The Book Thief

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. Listening Library: 2006. ISBN: 0739337270.

Plot Summary:
This is the story of Liesl Meminger. When the book begins in Germany in 1939, Liesl is nine years old and on a train traveling to her new foster parents house. On the trip her six year old brother dies. Liesel's life with her sickly mother and absent father is difficult, but she is not happy about living with foster parents and assumes her mother will be coming back for her. Liesl steals her first book near her brother's grave. It is a Grave Digging Handbook. Even though Liesl is not a good reader, she can't help taking the book. Life with her foster family, Hans and Rosa Hubermann is not bad. Rosa is all burrs and bristles, but deep down she cares for the little saumensch (pig in German), a term of endearment for Rosa. Hans spends a great deal of time teaching Liesl to read and helping her through the night. Liesl has terrible nightmares about her brother on a regular basis. Rudy Stiener is Liesl's neighbor and eventually best friend. They walk to school together and Rudy is usually vying for a kiss. Max Vandenburg is the son of a Jewish man who saved Han's life during the first World War. To repay the debt the Hubermanns hide Max in their basement to save him from the Jewish internment camps. Max and Liesl develop a strong bond over books and words. The book concludes in 1943 when Lielsl is fourteen years old.

Critical Evaluation:
This is the best book I have read this year, and with two materials classes, that is saying a lot. The audio book is read by Allan Corduner and is riveting. The story is narrated by death which has an unsettling feel. The reader never really trusts that things are going to be okay because only negative is associated with the narrator. Not because Death's tone is negative or oppressive, it isn't, just simply because of who he is. Death is surprising in a couple of ways, first is his humanity. At different instances his heart aches and even he tires of the destruction and devastation of the war. Second is his use of colors which he needs as a distraction from the suffering of humans. The book is divided into eight parts, each part has a small list of what is featured in the following pages. Descriptive language is throughout the novel. Images are easy to conjure with such help from the author. The language also evokes emotion and reflection that I have not experienced in other books. Death's logical narration allows the simplicity and power of the story to come through without wading past unnecessary details. There aren't many books out there that deal with the experience of German citizens during World War II. Knowing the back story about Hitler and the war adds lays of understanding without adding more pages to the 552 page book. Markus Zusak explains that the idea for the book came from listening to his parents stories about their childhood in Germany and Austria. It is easy to see why this book was on so many best book list and a 2007 Michael Printz Honor Book.

Reader's Annotation:
We meet many different people through out our lifetime. In the end, we all meet death.

Information About the Author:
Award winning author, Markus Zusak was born in 1975, the youngest of four siblings. Born in Sydney, Australia, Markus currently lives there with his wife and daughter. His past times include surfing, playing on a soccer team that never wins and watching movies.
Markus' books have garnered praise from Australian awards to twice being named a Printz Honor Book. The Book Thief and The Messenger are the two titles recognized for the Printz Award. Mark has signed a movie deal for The Book Thief with a possibility of release in 2011.The next book due out is Bridge of Clay, sometime in 2011.

Genre:
Historical Fiction/World War II and the Holocaust

Curriculum Ties:
World War II
Hitler and Hitler Youth
Germany citizens during the war

Reading Level/Interest Age:
9th +

Challenge Issues:
Language

To be prepared for a book challenge you must read the book! And encourage all involved in the process to read the book, not just the questionable passages.
Make sure the institution's procedure is followed, this is a protection for all.
ALA provides written guidelines it would be handy to have a hard copy available.

Why I Included This Book:
One of our textbooks talked highly about the author and the book.