Wendy read and liked Julie's review of The Book Thief:

"This book succeeds in spite of itself. Perhaps because I heard such a glowing review of it before reading it, my expectations were too high; I was disappointed. Liesel is a wonderful character. I wish that the story had been told from her point of...more This book succeeds in spite of itself. Perhaps because I heard such a glowing review of it before reading it, my expectations were too high; I was disappointed. Liesel is a wonderful character. I wish that the story had been told from her point of view, or shifting points of view from some of the other strong characters -- Max, Hans, Rudy, even Rosa or Ilsa. But Death -- he has to go! What an insipid, over-written character. I almost choked on his last line, which, I suppose, is supposed to be profound and moving, but just left me shaking my head. Why? Why? Why must he (Death) (over)state the obvious again and again. Zusak, I know you're going for a young adult audience, but give them some credit. Also, think seriously about getting a new editor. This book would've been much more powerful about 200 pages shorter. All in all, I would not recommend this book, unless a student or teacher was interested in reading it in conjunction with another Nazi Germany narrative such as A. Frank's Diary. It'd be interesting to think about how Zusak's story does or doesn't give readers a glimpse into "ordinary" Germans' minds and experiences.(less) "