The Book Thief Movie: 4 Reasons Why You Should Be Excited

4. The Plot

The Book Thief's story begins in 1939 with Liesel's first encounter with death and her first stolen book. Liesel's younger brother dies as the two are travelling on a train to a new life in the fictional town of Molching. At her brother's funeral Liesel steals her first book, The Grave Digger's Handbook. Liesel begins living in Molching with her new foster-parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Despite missing her family, Liesel quickly warms to Hans, who teaches her to read and gradually she settles down into her new life. Liesel's life changes again, however, when the Hubermanns take in Max Vandenburg, a young Jewish man whose father was a friend of Hans. Max goes into hiding in the Hubermanns' basement and Liesel and Max form a friendship, united by their mutual love of books. The novel follows the characters through the remainder of the war and remains engrossing and thought-provoking throughout. Thanks to Zusak's skills as a storyteller, The Book Thief manages the far-from-easy feat of being hopeful, thought-provoking and uplifting, even whilst discussing one of the darkest periods of human history. Early reviews for Brian Percival's movie promise it is equally as captivating as the novel which inspired it. The absorbing plot of The Book Thief and its universal themes of hope and humanity make it perfectly suited for the cinema treatment.