The book takes place in Germany during World War II. The entire story is told from the view of Death. He's telling the story of a girl, Liesel Merminger. Liesel is sent to a foster home when she is young because her mother is going to be sent to a concentration camp. One of her foster parents, Hans, teaches Liesel how to read and she starts stealing books. She develops many relationships with characters throughout the book, and Death tells the story of Liesel.
Additional Information
The Book Thief
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10.0 | |
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9.5 (2) |
Added by Whitlock
June 03, 2010 
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Book Info
| Author | Markus Zusak |
| Illustrator | - No Illustrator |
| Publisher | Knopf Books, 2006 |
| Genres | Emotions / Feelings |
| Age Range | High School |
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Mamma Bookworm review
Excellent read - different viewpoint of WWII
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
One has to remember that this is a 'young reader' book if you are an adult reading it for entertainment. The author goes to lengths to avoid harsh language, sex, and most of the extreme violence that you get with most books that deal with WW2. But, that actually works to his advantage in this story since its about a young girl from the age of about 6 to 14 and even though it's not told from her point of view, the story has an innocence about it. Believe me, it is still very emotional, but from the view point of an 11 year old and the concerns that she would have at that age.If someone were to ask me exactly why the book was worth reading, I would say it was good because it showed that just because you happened to be a 'safe' German during this time period, that those years were still certainly no bed of roses either. Through the daughter (who is an orphan and has been taken in by these foster parents) you see a family who doesn't agree with what is going on but doesn't have the means to fight against it. So, they do what they can - basically risking there life through the whole book to first help her, the man they hide, and lots of other small - but still very dangerous, choices. And the whole time, the daughter doesn't spend all her time thinking of how noble her family is - she just takes it for granted that is the right way to act even though the majority of the community is against it. Even though they do amazingly selfless things - they are just your normal, run of the mill family - the mom yells and cooks bad, the dad has a normal job and doesn't make much money, and the girl gets in trouble and plays with friends. 'Normal' people can make a difference in the world. The end of the story had me sobbing. I think the reason was because I thought the author did a great job creating characters that were definitely flawed, but realistic and loved. Like the mom for instance, she was portrayed as a swearing, mean, bitchy, fat tyrant. But, when it came down to it she never questioned helping Max (the Jew), or loving her foster daughter, or just giving up even though life was really hard. And she was the least likable character! Of the handful of bad reviews I've read (very few) most of the people complained that the book was trite. Yes, they didn't go in action movie style and defeat Hitler, or do a daring rescue from inside a labor camp - the book was just about her life and the funny, tragic, and normal things that happened in it. Kid things. Stuff an 11 year old should be doing, even though she is doing them in a dangerous, uncertain time in Germany that casts a shadow on everyone's life no matter how mundane the activity. Parents might be concerned about the events happening in the story during that time period. You may want to wait until your child has a basic understanding of what happened during the war, or at least be ready to explain to them what would have happened to Max if he had been captured since the book assumes that you would know. There is violence and some mild swearing - but nothing overly graphic, especially considering that it could have been with the subject matter. This book would be a great follow up after reading Ann Frank in school. |
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Reviewed by Mamma B
October 12, 2010 #1 Reviewer View all my reviews Report this review |
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User reviews
Average user rating from: 2 user(s)
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A Very Fascinating Story for Mature Readers
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
This is a really good period piece book that tells the story of a German family who hides a Jewish friend in their basement during Nazi Germany in WWII. The central character is a young girl, whose mother is forced to give her and her brother (who dies in the beginning of the story) to foster parents before disappearing herself, presumably for suspicion of being a Communist. That description alone tells you it's a little heavy on subject matter out of the gate, so definitely for older teens. The story is very interestingly told from the narrative perspective of Death, who oddly enough seems to have a poets way with words when it comes to describing the world as it sees it. Despite the pretty grim themes, there is a lot of warm moments and small triumphs, and all in all it's a very touching and compelling story that should appeal to both boys and girls.
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Amazing Book
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
I picked this book up shortly after it came out. It was recommended to me by my friend who worked in a local bookstore and he said it was simply amazing. It's one of the most unique books you'll read, as it's told from Death's vision. He follows Liesel from the beginning and gives his insight to the actions and relations of the characters involved in Liesel's life. I highly recommend this to anyone.
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