THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. Knopf
Books: 2007. 

Set in Nazi Germany in 1939 - 1943, and Death has never been busier.  Death tells the story of a nine year old girl, Liesel Meminger, as she tries to make meaning of her life.  Liesel finds that she cannot resists books, even though she cannot yet read.  Liesel is fostered by an accordion playing father and foul mouth mother.  With the help of her foster father, Liesel learns to read, and finds herself stealing books after bomb raids in her city.  She helps her neighbors by sharing the books with them while in bomb shelters during raids, and helps the Jewish man hidden in her basement write his own stories.  She makes close friends through her adventures, including Rudy and the mayor's wife.

The book, a historical fiction, is superbly written and, interestingly, narrated by Death.  The author does a wonderful job of creating the setting of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.  While the book will make you cry (I cried often through the book), it is full of true history and allows the reader to see the Holocaust, with all of its cruelty, through a German young girl. The characters are all very strong characters, and we see many emotions throughout the book, including love and grief.  The foster mother is not a likable character to begin with, however, throughout the book, the reader begins to see more emotion from her and begins to fall in love with her.

While this book is definitely not a fast read, I highly recommend it for ages 12 and up.  Have your tissues handy!

Awards for The Book Thief

2007 - Michael L. Printz Honor Book

2007 - ALA Best Book for Young Adults

2006 - Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book

2006 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Classroom Connections:

It would be a good idea to review WWII with your students and see what their prior knowledge of the Nazi party is before beginning this book.  

Due to the length of this book, teachers will want students to create a plot diagram to keep up with their comprehension. 

Compare and contrast the message and tone of the book to John Donne's poem, "Death Be Not Proud".  Donne's poem is found here.

After reading the first chapter, discuss the personification of Death.  Discuss questions: How does the author personify Death?  Does Death like his job? 

Throughout the story, Death describes the color of the sky as it changes.  Have a class discussion over what the different colors signify.