Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

“First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try.”

  • “The surreal experience with the roomful of books and the stunned, broken woman walked alongside her. She could see it on the buildings, like a play.”

    — Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

  • “Mama hurried to the window, ripped away the flag, and opened up. She, Trudy, and Liesel all crowded together, watching a father catch up to his son and grab hold of him, begging him to stop. They could hear nothing, but the manner in which Hans Junior shrugged loose was loud enough. The sight of Papa watching him walk away roared at them from up the street.”

    — Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

  • “That was when a great shiver arrived. It waltzed through the window with the draught. Perhaps it was the breeze of the Third Reich, gathering even greater strength.”

    — Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

  • “Please, trust me. I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that’s only the A’s. Just don’t ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me.”

    — Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

“The squeaking of her shoes on the wooden floorboards made her cringe, and when she hit a sore spot, inducing the wood to groan, she almost stopped.”

— Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

“HERE IS A SMALL FACT You are going to die.”

“Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out.”

— Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

“Oh, how the clouds stumbled in and assembled stupidly in the sky. Great obese clouds. Dark and plump. Bumping into each other. Apologizing. Moving on and finding room.”

— Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

““I don’t believe this,” the sister muttered. “It can’t be,” because sure enough, when Liesel stepped forward and presented her hands, Ludwig Schmeikl was all over them, rusting by the moment.””

— Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Ellen Hopkins, Crank

“Life is full of choices. We don’t always make good ones.”

“He overlooked me like sky above a patch of dirt, and I realized he, too, searched for a face suspended in yesterday.”

— Ellen Hopkins, Crank

“You relax. You pretend to have fun. You share a toast with me: here’s to seasonal madness, part-time relatives and substitutes for love.”

— Ellen Hopkins, Crank

  • “Then she caught sight of something not quite right, something not quite familiar. She hesitated, unsure that I was me. Her smile dissolved, ghostlike. But then she waved, and my family flooded me.”

    — Ellen Hopkins, Crank

  • “Life was good before I met the monster. After, life was great. At least for a little while.”

    — Ellen Hopkins, Crank

  • “It had a been a tempestuous week, snared by emotions rubbing me so raw I hurt at night, alone in the dark.”

    — Ellen Hopkins, Crank

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2024