The+Book+Thief

// The Book Thief //, Markus Zusak, Alfred A. Knopf, 2007, 552 pages // The Book Thief // is set in 1939, during the height of Nazi Germany, in a small town called Molching, on Himmel Street. It is clear from the first chapter of the book that the narrator of the story is Death. Death introduces the reader to a young girl named Liesel Meminger, The Book Thief, welcoming us to listen as he tells us The Book Thief’s story. Her story begins tragically as her brother Werner, dies on their train trip to Molching while they are on their way to be given over to their new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermanns. In a fit of curiosity and mourning, Liesel steals her first book during the burial of her brother, //The Gravedigger’s Handbook// from the gravediggers digging her brother’s grave. Liesel is totally devastated by the death of her brother, and she is haunted by the memory of him every night as she dreams in her new home. Liesel is quick to develop a bond with her foster father Hans Hubermann, as he reads to her at night to help her settle her mind after her horrendous nightmares about her brother. Hans jumpstarts Liesel’s passion for reading, and he begins to teach Liesel how to read. Death also introduces us to Liesel’s best friend Rudy, the young, passionate boy with a golden heart. Death tells us of Liesel and Rudy’s many adventures together involving the Hitler Youth Group, stealing books from the Mayor’s library, and stealing from farmers. The Book Thief’s story takes a major turn when Max Vandenburg, a Jewish fist fighter, shows up on the Hubermann’s front step. The Hubermanns take Max in to their home, hiding him from the violence and hatred of Nazi Germany in their cold basement. Max becomes an inspiration to Liesel’s ever expanding interest in words; day in and day out Liesel comes home to show Max, with words, what the world looks like outside. The war starts to affect the small town of Molching: it destroys Rosa’s laundry business, brings constant threats of bombings, and finally it takes Rudy's father, Alex Steiner and Hans Hubermann away to fight for the Nazi cause. Liesel begins to write her story, the story of The Book Thief, in an attempt to cope with what is going on around her. Finally, Molching gets bombed, and the entire town is destroyed. Liesel is the only survivor. Death observes with extreme curiosity as Liesel frantically tries to bring her town back to life. Liesel drops her story, and Death picks it up in order to preserve evidence that human existence is worth it. Liesel is able to recover from the affects of the war, and lives out a full life with her family in Sydney. When Death goes to claim Liesel’s soul, he shows her the story she had written so long ago, and she is astounded. Death reminds us of the fragility of the human condition, and the power of words. The Book Thief is a very compelling and inspirational story. Not only is the story of The Book Thief gripping, but the perspective that death gives the reader makes the story even more three dimensional and engaging. Even though Death is quick to give the ending of the story away early on in the book, the sincerity of the characters involved in the story keep the reader invested in the story. The Book Thief is full of images, as the books, and stories that Max makes for Liesel are included in the book. These images are truly special because it makes Max’s situation more real. Death’s constant interruptions in the story, where he finds places to insert his own personal reflections also offer the reader an element of clarification and sometimes enlightenment. This book is very hard to put down. Zusak offers some of the most genuine characters I have ever experienced in a novel. Set with Nazi Germany as the backdrop, Zusak forces his characters to endure the hatred and evil society is able to produce, with notable grace and reverence. The Hubermanns foster society’s enemy, taking him in as if he was one of their own. The bond that Liesel and Max form really shows the capacity of human emotion, and demonstrates that there was some hope for the transcendence of hatred in Nazi Germany. Although Liesel is forced to deal with many young adolescent issues: Rudy’s crush, her changing body, and her natural curiosity about the world around her, she is also required to grow up quickly to stay in pace with the affects of the war going on around her. The war makes Liesel face some very mature issues, while she struggles to make it in the young adolescent world. Upper-middle school students (7th or 8th grade) would really enjoy this book. The concepts introduced in this story are a bit dark and complex at times, but they way in which Death narrates the story seems to make these concepts more accessible. A more sensitive student might have trouble reading this book, as it explores and describes a pretty intense spectrum of emotion, but I don’t think it is something that a middle school student could not tackle. Since there is such a variety of young adolescents in the book, I think that it is would be easy for the students to relate to the characters. A challenge might arise when students encounter the German phrases used in the book, but the foreign phrases are almost always translated for the reader by Death.
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