‘The Book Thief’ Comes to Milwaukee Public Library

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photo by Markus Zusak

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the young adult novel The Book Thief tells a heart-wrenching narrative of 1930s Nazi Germany and how a young girl’s growing love of reading helped her persevere through some of history’s darkest days. Famously narrated by Death itself, The Book Thief, the 2006 Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, is the emotional story of 9-year-old Liesel who is sent to live with foster parents after the death of her younger brother. When her kind foster father decides to shelter a young Jewish man named Max, Liesel and the family face grave danger as they struggle to confront the war-torn world around them. As Liesel hesitatingly learns to develop relationships in her new life, she also embraces her title as book thief as she begins to steal books that the Nazis want to destroy and even learns to write her own stories of survival, hope and resilience. This timeless and unforgettable tale is masterfully told and destined to become a literary classic.

The Book Thief spent an incredible seven years on The New York Times bestseller list and was made into a 2013 blockbuster movie starring Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson as Liesel’s foster parents. Australian author Markus Zusak is now out with a new 10th-anniversary edition of the book, featuring pages of bonus content and original sketches. Milwaukee is excited to welcome Zusak to town for an appearance at Centennial Hall at Milwaukee Public Library at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11. This free event is co-sponsored by Boswell Book Co.