Book Review:

 

 

Bibliography:

Markus, Z. (2016). The book thief. Random House UK .

ISBN 9781909531611

 

Plot Summary:

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier and will be busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened, and closed down.

 

Critical Analysis:

In this book, the story is told mostly from the non-human perspective of Death, who also considers the child's perspective of the main protagonist, Liesel. Zusak's depiction of Death is quite a likable character. He isn’t a black-hooded figure with a scythe, he is terse, sarcastic, and ironic at the expense of humans as he attempts to mock them to save his own sanity. Although Death is not immune to emotion, and every once in a long while a special person will break through Death's defenses and turns his attention to them until he escorts their souls from earth. One special person is a little German girl named Liesel Meminger. Death finds her to be a special human child since she broke through his emotional barriers and inspired him to want to tell her story. So, it is fitting that much of the book is turned over to the perspective of a child's wisdom. The constant stopping and starting of the story in the beginning is a little unsettling, but it also matches how unsettled and fragmented Liesel is. As the story progresses and focuses, the narrative style settles and intensifies, too. Zusak’s writing is lyrical, haunting, poetic, and profound. He uses words to elicit emotion and a paint a vivid visual landscape. This book is about the power of words and language, so it is fitting that it is written in this style. The story covers many important themes, death in all its forms, dead brothers, dead sons and dead letters, as well as the struggle for survival, survivors' guilt, secrets and lies, and sanity and madness.  

Review Excerpts:

"Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak's poignant tribute to words, survival, and their curiously inevitable entwinement is a tour de force to be not just read but inhabited."
- The Horn Book Magazine, Starred Review

"Elegant, philosophical and moving...Beautiful and important."
- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Michael L. Prinz Honor Book

School Library Journal Best Children's Book of the Year

Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year

 

Connections:

-Pair a section of the text from The Book Thief with text from an article in The New York Times, Auschwitz Shifts from Memorializing to Teaching.  Text to Text | 'The Book Thief' and 'Auschwitz Shifts From Memorializing to Teaching' - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Follow up with whole group discussion questions.

-Discuss the Nazi Book Burning with students and watch YouTube video showing different points of view. (19) Nazi Book Burning - YouTube

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