"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

I recently finished one of the most memorable and well written books I have ever read, and it was written for teens!

 I saw this book on one of the end caps of a Barnes and Noble shelves.  The label for all of the books on this end cap was "For Teens" and contained mostly books about vampires.  Then my eyes landed on this book at the bottom.  The tagline at the tops says "...It's the kind of book that can be LIFE CHANGING."  The New York Times has never been more accurate.  I finished this book and felt simultaneously fulfilled and empty.  The story: poignant; the writing: impeccable.  

The book follows the story of Liesel, a little orphan in Nazi Germany during World War II who is taken in by a husband and wife whose characteristics and personalities are portrayed so vividly it is as if these people could be in your family.  The little girl's life parallels with actual events in Germany that rip through her life and the lives of people around her including a precocious school friend, a reserved Mayor's wife and a Jew Liesel's caretakers take into hiding. 

The most amazing part of the book is not the intricate details, the beautiful descriptions or the addition of the most round characters I've ever had the pleasure of being introduced to, but rather that the entire story is narrated by....Death.  That's right, Death, in a personified form, narrates the story.  I don't think I can convey how beautiful and powerful this was.  In between telling the story of this poor little girl, he lets a bit of himself be accessible to the reader, revealing painful memories, witty recollections and somber perspectives of war and the human race.

This book was written for teens but anyone who enjoys literature would be smart to read a story that, as of right now, has been on the New York Time's Bestseller List for 230 consecutive weeks.