Book review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Liesel Meminger is a 13 year old foster child living outside Munich in Nazi Germany.  Liesel discovers she can 'steal' books out of a private library in the mayor's house, and she uses the books to learn to read… then shares them with the Jewish man hidden in her basement and with her neighbors as the bombs fall around them.  The most original thing about this book is that it's told by Death, and Zusack gives the narrator an endearing and unforgettable voice.  Highly recommended. This is one of the best books I've read in several years.