Annotation: "Even death has a heart." Nazi Germany. Death tries to remain detached from the carnage and wrecked lives he sees each day, yet he is undeniably drawn to the book thief. He has seen her three times.
Justification for Nomination: The term that comes to my mind to describe this story is "heartbreakingly beautiful." The first thing that jumps off the page when reading The Book Thief is the stellar quality of the writing. The skillful use of figurative language paints a colorful and vivid portrait of Nazi Germany as seen through the eyes of a young girl. Narrated by an unlikely source, Death, his encounters with the book thief give him hope in the face of unbelievable despair.
Most YA readers will have some familiarity with Hitler and WWII. What is less known is the people of Germany and why the Holocaust was allowed to happen. Were the citizens all loyal subjects of their evil dictator? Understanding what they were up against may prod the reader to ask some difficult questions about their own moral identity: Who am I? Would I have had the courage to do what was right - or would I have succumbed to fear and desperation? Even worse - would I have believed the lies being fed to me by my own corrupt government?
There is enormous power in words. Words can be beautiful, used to educate, heal and nourish. Words can be ugly, used to deceive, harm and incite. Paradoxically, like humanity itself, words can be both beautiful and ugly at the same time. Hitler used words to instill hatred and fear in his people. He destroyed words in book burnings and in the suppression of dissident voices. His words murdered millions. Yet words also saved Liesel. What Hitler took away, she countered by stealing some of those words back. Learning to read and write those words brought comfort to her family, friends and neighbors. Liesel knew the dual nature of words, but she used what power she had left: "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."
Parents and educators these days can be heard to tell young children to use their words rather than their fists. Yet, as this compelling book demonstrates, words can be just as dangerous.
Genre Category: Multicultural; Historical Fiction; Printz Award Winner
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