The Book Thief
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 14+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
A beautiful, grieving novel about ordinary people who choose mercy under evil. The Hubermanns risk everything to shelter a Jewish man, and Rosa and Liesel pray. The reservations are real: Death narrates without naming God or heaven, a neighbor hangs himself, and God's name is misused often. For teens with a parent close by, it can teach courage and love.
For parents
Read aloud from 13 with a parent. A teen can read it alone from 14, the Common Sense Media age. Expect grief, a suicide and harsh words. Ask what made Hans and Rosa brave. Ask where the souls Death carries really go, and answer with the hope of the resurrection.