Two Good Books

The two best novels I've read in the past half-year have both been written for young adults. I highly recommend both of them to anyone looking for interesting fiction.


The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, has an unusual narrator: Death. But who better to tell a story set in Germany during the Holocaust? Liesel is sent to live with foster parents when her Communist parents are sent to the death camps. I loved the way this book gave a sense of ordinary life during World War II--not just the drama of hiding a Jew in the basement or surviving air raids (although both are in there)--but also the tedium of Hitler Youth meetings, or the delight that comes from sharing a story with a friend. Liesel's story is both funny and very, very sad.


The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, also has a compelling narrator: Arnold "Junior" Spirit, whose life changes drastically once he decides to go to an all-white high school near the Washington State reservation where he has grown up. Caught between two cultures, Junior tells his story with dark humor; he doesn't hold back in describing the reservation's shortcomings (rampant alcoholism in particular), but at the same time he acknowledges the important relationships he has formed there. Illustrations by Ellen Forney add to the story and, in places, give it the feel of a graphic novel.