I wanted to love it like I loved Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but I didn't. I liked it, but didn't fall in love with it. ( )

Kristin Cashore mentioned this on her blog:http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/20...

One of the most wonderful and enjoyable books I have every read. It can be entered by all four of Nancy Pearls doors. ( )

This was the worst book I have read in a long time. It was so boring and dull I couldn't even finish it. ( )

This book takes a look at World War II from a different angle, a street in a small town near Munich where a Jew is hidden from the Nazis. Liesel, Hans, and Rudy are well drawn characters. ( )

A great book - as someone who feels overexposed to stories from and about Nazi Germany, this was different. Wonderful for anyone, any age - particularly if they love the written word. ( )

Marvelous. This book lifts you up and crushes you at the same time. I can't wait to give it away - just to have someone share the experience. ( )

The Book Thief is an excellent book. I read the book in a week and I just didn't want to stop reading. The story is well executed and written. I read this book for a book club I just joined and was thrilled to finally have the chance to buy the book and read it.

As I read the story I found myself getting more and more drawn into the characters and their interactions with everything going on around them. The story is about a girl named Liesel who steals a book and discovers the power of the written word. I was drawn to the fact that she did not know how to read very well at first and yet she was very eager to learn.

The setting takes place in Germany during Hitler's reign. A young girl of 12 years is given to a foster home because her mother can not take care of her anymore. On the way to the new foster home her brother dies on the train and sets the stage for her to steal her first book. At first Liesel isn't happy about moving to a new home and having new parents. The Hubbermann's are her mama and papa. Mrs. Hubbermann is a very unique character and I actually started to like her as I read the book. Mr. Hubbermann is a fantastic papa to Liesel. All three have a wonderful relationship that changes and grows throughout the book.

I found myself crying as I read the last part of the book. When I was reading the book I knew I would shed a tear or two, I shed more then that. I had tears of sorrow and joy as I read The Book Thief. I highly recommend The Book Thief and encourage you to pick up a copy and take the time to read the story. ( )

One of the best books I've read in years. It tells the story of Liesel, a young girl living in Germany during WWII, from the perspective of death. ( )

Not a fast read, but worth the effort! If this were true, it would be right up there with "The Diary of Anne Frank". Read this and think! Words are powerful! ( )

Wonderful book, even better as an audiobook because the narrator is excellent. ( )

Set in Nazi Germany from 1939 until 1945, the book tells the story of a young girl who, through tragedy, discovers the "beauty and brutality" of words (quote comes from the novel).

Some reasons to read this book:

1. Character development: There is no better era in history for creating villainous, one-dimensional people than Nazi Germany. Zusak avoids that trap; he creates a cast of characters who feel real in their combination of kindness, pettiness, selfishness, and bravery. Bigotry, classism, and violence are all central themes of the book -- yet he never makes a big deal of these issues. The characters always come first.

2. Point of view: Zusak's use of Death as the narrator was a stroke of genius. I loved reading the author Q&A in the back of the book; he admitted that his first attempt at writing from Death's p.o.v. failed. He had to come back to it six months later. Somehow, that was both inspiring and a wake-up call to me.

3. Story development: Though the story is told mostly in a chronological fashion, there are non-linear aspects of the development that intrigued me. Death's ability to be in multiple places and times at once, as well as his unique perspective on war, made what could have been "just another WWII story" into something fresh (to me, at least).

This was a great book. I highly recommend it! ( )

What a wonderful story! Liesel and the other characters were wonderfully brought to life. I loved that this story is told from Death's perspective and centered around Germans that were not necessarily Nazi's.
Some of my favorite parts of the book was where Max's stories for Liesel were shared.
Definitely a story that will stay with you after you finish reading it. ( )

Zusak, Markus. Book thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Themes: Young Adult, World War II, Germany, Nazi, Orphans, Jews, Holocaust.

