, it shows the dangers of fascism within a society and how breaking the rules of such powers can severely impact an individual in the book. I can visualize what the punishments were if the characters were to do something bad such as feed a Jewish person during the war. I think this book would have a widespread appeal, it is a great book to read and has these amazing characters that go through tough times, we are able to sympathize with them. Liesel’s ability to overcome her challenges throughout the book was inspiring. I highly recommend reading this novel if you enjoy historical fiction and stories that explore the challenges of power and limited freedom.