The novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a great book about WWII. It is told from the point of view of Death and focuses on a 12-year-old girl and her foster parents and her friend Rudy. It features a Jewish fist fighter, a Gravedigger's Handbook, empowering female characters and has marvelous imagery throughout to keep you absorbed in the story. This is a story about the true power of words! — Sarah I've read a lot of WWII-era novels but The Book Thief by Makus Zuzak is truly special. It is narrated by Death, who isn't at all evil ... just a "guy" with a job kept quite busy in 1940s Germany. The protagonist is a young girl sent to live with foster parents. The book celebrates acts of bravery — from big ones like sheltering a Jewish man in hiding to smaller acts like handing food to the starving or refusing to fall in line with Hitler Youth. It's a beautiful tale celebrating the important acts of everyday people. It's classified as Young Adult, but has great value for adult readers as well. — Cheryl, who blogs about books at Confessions Of A Rambling Mind We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates is classic JCO: the writing is her style to a T and the topic, a dramatic family saga, is what she pulls off best. The book takes place in the late '70s and centers on a violent rape and its effects on a female and her family. Sometimes the book is a little bit slow (lots of detail and backstory), but it's worth a read for the 1970s-era imagery, the peek inside a seemingly perfect family and JCO's beautiful writing. You won't finish the book without crying. — Jessica
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