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The Book Thief  By  cover art

The Book Thief

By: Markus Zusak
Narrated by: Allan Corduner
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Publisher's summary

Don’t miss Bridge of Clay, Markus Zusak’s first novel since The Book Thief.

The extraordinary number-one New York Times best seller 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)

©2006 Markus Zusak (P)2006 Random House Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

  • Book Sense Book of the Year Award, Children's Literature, 2007

"The astonishing characters, drawn without sentimentality, will grab readers." (Booklist)
"Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers....An extraordinary narrative." (School Library Journal)
"The Book Thief will appeal both to sophisticated teens and adults with its engaging characters and heartbreaking story." (Bookmarks Magazine)

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.

What listeners say about The Book Thief

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Most Excellent

Hauntingly beautiful story. Truly magnificent narration. Best audio book experience to date. Very impressed with Allan Corduner's performance.

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Loved it!

This book is absolutely one of the best books I've read! I seriously doubt the movie will come close to the details both small & large that come together in this book. The narrator did a FAB job as well. I particularly enjoyed the unique point of view the author used. Well done indeed!

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Wonderful, Moving, Sobering

I chose this book in part because of it’s great reputation, and in part because my daughter is reading it in her 8th grade pre-AP English class. Due to its subject matter, I thought it might be good to be able to talk to her about it. I was amazed. The story was told in such an interesting way, the voice of the narrator was PERFECT for the part, and the characters were developed in such an authentic way. This is, no doubt, a great read, but I think it might have even have been better as an audio book. Many thanks! 👍🏻

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“I am haunted by the brutality of humans”

In 2023, have we learned anything from history?? Important to have these reminders. Tribes, religion, race. Are we not all human?

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My favorite book!

I can read or listen to this book over and over again. I love the premise of this book and the setting around a terrible event in history. This is a fantastic book.

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Rough start… beautiful beyond!!!

Confused or distracted through the first few chapters, I thought about moving to another title. When I finally understood the narration, this clever book had me hooked. This story moves in to my top ten. What a gift. Thank you.

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Fantastic

I loved this book, this performance, everything. pulls and tuggs everywhere it should with enough humor to get you through it.

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read this book before & now the audio book

i loved this book the first time and wanted to reread it, but i don’t have the time so i decided to listen to it this time! it’s excellent… it’s about the Holocaust, but the perspective of german people, not Jewish people or Nazis. it’s very good all together!

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Love this audio book!!

I was blown away by this one!! I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. The narration was exceptional. The end had me in tears. I highly recommend this book.

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Both Beautiful and Heartgutting

I will not tell you what this book is about. However, I will say, the listen is one I will keep with me forever. My heart hurts and I cried often, yet, these points of view need to be heard.

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