BOOKS FEED THE SOUL

Markus Zusak, The Book Thief (New York: Knopf, 2006) (From the bookjacket: "Narrated by Death, Mark Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young foster girl living outside of Munich in Nazi Germany. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she discovers something she can't resist--books. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever they are to be found." "With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel 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." "Markus Zusak . . . has crafted an unforgettable novel about the ability of books to feed the soul.").