Books On Film | Teen in '14 (The Maze Runner/The Book Thief)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner is the first book in a trilogy. A boy named Thomas wakes up in 'The Glade' surrounded by a giant maze with no memory of his past. Thomas, and the other fifty other boys, work to survive and protect themselves from the monsters that roam within it.

The movie adaptation is schedule to be released in September. It stars Dylan O'Brien (Teen Wolf) and Kaya Scodelario (Skins).

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is narrated by Death who tells the tale of a young foster child, her family, neighborhood, and the Jewish man hidden in her home in Nazy Germany during World War II.

The movie adaptation is schedule to be released in November. It stars Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson.

Covers courtesy of LibraryThing.

Book Bucket List | The Book Thief

I first heard about this book from a friend who just finished reading it with her book club.  She raved about the plot, the writing style, and the characters and how she was so, so glad she had picked it up after she had initially decided against reading it. (It is set in during the Holocaust.)   What really caught my attention though, is when she told me that the book is narrated by Death.  So I was excited to see that our system carries The Book Thief by Australian author Markus Zusak.

The Book Thief is about nine year old Liesel Meminger who is forced to stay with foster parents during the Holocaust due to her parent's communist sympathies.  Liesel's foster parents start hiding a young Jewish boxer from the Nazis, which becomes harder and harder to do in the worsening political climate.  However, Liesel develops the habit of stealing books, a habit that starts effecting the lives of everyone around her.  

So this whole story is narrated by Death.  Death is not, at least in this form, a dreary and terrifying thing.  Instead,  Death is reluctant and tired of his job and even at times sarcastic about his lot in life.  Having Death as the narrator throughout the book makes it an interesting read, and if you're looking for a good book that reads a little differently, I would definitely check this one out.