The Book Thief vs The Summer of My German Soldier: Which Should You Read?

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

Cover of The Book Thief

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

vs

Cover of The Summer of My German Soldier

The Summer of My German Soldier Bette Greene · 1973 ★★★★☆ 3.8 240 pages · ≈ 4 h 27 m · Light Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate The Book Thief higher: 4.4 vs 3.8 from 2969332 votes.
The Summer of My German Soldier is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 10 for The Book Thief.

Side by side