Changes

After the initial struggle to get past the first few pages and into the narrative, I really enjoyed ''The Book Thief''. Its pace and tension accelerates steadily throughout and I read the last third of the book with real anticipatory trepidation. I enjoy word playwordplay, even if it is overdone and self-conscious, and I can see how the book has found its mark with so many adolescents. Pleasingly, it also speaks of the redeeming power of books and the value of an independence of thought and blurs the boundaries between good and evil - an important thing for any adolescent to come to terms with. However, it is stylistically over-egged and this probably refines its appeal to the bookish amongst us. Some - especially reluctant readers - may simply find ''The Book Thief'' pretentious. For even the most confident of under elevens, aside from the potentially troublesome subject matter and the swearing and smoking, the style is probably too dense.