Awards:

Ena Noel Award (2006)

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2006)

Kathleen Mitchell Award (2006)

ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2007)

Book Sense Book of the Year (2007.4|Children's Literature Winner, 2007)

Michael L. Printz Honor Book (2007)

Sydney Taylor Book Award (2007)

Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (2007)

BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2006)

Whitcoulls top 100, 2008 (81)

ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2009.04|Death and Dying, 2009)

ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2009.3|Literature & Language Arts, 2009)

Censorship Issues:

• Racism
• Child Starvation?



Plot Summary:

The Book Thief chronicles the story of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl whose mother places her for adoption at the beginning of the Second World War. During the trip to be placed in foster care, Liesel’s infant brother dies and she steals her first book from the grave diggers who bury her brother. She is placed in foster care with her two foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans is a painter who moonlights as an accordion player at night and Rosa supplements the family income by doing laundry for the town’s wealthier citizens. The backdrop is Nazi Germany and the effects of the war are being felt by all German citizens. As Hans loses work, for not immediately joining the Nazi party, and Rosa begins to lose jobs due to the economic crunch, the family bonds together. During this period, Hans begins to teach Liesel to read; they begin with the stolen book, which turns out to be "The Gravedigger's Handbook.”
It is revealed that Hans was in the First World War, and his life was saved by a man who died. Following the war, Hans tells the man’s family that he will take care of them if they ever need him. Once the war starts, the man’s son, Max, is smuggled into the Hubermann’s house. The book progresses through the war, as narrated by Death. The Story culminates as the war enters the Hubermann’s town.

Critique:

The book is well conceived and written. The unique perspective provided by using Death as the Narrator, is both interesting and thought provoking. Teens (and adults) are forced to examine the dichotomy of life for the average German child; the carefree joys of childhood coexisting with the horrors of war. Zusak does an excellent job of taking a story and an issue that has been examined for years and presents it in a new youthful manner.

Curriculum Uses:

The most obvious curriculum use is for any history unit dealing with World War II, but the novel also has merit as an examination of racism and poverty. The character of Leisel is compelled to overcome so many obstacles in her lifetime that she is a study in dealing with situations which seem overwhelming. ( )

If I could rate this book ten stars, I would. So well written. One of my favorite books. ( )

Young adults and adults will be moved by this story. The voices in the book are so real you can feel them. Recommend for everyone. Period. ( )

Very different from the usual Holocaust novel. Delicious language and symbolism. Unusual narrator. Very moving. 5+ stars - my favourite book yet! ( )

Set in Germany during WWII, "The Book Thief" tells the story of orphan Liesel Meminger, life with her foster parents, and her love for books. It is narrated by Death, whose character comes across as strangely human as he relates his encounters with the human race in general and Liesel in particular.

Death meets Liesel for the first time as she travels by train with her mother and younger brother to the town of Molching, near Munich. Her brother dies on the journey, prompting Liesel and her mother to disembark to bury the small boy, and it is at his gravesite that Liesel steals her first book, "The Gravedigger's Handbook".
She settles into her new life, doing household chores for her foster-mother Rosa, being taught how to read by her foster-father Hans, stealing food with her friend Rudy, and visiting her Jewish friend Max, hidden in the basement. All of Liesels activities are framed in the context of Nazi Germany as the regime struggles to maintain its war machine, indoctrinating the young men into Hitler Youth, sending all eligible males to the battlefront, and reducing rations for those left behind.

Although the story moves a little slowly at times and is occasionally confusing when it jumps around in time, overall it is a good read. As it approached the end and the various threads of the story came together, I couldn't put it down.

