The Book Thief. This item is unavailable.The Book Thief

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.

Markus Zusak is the international bestselling author of six novels, including The Messenger, Bridge of Clay and The Book Thief – one of the most loved books of the twenty-first century and a New York Times bestseller for more than a decade. His work is translated into more than fifty languages, and has been awarded numerous honours around the world. His books have also been adapted into film, television and theatre. He was born in Sydney, and still lives there with his wife, two children, and the last dog standing in a once thriving household of animals. Three Wild Dogs and the truth is his first book of non-fiction.

NIDA graduate Dennis Olsen has performed roles in every major theatre company throughout Australia in productions as diverse as The Crucible, Private Lives, Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Three Sisters, Kafka Dances, Oedipus Rex, Hamlet and Cabaret. His many roles include Giacomo Puccini in Puccini Spectacular, Salieri in Amadeus, a national tour of Heroes and Candide. He has starred in productions of HMS Pinafore, Iolanthe, The Mikado and The Gondoliers. His directing credits include HMS Pinafore, The Abduction from the Seraglio and Countess Maritza. In 1987 he was awarded the AM for services to the performing arts.