The Book Thief

The Gist: It's World War II. A little girl is given up for adoption by her mother. Her adoptive parents have mixed feelings. The father loves and welcomes her with arms wide open, but the mother is very stern and even mean. Taught to read by her father, she starts stealing (and then returning) books to read them to a very sick Jew they are secretly harboring in the basement. Eventually, the horrors of the Nazi regime will encroach closer and closer to home.

Adapted from the novel of the same title, The Book Thief is a very well made movie about the suffering a little girl has to endure during the war years, and what events occur as a consequence of her actions.

Sophie Nélisse is a revelation as little Liesel, and Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson are compelling as always.

The Bottom Line: We watched this movie because our daughter had read the book and wanted to see the movie, so it's appropriate for the whole family. It's a very good film that teaches some important lessons and leaves you thinking about the horrors of war long after the end credits roll.

Grade: 8