The Book Thief: Marcus Zusak

This was a devastating book about the common German's life during World War II. It took a few chapters to get into because it is told by the Grim Reaper. A little girl is given up for adoption by her mother, who we later learn was a communist and being sent to a camp. On the way her little brother dies and she is forever haunted by his last grappling cough. She is taken in by a couple with grown children. Rosa, the woman seems harsh, but we begin to see she is actually very warm hearted. The man, Hans, is very gentle and loving. Liesel adapts to her new life and helps her new momma with the washing she takes in for others. Once the war is well on its way they lose the laundry accounts and Liesel begins to steal books from the Mayor's wife's library. She doesn't realize until the end that the woman wants her to have the books. The story centers around how many lives Liesel touches and the devastation war causes, every family suffers death, heartbreak, and poverty. Hans ends up taking Max, a Jewish man, in and hides him in the basement, fearing discovery, Hans asks him to leave. Later in the book Liesel sees Max in the group of Jews being marched to Dachau and is frantic. She gets whipped by the guards until her friend Rudy pulls her away. Her poppa gets sent to war, miraculously survives and is sent back home with a damaged leg. Shortly afterwards, by chance Liesel happens to be in the basement one night when the air raids are going on and ends up being one of the only survivors on the street. Both her Momma and Poppa are killed along with her friend Rudy and his whole family. She ends up living with the major and working for Rudy's dad when he gets back from the war. The only happiness in the book seems to be that Max comes back to find her once he is released.