"Wow," Marius says, awed by what she says to him and the sound of her voice as she does so. "That must be an especially lovely book."

Painting over a book must have taken time, effort, and patience. And love, he thinks. A lot of love. He can tell, from what Liesel has said, that this must be one of her most precious treasures; the person who made it for her obviously cares about and loves her quite a lot.

"Perhaps the one who painted it might find his way to the city as well," Marius adds, smiling.