Number the Stars vs The Book Thief: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Rescue, Jews, World War II, Historical Fiction, History, Fiction

Cover of Number the Stars

Number the Stars Lois Lowry · 1901 ★★★★☆ 4.2 149 pages · ≈ 2 h 46 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

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Cover of The Book Thief

The Book Thief Markus Zusak · 1998 ★★★★☆ 4.4 564 pages · ≈ 10 h 27 m · Light Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.2 vs 4.4 — either is a safe pick by score.
Number the Stars is the quicker read — about 2 hours vs 10 for The Book Thief.
The Book Thief is the easier read (Light), Number the Stars more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side