#1 The Book Thief
Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Print.
Annotation:
The story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl, growing up in Nazi Germany, as told by Death. Books play a pivotal role in Liesels' life and come into her life at moments of great importance.
Justification for Nomination:
Zusak has a gift for storytelling and The Book Thief is a great story. Zusak has Death narrate the story of a young girl and that alone is master stroke. Death as a narrator is both engaging and darkly witty. Death, it seems, has an odd fascination with humans and with colors and while Death as a narrator might strike some as gimmicky it really works well here. The color imagery employed by Death in The Book Thief is amazing and really makes a rather grim background seem more vibrant. The book itself is 552 pages long, but do not let the length put you off. This book is a fast read even though it is not a break neck kind of adventure. Expect to be pulled into the story right away and good luck putting it down. The Book Thief deals with several issues at once and does a good job with all of them. The setting in Nazi Germany is a great way for readers to see history from a point of view not often told. The story Liesel is the story of so many young people trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into the world that it will strike a chord with all who read it. Good books must have at their core great stories and The Book Thief is a great story, well told, and worthy of consideration for many awards.