Markus Zusak is the Australian son of German immigrant parents and he grew up hearing stories of life in Nazi Germany. "The Book Thief" has won several awards, including the 2008 Ena Noel Encouragement Award for Children's Literature and the 2006 Kathleen Mitchell Award, and was named a 2007 Michael L. Printz Honor book by the Young Adult Library Services Association. ( )

a book meant for youthful readers but great for all ages. Although the books message has been told many times before it's my 1st time hearing death tell the story of Hitler's victims. The Book Thief is worth reading and owning . ( )

I heard about this from numerous friends and BookCrossers who loved it. I was not disappointed. Death narrates this tale of WWII Germany about a young girl, her foster parents, neighors, stolen books, and a certain Jew. The characters are all quite memorable (my favorite was Rudy) and the unique narrator choice lends an interesting twist to the storytelling. The metaphors in particular are fantastic. There were times when I laughed and times when I cried, but ultimately the ending is quite satisfying. I'll definitely have to pick up Zusak's other works. ( )

Death narrates the story of Liesel Meminger, AKA the book thief. Death first encounters Liesel when her younger brother dies while they are on the way to live with foster parents. Liesel steals her first book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, at her brother's funeral (even though she can't read). Her foster father, Hans, uses the book to teach Liesel to read.

The Book Thief is set during the Holocaust, so Death is definitely feeling overworked. Liesel steals more books and forms close relationships with the people around her, especially Max, a Jew hiding in her basement, and Rudy, a blond boy who admires Jesse Owens.

Death jumps around and interrupts himself, which makes the beginning of the book quite confusing. However, this book is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking and a must-read for older teens and adults. ( )

Death is the narrator. Slow start, but once you're in you can't put it down. ( )

Reviewed by Francisca Goldsmith in School Library Journal (March 1, 2006). Found in Follett Titlewave.

I wish I knew about this book when I was teaching middle school Social Studies. I would have read it with my class. 'The Book Theif' is a fresh, honest, heart wrenching story of live in Germany during WWII. The voice is like nothing I have read before. It is intended to be adolescent literature, but kept this adult engaged through out. ( )

A brief introduction: Death is the narrator. It (for want of a better pronoun) follows with a sort of perplexed fascination the coming-of-age of the Book Thief, Liesel Meminger, the "perpetual survivor." The setting is Himmel Street, not far from Munich, during the rise and fall of the Third Reich. And the thing about Liesel, beyond her ability to survive, is her itching, irrepressible urge to steal books. A remarkable fact, considering she begins the book illiterate.

This might all sound a bit depressing. And it is, at times. At other times it's exceptionally funny. And touching. And mind opening. And thought provoking. I laughed, I cried. Wash, rinse, repeat, for some 550 pages. If you think that sounds a bit emotionally draining, you're not wrong. But it's worth it.

It has all the usual elements that go along with such topics: Meditations on death, musings on life; first crushes, the struggle to fit in and to get along with parents and the boy down the street; air raids, bomb shelters, Hitler, Nazis, the Holocaust (and trying to help someone survive it), the Draft; books. It may look hodgepodge, but Zusak pulls it off brilliantly. He manages to take a bunch of very familiar (should I say cliché?) ideas, mash them together, turn on the blender, and create something harmonious and utterly refreshing. All the issues and images interact, mix together, change each other, but are never incomplete ideas. The story doesn't get distracted by the war and skimp on Liesel's experiences as an adolescent. Nor the does narration lose sight of its discussion of literacy, even as Himmel Street is being bombed, even as a Jewish prizefighter hides in the basement. All these ideas have beginnings, middles and ends. That completeness of thought leads to a stronger, more complex, and more interesting read. And through it all, Zusak maintains a prose that clear, quick, and undeniably beautiful.

I feel I should mention that this book is Young Adult literature. You'll find it in the Independent Readers section at Borders. But you should hardly take that to heart. According to the bookstore staff member who recommended this title to me (bless her) while I was wandering about the children's section, looking lost (no seriously, bless her), The Book Thief is most requested by adults. More often than not, they're members of book clubs who get confused when they can't find that month's selection in any of the usual places. So get that - a kids' book regularly dissected (to varying degrees of quality) by a group of adults drinking coffee.

So all I can say is, never be embarrassed to shop in the children's section - half the stuff there is better than half the trash they sell to grown-ups. And read The Book Thief.