The Book Thief tells the story of a young German girl named Leisel who has been placed in a foster home just before World War II. After hearing news of going to a new home, her brother dies. This leaves poor Leisel to have continuous nightmares in the middle of the night. To distract her from the pain of the loss of her brother, Leisel’s foster father teaches her how to read. One particular book of interest was a book that she took from the cemetery at her brother’s burial. During a book burning, Liesel is seen stealing a book by the mayor’s wife, who later invites her to read the library.
Liesel’s foster father, Hans, soon agrees to hide a Jew named Max Vanderburg in his basement. Leisel befriends Max, and they begin to write stories based upon their friendship. After Hans give bread to a Jew in public, he is sent into the military. During this time of the war, air raids were prevalent and deadly. Max has to leave. The next time Leisel sees Max, he is being ordered to a concentration camp at Dachau. She begins to lose all faith in the written word and in all things. She learns that Hitler’s dictatorship is the blame of the war and is the reason for the death of her family. The mayor’s wife encourages Leisel to keep writing and to get her thoughts down on paper. Her writings evolve into a story of her life, until something unexpected happens.
Major themes that exist within the story are language, dehumanization, abandonment, and many more. Reading and writing was an outlet for Leisel during her time of distress and grief. By learning to read, she learns about Hitler’s corruption and destruction. When Max moves into the home, she takes joy into his reading. He reads to her and teaches her about the impact that Hitler is having on their country. Dehumanization also plays a huge role throughout the story. This is a time where Jews were striped of everything that had. They were subjected to torture, embarrassment, and concentration camps. Abandonment is another theme in the story. Leisel suffers from abandonment by her whole entire family. She is traumatized, but little does she know this was great motivation for her to continue writing.
T he genre of this book is historical fiction. It tells some of the events of World War II and the Holocaust. It includes the effects of Hitler’s decision and how it affected the characters.
If I were to ask question to middle school students on the topics of this book, I would probably ask:
1. Why did Max and Leisel become friends? What were their commonalities?
2. Why do you think Hans gave the Jew bread in public? Was it worth it?
3. Why does the mayor’s wife seem to like Leisel after seeing her steal the book?
4. What was the significance of Death as the narrator?
These questions could help enhance conversation and get the students to think about more underlying themes of the story.

An AMAZING novel. One of the best I have ever read. Zusak is a genius with words. Absolutely brilliant, both in the story itself and the way it was written. Don't miss this book. ( )

This book was like a drug. Even though the ending would have been viewed as unsatisfactory I found it very . . fitting. It focuses on the inevitability of death and how if you embrace it with open arms, you will find peace.  

A difficult read made easier by a strong narrative. A good contrast between prejudice and innocence makes the tale compelling ( )

The Book Thief was not only a book, but an experience. The author had the capability to immerse the reader into another time and a very different perspective. The main character, Leisel and the narrator make this book very intriguing. This book is innovative in the way it interprets the stories presented in the book. It has a creative way of leading the reader into questions about why it was set up this way.
The genre of this book is a Young Adult Novel, but the author has a clever way of weaving between the definitions of “young” and “adult.” The main character of the book, Leisel is an adolescent for the majority of the book. This displays the perspective of the “young,” but at the same time her life’s circumstances had her embracing being a child while also learning to grow up. Her childhood consisted of many events and routines that make her more responsible and knowledgeable for her age. Then, there is the perspective of the narrator—death himself. Throughout the book, there are different styles that capture the reader. Not only is written like an ordinary book, but there are little notes along the way to help fill in gaps, offer supplementary information, or reinforce an important idea. Then there are the actual pages of the books the character, Max Vandenburg writes and illustrates—directly within the book. These experiments throughout the text offer a reading experience that is not typical of a book.
For this story, I think it is important to offer an omniscient perspective to tell the lives of the characters. Without it, there would be no room to learn all the details and background of the all the key characters. It is vital that the way this story is told has to reflect more than one point of view and perhaps that view is clearer when the person telling the story isn’t a person at all. There is sort of a non bias premise that presents itself with only small side comments and humor that reminds the reader of who the story teller is.
I would have to ask other readers of this story a few questions that struck me in my reading. I wonder why books intrigued her so much even from the first one she ever learned to read. How other readers felt about the narrator not leaving anything a mystery. How fascinating it is for two people to be worlds apart and connect on a level of shared passion for books, words, and stories. It’s amazing how the author was able to make a young character have such an impact on everyone in her life; whether it was good or bad, substantial or small. I would also inquire about the dynamics of the relationship with her foster parents. I found their interactions to be quite interesting. There are consistent themes and parallels that work together in the book and I’m sure an engaging discussion could arise out of any one of them.
While reading The Book Thief, it was clear that this was an innovative approach to a book in this particular genre. I think that because of the particular story that was told, this approach worked for the story. The author was very creative at manipulating the characters within the story to reflect realism. It was definitely a great read that kept me engaged and could make for an engaged conversation about the book.