“Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like rain.”

To say I loved the book tells you very little. I imagine instead the “creative brief” the writer is tasked with. Boy Wizard defeats evil sorcerer – you could do alot with that. Sparkly emo vampire squanders immortality by going to high school forever – falls for vapid, unremarkable girl who placidly looks past his mumbled death threats. The question is less could you, and more why would you?

A young German girl’s brother dies as their communist branded mother takes them to their new foster home. Introduce a Jewish man who escapes the Holocaust in the heart of Nazi Germany during the the Second World War. Have Death narrate the story. We want to keep the finished work in the teen section of the bookstore next to the Twilight series so keep it light.

Pure storytelling populated with characters you will come to love. Markus Zusak is rightfully lauded for his work here painting real characters. The squat, cardboard faced Rosa. Lemon haired and defiant Rudy who paints himself black in homage to Jesse Owens, Liesel the book thief and so many more.