The Book Thief Audiobook By Markus Zusak cover art

The Book Thief

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The Book Thief

By: Markus Zusak
Narrated by: Allan Corduner
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DON’T MISS BRIDGE OF CLAY, MARKUS ZUSAK’S FIRST NOVEL SINCE THE BOOK THIEF.

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

When Death has a story to tell, you listen.

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

“The kind of book that can be life-changing.” —The New York Times

“Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” —USA Today #BookTok Books & Libraries Death & Dying Education & Learning Historical Fiction Difficult Situations Heartfelt Fiction Family & Relationships Fostering Literature & Fiction Tearjerking Family Inspiring Feel-Good Dark Ages History History For Teens

Critic reviews

“Brilliant and hugely ambitious…Some will argue that a book so difficult and sad may not be appropriate for teenage readers…Adults will probably like it (this one did), but it’s a great young-adult novel…It’s the kind of book that can be life-changing, because without ever denying the essential amorality and randomness of the natural order, The Book Thief offers us a believable hard-won hope…The hope we see in Liesel is unassailable, the kind you can hang on to in the midst of poverty and war and violence. Young readers need such alternatives to ideological rigidity, and such explorations of how stories matter. And so, come to think of it, do adults.” -New York Times

"The Book Thief is unsettling and unsentimental, yet ultimately poetic. Its grimness and tragedy run through the reader's mind like a black-and-white movie, bereft of the colors of life. Zusak may not have lived under Nazi domination, but The Book Thief deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel's Night. It seems poised to become a classic." -USA Today

"Zusak doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but he makes his ostensibly gloomy subject bearable the same way Kurt Vonnegut did in Slaughterhouse-Five: with grim, darkly consoling humor.” -Time Magazine

"Elegant, philosophical and moving...Beautiful and important." -Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"This hefty volume is an achievement...a challenging book in both length and subject..." -Publisher's Weekly, Starred

"One of the most highly anticipated young-adult books in years." -The Wall Street Journal

"Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak's poignant tribute to words, survival, and their curiously inevitable entwinement is a tour de force to be not just read but inhabited." -The Horn Book Magazine, Starred

"An extraordinary narrative." -SLJ, Starred

Featured Article: The 10 Best WWII Audiobooks for Every History Buff


World War II, although well-documented through various mediums, is the basis for a wide range of little-known stories from Europe and beyond that deserve to be heard. From firsthand accounts of soldiers on the front lines to stories of brave women behind the scenes, these are impactful stories of humans coming together in this time of global conflict. We’re sure you’ll find something captivating on our list of the best WWII audiobooks.

Featured Article The 10 Best WWII Audiobooks for Every History Buff
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The Book Thief didn't seem interesting... at first.

However, as the characters were fleshed-out and the theatre-of-war enlivened the backdrop, something beautiful began to show itself (from the ashes, as it were).

As many stories that are centered around war, this is one was filled with humiliation and suffering, but also with dignity and love.

The writing had a breezy, effortless quality that I found very attractive and did not distract from the story. The words weaved themselves around the characters and time-lines with a single glowing thread: a little orphan girl and the people her life touches, and a book.

An Exceptional Book

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This a beautifully written book about a young girl who is sent to live in Munich with strangers that could provide for her during WW II. The first half of the book is character driven and how non military Germans lived during the war. Even though they were surrounded by strife and hunger, this story showes that even in the throes of war it is still possible to forge very special relationships through love and kindness.

The second half is more about the war and how so many people were terribly affected by such a gruesome regimen, and having to live everyday with the fear of being bombed. I normally steer clear of books about this horrible atrocity, however, I was convinced by so many wonderful reviews that I had to give it a chance. Thank goodness I did, this is a wonderful story about complicated relationships, and the passion for the written word. The narrator did an excellent job with the characters voices and helped to add to each vivid personality. Definitely credit worthy.

A Classic

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I was having a difficult time finding a book that grabbed me and held my attention. After digging through the unread books in my library I decided to give The Book Thief a chance. I don't regret it. This book grabbed me from the very beginning. The book is very well written, but what really helps draw you in is the excellent narration by Allan Corduner.

I'm not going to say much about the plot as I don't want to give anything away. What I will say though is you won't regret listening to this one. You'll be glad you did.

Of the books I've listened to thus far this year, The Book Thief has been my favorite.

Fantastically Written and Narrated

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this wonderful narrator of this brilliant story captivated me. this will stay with me...forever. thx.

outstanding...

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Here I am, sitting at my kitchen table sobbing in my work uniform. Partly because my chicken curry is far too spicy, but mostly because of how touching, tragic, and wonderful this book is. The Book Thief is a must read for everyone, even those as young as Liesel Meminger was herself when her story began.

Tragic and Beautiful

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