The
Book Thief
Written by Mark Zusak
Published in 2005 by Alfred A. Knopf
Grades 7 & up
ISBN: 978-0-375-84220-7
Book
Review
The
Book Thief is set in the late 1930’s in Nazi Germany. The
story is narrated by Death and follows the life of Liesel Meminger. She is a
foster child living with her foster mother and father who are scraping to get
by on Himmel Street. Liesel’s father, Hans, discovers that Liesel cannot read
so he begins teaching her at night by candlelight. Soon Liesel becomes enamored
with books and must have more in any way she can. She begins stealing books at
every opportunity. Sometimes her stealing escapades include her good friend,
Rudy. Meanwhile, her family harbors a Jewish man, Max, in their basement. As
the Nazi Party closes in, the family’s situation becomes even more precarious
but Liesel does not shy away from the Jewish man. Instead, she befriends him
and together they share their love of the written word. Soon Max must be sent
away as the Gestapo begins home searches. Then the air raids begin and Liesel’s
life is changed forever.
The
Book Thief is a story of love, suffering, conflict, and
hope. The story is told from a unique perspective which makes it interesting
and different. The characters are well-developed and likeable. Zusak’s unique,
sometimes complex, writing style is best suited for strong readers or upper
secondary level readers.
Professional
Reviews
Awards
National Jewish Book
Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, 2006
Michael
L. Printz Honor Book, 2007
Book Sense Book of
the Year Award for Children's Literature, 2007
Teaching
Ideas
1. Grade 10
Using
the Source: Student pairs will identify primary and secondary sources related
to World War II during a gallery walk. Then, students will select a primary and
a secondary source to analyze. Students will create discussion questions about
their sources. Next, the student pairs will find another pair of students and
they will take turns asking and discussing the student-created questions.
SOL WHII.12
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the worldwide impact of World War II
by b)examining the Holocaust and other examples of genocide in the twentieth
century.
2. Grade 10
How
Do They Compare?: Using Venn Diagrams, students will compare excerpts of The Book Thief with newspaper articles
about the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. Students will analyze the differences and
similarities depicted in the book as compared to actual accounts of events that
happened during World War II.
English SOL 10.4
The student will read, comprehend, and analyze literary texts of different
cultures and eras.
English SOL 10.5
The student will read, interpret, analyze, and evaluate nonfiction texts. d) Compare
and contrast informational texts.
3. Grade 9
Let’s
Talk About Style: Mark Zusak uses literary devices such as foreshadowing and
symbolism in his book, The Book Thief. Students
will be divided into groups and each group will be given a portion of the book
to analyze. Students will work together to find evidence of foreshadowing and
symbolism and record them. Then, students will discuss how the use of these
literary devices affects the plot, the characters, and the way the book is
read.
English SOL 9.4
The student will read, comprehend, and analyze a variety of literary texts
including narratives, narrative nonfiction, poetry, and drama. h) Explain the
relationship between the author’s style and literary effect.
4. Grade 10
Who
Knows Who?: Character relationships play a large role in Zusak’s book. Before
reading the book, students will establish a partnership. While reading the book
the pair will assume the roles of one character each and will write a journal
entries back and forth discussing their thoughts, feelings, and emotions as the
events in the book unfold.
English SOL 10.1
The student will participate in, collaborate in, and report on small-group
learning activities. f) Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new
understandings, make decisions, and solve problems.
English SOL 10.4
The student will read, comprehend, and analyze literary texts of different
cultures and eras.
5. Grade 10
Spot
the Difference: Students will choose another work of historical fiction. They
will compare The Book Thief with
their chosen book in terms of time period, plot, characters, themes, imagery,
and literary devices. Students will create a project showcasing the results of
the comparison.
English SOL10.4
The student will read, comprehend, and analyze literary texts of different
cultures and eras. i) Compare and contrast literature from different cultures
and eras. k) Compare and contrast how rhyme, rhythm, sound, imagery, style,
form, and other literary devices convey a message and elicit a reader’s
emotions.
Further
Explorations
In the book Liesel witnesses the Nazis burning
books. This is an interesting
video on Nazi book burning published by the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum.
The United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum is located in Washington, D.C. The website
includes information, timelines, maps, and other resources about the Holocaust.
Students could even plan a real (or imaginary) trip to the Memorial.
Check out this fascinating
article on ways people survived the Holocaust during World War II.
Explore the history of World War II.
In addition to an article you can find more links, videos, and photographs. There
are short, informative videos great for teens.
