It has been 1939. Nazi Germany. The nation is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and it will continue to be so. Liesel's life changes at her brother's grave as she picks up a solitary thing partially concealed in the snow. It's The Gravedigger's Handbook, accidentally placed there, and it's her first act of book stealing. So starts Liesel's love affair with books and words, as she learns to read with the assistance of her accordion-playing foster father. Soon, she's taking volumes from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, and everywhere else there are books. However, these are perilous times. Liesel's world is opened up and locked down as her foster family hides a Jew in their basement.

This is a one-of-a-kind book for me. It differs from the other books I've read. It's narrated from the perspective of death, and death tells the narrative in an unreliable manner, making the characters fascinating. There was never a dull time in this book; it was a page-turner. This novel had me in tears at school at 6 a.m and obviously,  I didn't want the book to come to an end.

The characters were the greatest part for me. Every one of them was well-developed and relevant to the story. There were no additional characters that appeared for one scene and then never appeared again. I believe Markus Zusak planned the book excellently. Rosa or Rudy are my favorites, although Liesel is a strong second. I adore the mystery factor, as well as the historical one. It's only been five hours, yet I'm already missing these characters.