Every now and then I surprise myself by actually finding a book with real quality.  Such is the case with The Book Thief, which I just finished.

Australian author, Marcus Zusak offers up a tale with shades of the diary of Anne Frank in that the main character is a nine-year-old during Hitler's persecution of the Jews.

However, the story is totally different because Liesel is not a Jew but a German gentile. And the narrator is "Death."

The author, in discussing the reason for writing the book, stated that he had the idea of a novel revolving around a book stealer while writing I Am The Messenger, which received the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award for excellence in young adult literature from the American Library Association. 

His original idea was to set the book in present day Sydney, but it just didn't seem to work right.  Then he hit upon the idea of writing about the things his parents had seen growing up in Nazi Germany and Austria and it seemed to work.

When the book was published in 2006, it immediately garnered rave reviews, became an instant best seller, and began collecting awards. It was named "Book of the Year" by several different literary groups.

This is not a tale for the escapist reader; it is realism at its grimest; yet there is enough humor to move the story along.  

One reviewer had this to say of it: "This book is a tremendously powerful portrayal of life under the Nazis, especially as it was experienced by German youth. Characters suffer cruel fates but also are great examples of the power of personal sacrifice, heroism, friendship, and courage. This is a tough story told about a horrendous time, so there's plenty of grief and sadness, as well as violence and cruelty. But ultimately the book is a portrait of the triumph of spirit and humanity."

I found it hard to put down and recommend it to the discerning reader. Though it garnered an award in children's literature among others, this is NOT for anyone but the most mature teen.  I personally found it more a story for adults than young people. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/book-thief