The Book Thief, anyone read it?

I read, "The Book Thief," by Marcus Zusak and it is technically young adult fiction, although it doesn't read that way. The theme of the story is for the older teen but more realistically, it appeals more to an adult because the reader has to be familiar with some historical facts to understand it I think.

The title caught my eye at the library and thought I'd preview it for my girls to see if they'd enjoy it and got sucked in after the first few pages (the metaphor for the colors of death grabbed my attention - and shortly after that I was certain my kids were not at all ready for this book yet).

The narrator of the story is Death and his thoughts about the human race. He also keeps a watchful eye on an 11-year-old German girl living in Nazi Germany during WW2 (the main character). It's definitely not a 'happy' book yet has it's moments of poignant humor and hope (the name-calling was a great touch with the characters. I now know how to call someone a pig's ass in German). And although it sounds a bit like a cliche, diary-type story of that era, it's not.

So although not a typical recommendation I'd make, the story sucked me in and it made me stop and think about life and what's important. I prefer escapist reading but I veered off that path and in to the life philosophy mode for about 500 pages when I read this book.

And Hollywood is jumping on the band wagon for every best-seller these days and this book is in production for a 2010 release.