January 1939. Germany. A country holding its breath. Death has never had so much work to do. And there will be more. Nine-year-old Liesel Meminger and her younger brother are being taken by their mother to foster parents near Munich because their father is no longer there, carried away by the breath of the strange and alien word 'communist,' and in her mother's eyes the girl sees the fear of a similar fate. On the way, death visits the boy and notices Liesel for the first time. And so the girl finds herself on Himmel Strasse - Heavenly Street. Whoever came up with the name had a healthy sense of humor. Not that it was hell. No. But it was certainly not heaven, either. 'The Book Thief' is a short story that is about, among other things: one girl; different words; an accordion player; different fanatical Germans; a Jewish fighter; and a lot of thefts. This is a book about the power of words and the ability of books to nourish the soul.

Markus Zusak's 2005 novel, which spent more than 230 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list, continues to captivate readers around the world.

'This is a novel not only worth reading, but also worth inhabiting.' — The Horn Book Magazine

'A triumph of literary discipline… one of the most unusual and compelling Australian novels of modern times.' — The Age

'A brilliant, whimsical fairy tale. A superb book you'll recommend to everyone you meet.' — Herald-Sun