It is 1939. Nazi Germany

.

The country is holding its breath

.

Death has never been busier, and will become busier still

.

Liesel Meminger finds her life changed when she unearths a single object from the snow. It is

The Grave Digger’s Handbook

, left there by accident at her brother’s funeral, and it is her first act of book thievery.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jewish man in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up and closed down.

In superbly crafted prose that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.