Module 10: The Book Thief

Bibliography
Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief.
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Summary
Liesel, a nine-year-old girl living in the 1940's, witnesses her brother's death and then is left by her mother to live with a Jewish couple during Hitler's reign.  Hans and Rosa grow to love Liesel and she them, but their happiness together is short lived as they try to survive the hardships and trials of their plight.  Along the way Liesel finds friendship and some normalcy.  She wants to learn to read and Hans finds a way by using old paint from his jobs.  Liesel begins to steal books along the way, sometimes risking her very life.  Hans and Rosa allow a Jew to live in their basement, hoping the end of their terror is near, but Death, which is the narrator of The book thief has a way of catching up with nearly everyone Liesel meets.  Liesel survives and eventually has a family of her own, but those most dear to her do not.
My Impression
My impression of The book thief is that it impressed me.  This book touched my heart in the way The diary of Anne Frank did when I first read it years ago.  I listened, rather than read The book thief and possibly this was why the story had such a profound effect on me.  Zusak's portrayal of the characters were for tender and raw, especially the children, and I found them authentic.
Review
Library Media Connection
"Death hates to admit it, but there are some human stories that distract him, haunt him, and the book thief's story is one of these. Nine-year-old Liesel arrives at the Himmel (Heaven) Street home of foster parents Hans and Rosa in Germany. It is 1939 and Liesel has already stolen her first book. The irony is Liesel cannot read. Haunted by nightmares, it is her gentle foster father, hardly literate himself, who interrupts his own sleep and teaches Liesel to read as she wakes each night. Liesel begins to settle in with the neighborhood, but war and the Fuehrer start to change things. Hans' political beliefs cause him to lose work and the economy causes Rosa to lose customers. Soon they are hiding a young Jewish man in their basement. While Liesel faces the completely ordinary challenges of growing up, extraordinary things are happening in her world that she must learn to deal with and act on based on her own beliefs. The narrative jumps and detours through linear time into foreshadowing and related tangents so that the entire story arc and how it fits together is not completely revealed until the end of the story in 1943. Part Holocaust tale, part coming-of-age story, and part the book thief's story, this title will have readers thinking and talking. Highly Recommended."
Use in Library
The book thief would be a good read for students studying history, specifically the reign of Hitler.  The book could be read orally in the library to classes and then possibly the movie version shown.  Great discussion starters in The book thief regarding war and how one race was treated and the possibility of this happening again in our lifetime. Also, discussion would make a good journal prompt about feelings about Liesel's survival.  Finally, The book thief could be compared to other historical fiction books written about this time, including The diary of Anne Frank.
Review. (2006, March 1). [Review of the book The book thief by Marcus Zusak]. Library Media Connection. Available from: 00&ei=S7WQT92wIemw2wXTq8zzBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=852&vpy=204&dur=8025&hovh=279&hovw=181&tx=89&ty=153&sig=105352971646151683921&page=4&tbnh=166&tbnw=108&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:85,i:13&biw=1525&bih=714
Image from: http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1034&bih=595&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=G_bBGs2Bi8udpM:&imgrefurl=https://www.msj.edu/view/about-the-mount/mount-info/outreach-2/author-series.aspx&docid=SFkRP_8nC12sHM&imgurl=https://www.msj.edu/CMSFiles/image/BookThief.jpg&w=363&h=565&ei=s8OmT77FPMmr2AW4nsymAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=341&vpy=4&dur=3216&hovh=280&hovw=180&tx=83&ty=96&sig=115865965754767268567&page=1&tbnh=132&tbnw=86&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0,i:94