Summary
Death narrates the story of a young German girl during World War II. Or as Death best states it, “It’s the story of one of those perpetual survivors--an expert at being left behind. It’s a small story really, about, among other things:
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A girl
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Some words
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An accordionist
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Some fanatical Germans
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A Jewish fist fighter
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And quite a lot of thievery”
Critical Analysis
The Book Thief is a low fantasy novel written for the audience of Young Adults. The main character of the story is Liesel Meminger, who overcomes the loss of many loved ones during World War II in Germany under the rule of Adolph Hitler. These losses include a father she never knew, her birth mother who had to give her away, her younger brother that dies on the way to the new home, and eventually the death of every person on her block, including her beloved adopted family and her best friend Rudy. There are very few Young Adults that could relate to young Liesel’s story directly, but they can easily relate to the struggles she faces, such as questioning her developing feelings for Rudy. The plot is directed by the narrator, who is Death himself, who weaves the story around the events of Liesel’s life.
Markus Zusak combines many of the attributes of Young Adult Literature, according to Donelson and Nilsen. Although the story is about a young adult girl, the narrator is Death, who is as old as time. Many YA’s struggle with life and death at this age and this book gives them some thoughts on what death could be like, but Zusak accomplishes this in a beautiful way that combines religions and humanities. Since this story was about World War II Germany, YA’s gain knowledge of the German and Jewish cultures, which exposes them to the world around them without sugar-coating the realities of that time. Although Death eludes to the loss of Liesel’s loved ones early in the book, the reader is still filled with hope for Liesel and that she will accomplish something greater.
The prevailing theme for The Book Thief is Liesel’s “rebellion of the established order.” By stealing books, it is her way of fighting against Hitler, who she ultimately blames for the loss of her family and friends.
Review Excerpt and Award
Death is the narrator of this lengthy, powerful story of a town in Nazi Germany. He is a kindly, caring Death, overwhelmed by the souls he has to collect from people in the gas chambers, from soldiers on the battlefields, and from civilians killed in bombings. Death focuses on a young orphan, Liesl; her loving foster parents; the Jewish fugitive they are hiding; and a wild but gentle teen neighbor, Rudy, who defies the Hitler Youth and convinces Liesl to steal for fun. After Liesl learns to read, she steals books from everywhere. When she reads a book in the bomb shelter, even a Nazi woman is enthralled. Then the book thief writes her own story. There's too much commentary at the outset, and too much switching from past to present time, but as in Zusak's enthralling I Am the Messenger (2004), the astonishing characters, drawn without sentimentality, will grab readers. More than the overt message about the power of words, it's Liesl's confrontation with horrifying cruelty and her discovery of kindness in unexpected places that tell the heartbreaking truth. Hazel Rochman, Booklist
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Michael L. Printz Award, 2007 Honor Book
Strengths and Weaknesses
Both the strength and the weakness of The Book Thief is how the story skips around and does not happen sequentially. This was a weakness because sometimes it makes the story difficult to follow; passages had to be re-read in order to make sure it was understood correctly. The skipping around of the story is a strength because the Young Adult reader would be completely overwhelmed by all of the death that occurs toward the end of the book if they had not been prepared through the foreshadowing, especially with the loss of Papa Hubermann and Ruby Steiner.
Personal Response and Connections
One of the things that I did not like was how Death was just a bystander to the actions, especially toward the end I was hoping that he could do something to save Leisel’s loved ones. I also like how Death had human characteristics, for example, he has a boss who keeps expecting more from him without any thanks or appreciation. He even shows a sense of humor when the teacher, Sister Maria appears like the grim reaper, he says, “I like this human idea of a grim reaper. I like the scythe. It amuses me.”
One other response to the book is how Zusak sprinkles in just enough “bad words” to elevate the maturity level of the readers. He keeps the language authentic to the age group and the circumstances. The YA reader is treated like a YA reader, not a child.
This novel would be a terrific enrichment lesson on World War II. Many students are fascinated by this time period, especially the events in Germany, and this book delivers a different viewpoint on the war, plus it delivers a message of hope and overcoming difficulties.
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