Review of: The Book Thief by Markus ZusakIt sometimes seems as if the young adult literature market is written to readers, almost in a condescending way. This is why a book like The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is so refreshing in this sea of ​​cookie-cutter romances and fantasies. Although classified as a young adult novel, it addresses very serious themes. The cover of the book is printed with this label: “The year is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country holds its breath. Death has never been busier and will be even busier. It is a dark allusion to what is to come. But Zusak makes this story more accessible to the audience he is writing for by creating relatable characters, introducing humor into this dark subject, and using a unique narrative to keep the reader captivated. Zusak, in this book, creates a very identifiable and unique protagonist atmosphere, then surrounds it with equally unique and endearing characters. The protagonist is Liesel Meminger, who was only nine years old when she was taken to live with the Hubermanns, a foster family, in Molching, Germany, in the late 1930s. She arrived with few possessions, but among them is The Grave Diggers' Handbook, a book she stole from her brother's grave site. During the years that Liesel lives with the Hubermanns, Hitler becomes more powerful and life on their small street becomes scarier, and Liesel becomes a real book thief. She saves books from Nazi book burnings and steals from the mayor's library. She steals, not because she is a kleptomaniac, but she steals books that mark important moments in her life. “The fact is that the subject of the book didn't really matter. It was what it meant that was most important... middle of paper... and intonations, with each passing moment. A single hour can be made up of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, blues spat out by the clouds. Troubled darkness. In my job, I make it a point to notice them. Along with his stream-of-consciousness style, Zusak has his narrator divide the book into quick, choppy chapters, rarely exceeding five pages. Death also adds his own personal thoughts as interjections into the action of the story. Sometimes it's small facts about himself, other times it's deeper insight into the action, and sometimes it's clarification. Death truly is the perfect narrator for this story. The Book Thief stands out in its genre as an intelligent, entertaining, if sometimes dark, novel aimed at young adults. It is a book that, thanks to its characters, dark humor and innovative storytelling, can captivate virtually any audience..