The Book Thief

Zusak, M. (2006). The Book Thief. New York, NY: Random House.

Brief Annotation: Liesel Meminger would not appear to be a thief, but in fact she is. In Germany during World War II Liesel finds herself to becoming a book thief. The story begins with Liesel losing her brother and being sent to live with a new family, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Rosa and Liesel do not always get along, but she becomes very close with Hans. He teachers her to read in the middle of the night when she cannot sleep. The story continues to bring you through Leisel’s ups and downs throughout the war and with dealing with the loss of her brother and mother, and trying to understand life in such a dark and difficult time. Narrated by death, the twists and turns of this book leave the reader captivated and moved.

Genre: Historical Fiction- Novel

Grade Level: Grades 8-Adult

Readers who will like this: This is a very mature book with intriguing dialogue and dark subject matter. An absolutely brilliant novel- anyone who is looking for a good new book to read would love The Book Thief. As a teacher, I am not sure I could read it out loud, but if I taught high school, this would be on the reading list for sure!

Response/Rating (1-4): 4, I think I have found one of my new all time favorite books. I could NOT put it down. It is a very large book- (I had to read it in three days..stayed up VERY late) but reads quickly. The narration from the viewpoint of death is extremely interesting, and you find yourself fighting alongside Liesel. The different perspectives shed a new light on a very difficult topic and I am always interested in World War II. A beautiful book.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: “What do you think it would have been like for a German in Germany during World War II?” “Do you think Hitler was ever Man of the Year?”

Reading Strategies: For my students I would encourage them to read the book, and then when they were finished to do an Internet Investigation. (Yopp & Yopp, 2010, pg. 121). I think it would be great to encourage them to learn more about the war and possibly put it into a presentation for the class.