This World War II
interactive map shows battles and major events that affected both sides of
the war front.
Read this
blog about World War II created by a World War II historian and historical
fiction writer. Be sure to look at the past blog posts for more information.
Listen to the Top
10 Second World War podcasts. Find out more about D-Day, China’s
contribution to the War, and the aftermath of the conflict.
View this video on Blitzkrieg
during World War II.
Partner
Titles
The partner titles focus on the events of World
War II and the Holocaust.
I
Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust by
Livia Bitton-Jackson is a poignant memoir about her life in a Jewish ghetto and
eventually the concentration camp, Auschwitz. This book is written a lower
reading level so it would be a good resource for struggling or reluctant
readers. Like The Book Thief, it
provides another perspective of a child’s experiences during World War II which
will entice young readers. Publisher’s Weekly
says this book is an “exceptional story, exceptionally well told.” Available as
an audiobook or Ebook.
The
Fitzosbornes at War by Michelle Cooper is a historical fiction
novel that describes the life of teens that have been forced out of their homes
by the Nazi Party. This book was chosen because it describes how the war
affected the lives of young adults. However, this book would be a good resource
to use for comparison because the characters come from a wealthy, royal
background rather than the poor, desolate one seen in The Book Thief. Kirkus
Reviews deemed this book as one of the “Best of 2012.” Available as an
audiobook or Ebook.
Unbroken
by Laura Hillenbrand will appeal to male teen readers which is one of the reasons it has been chosen as a partner title. It is a true survival
story about a one time Olympian turned airman. This novel, based on a true
story, offers a glimpse into a different aspect of World War II. Kirkus
Reviews recommends this book for younger, lower level readers due to Hillenbrand’s
simple, concise writing. This book has
now been made into a major motion picture. Available as an audiobook or Ebook.
World
War II: A Complete Photographic History by Hal Buell depicts the
events of the war through over 2,500 photographs. This is a great resource to
study primary sources. Due to the plethora of photographs, it is also well
suited to reluctant or struggling readers or visual learners. Hal Buell, the editor, is a world renowned
photojournalist and as such is an authoritative source.
The movie, Schindler’s
List, was chosen because it depicts the reality and horror of the events
during World War II and the Holocaust. It offers a more visual glimpse into the
desperate situation thousands faced at the hands of Nazi Germany. Due to the mature nature of this film it is recommended
for upper level students only (age 16+). This movie was chosen because the film is based on a true story and the film accurately depicts life during that time. Further, this resource would be good for struggling readers that have a difficult time with more complex textual information about World War II.
References
Blitzkrieg.
(2009). The History Channel. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg
Bitton-Jackson,
L. (1997). I have lived a thousand years:
Growing up in the
Holocaust. New York, NY:
Simon Pulse.
Boyle,
A. (2014). 10 amazing ways people survived the Holocaust. Retrieved from
Buell,
H. (2006). World War II: A complete
photographic history. New York, NY: Black Dog &
Leventhal
Publishers.
Cooper,
M. (2012). The Fitzosbornes at war. New
York, NY: Knopf.
Gross,
S. and Schulten, K. (2013). Text to text: The book thief and Auschwitz shifts
from
memorializing to teaching. Retrieved from
Inside
WWII. (2015). The History Channel website. Retrieved July 28, 2015, from http://www.history.com/interactives/inside-wwii-interactive
Hillenbrand,
L. (2014). Unbroken. New York, NY:
Delacorte.
Lustig,
B., Molen, G. (Producers), & Spielberg, S. (Producer/Director). (1993). Schindler’s list [Motion
picture]. United States of America: Universal Studios.
Kirkus
Review. (2012). Review of the book The
Fitzosbornes at war, by Michelle Cooper. Retrieved
Kirkus
Review. (2014). Review of the book Unbroken,
by Laura Hillenbrand. Retrieved from
Marsh,
M. (2015). The best of World War II: Thoughts and reviews on this global
conflict [Weblog].
Retrieved from http://bestofww2.blogspot.com/
McFarnon,
E. (2014). Top 10 second world war podcasts. Retrieved from
Publisher’s
Weekly. (1997). Review of the book I have
lived a thousand years: Growing up in the
Holocaust, by Livia Bitton-Jackson
. Retrieved from
United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ushmm.org/
United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum. (2013). Nazi book burning [YouTube video]. Retrieved
World
War II. (2015). The History Channel website. Retrieved from
Zusak, M. (2005). The book thief. New York, NY: Alfred A.
Knopf.
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