A delightful movie of a tough time in Nazi Germany amidst war.

Rating: Null/10 (8 April 2014)

I found this movie on DVD at my public library. I purposely went into it not knowing much about it, I normally just like to see what unfolds. It is set mainly in 1938 to 1945 Nazi Germany as war breaks out and Nazis are looking to purge out the Communists and the Jews.
The movie is narrated by Roger Allam as "death", the Grim Reaper, and the movie starts with his voice-over. There is a family on a train, a mother and her two children, a daughter and a younger son. The son gets sick, bleeds from his nose, and dies. They are forced to bury him near the train line during their journey.
We find out where they are going, to Stuttgart, a childless family are set to adopt the children, because the mother is unable to keep them, presumably because she is considered a communist and must flee. But the new parents get only one, the girl, and thus only half of the "allowance" the government would give them. Times were tough, they needed the resources.
The title reference belongs to the little girl, wonderful young (about 11) Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger. It is her story, she yearns for knowledge and is particularly attracted to books. She is in virtually (maybe actually) in every scene, the success of this movie depends on her and she carries it well. She is not so much a "thief" as she is a "borrower". However right after a large book-burning in the street she picks up an unburned book and takes it home. When asked if it was hers she says "It wasn't always mine."
The movie probably also would have fallen flat if her adopted parents had not been great, and they are, played by Geoffrey Rush as the happy and generous Hans Hubermann, and Emily Watson as the gruff and frowning Rosa Hubermann. Also good was the blonde kid she became friends with, Nico Liersch as Rudy Steiner.
Very nice cinematography and sound engineering. In the approximate 1:45 into the movie, the bombing scenes were filled with explosions that rattled the pictures on the wall of my home theater room.
I have seen a number of movies set during Nazi Germany during that era and this is one of the best. It is the little girl's story and how she survived the war and prospered.