“I am haunted by humans.” (Zusak 550). Narrated by Death, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is a novel about an orphan, named Liesel Meminger, who goes to live with the Hubermanns on Himmel (Heaven) Street. While there, he loots books from libraries and burns them during the horrors of World War II. Liesel Meminger's desire to read helps her deal with incidents around her and gain insight into the power of words while her insecurity helps her create connections with beneficial people. In addition to stealing and reading words, Liesel Meminger made constant connections with people. Being moved from place to place and relying on people who ended up leaving her meant that Liesel was unable to trust anyone as quickly as others. Her insecurity drove away many other people, except those who truly loved her. When she first arrives on Himmelstrasse, she refuses to get out of the car and go into the house until Hans Hubermann arrives with his cigarette and convinces her to go out. From then on she always trusted Hans Hubermann and knew that he would always be there for her, unlike the other people in her life. When she blocked Rudy's kick in the soccer, he hit her with a snowball and since then he always followed Liesel and made sure she was okay. He never gave up on her even when she was irritated and eventually they became best friends and partners in crime. Eventually Rosa Hubermann, Liesel's adoptive mother, hit her with a wooden spoon and cursed at her, but she knew she loved her. Rosa never stopped, which made Liesel realize that she could trust her adoptive mother. Although her insecurity has driven many people away, she has attracted people who have the patience to help her. They never intentionally left her like other people before her and her books. Liesel, the mayor, and the mayor's wife were the only ones left alive in the community. The most important message is that words have an impact on us because that is the theme of this story. This is what the author wants to convey to readers: to have an influence on people to do good and bad things. In Word Shaker, Max wrote about Liesel and how Hitler understood that words have an effect on people. He also wrote that the people at the top are the ones who fully understand the words. He benefited from the friends he had. Liesel learns to read from Hans Hubermann and to steal what she loves with Rudy. When Liesel Meminger concludes her story, she says, "I hated those words and I loved them, and I hope I got them right." (Zusak 528)Works CitedZusak, Markus. Book thief. United States of America: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.