Watch the Interview NOW!
Watch Markus read from The Book Thief.
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![]() I Am the Messenger | ![]() The Book Thief |
Since Australian writer Markus Zusak burst on the American publishing scene about five years ago, he’s been a rising star.
Zusak’s YA novels feature gritty, big-hearted, blue-collar teens, and his stories appeal to both young women and (wonder of wonders) teenage guys. His novel I Am the Messenger (2005, Knopf) was the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year, and a YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) 2006 Printz Honor Book. Zusak’s latest page-turner, The Book Thief, published this spring by Knopf, may be his best yet. The story, set in Nazi Germany, charts the life of Liesel Meminger (who’s nine years old when the book begins). The narrator of the tale? None other than the Grim Reaper, death, who turns out to be a surprisingly sensitive soul. The Book Thief has been getting all sorts of rave reviews, including one from School Library Journal.
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Watch Markus read from The Book Thief.
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