The Book Thief

Zusak, Markus. 2006. The book thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0375831002

Plot Summary

Death narrates this tale of a young German girl growing up during World War II. Ten-year-old Liesel Meminger first catches Death’s attention when he arrives to take the soul of her little brother and Death witnesses her first book theft. Liesel is on her way to Molching, near Munich, where she will be living with a foster family. Hans Hubermann is a gentle man with eyes “made of kindness, and silver” who teaches Liesel to read and comforts her when she has nightmares. Rosa Hubermann is an acerbic woman with a sharp tongue that hides a generous heart. As Liesel learns to read, she discovers the power of words, and the beauty of books. Liesel begins to steal books, first from a Nazi book burning, and later from the Mayor’s wife. Liesel uses these books to comfort and console her neighbors and friends during air raids, and to comfort the Jewish man hidden in the Hubermann basement.

Critical Analysis

 

The Book Thief is a unique work of Historical Fiction that shows a side of WWII and the Holocaust that is seldom portrayed. Set in a poor neighborhood of a small German town the story is populated by a variety of characters ranging from the fervent Nazi shopkeeper to Hans Hubermann who can’t help but offer kindness to a suffering human being, even when it puts him and his family in danger. The details of the war, the battles won and lost, are kept in the background of the story, but the effects of the war are shown through the increased sense of urgency in outwardly conforming to the Nazi ideal, food shortages, increased air raids, and the lost lives of young soldiers. The tragic end of the story is heartrending because the characters are so easy to identify with, even though they are the “enemy”.

This big, expansive novel is a leisurely working out of fate, of seemingly chance encounters and events that ultimately touch, like dominoes as they collide. The writing is elegant, philosophical and moving. Even at its length, it's a work to read slowly and savor. Beautiful and important. (Kirkus Reviews)

What really sets The Book Thief apart from other books is the author’s use of figurative language. Zusak mixes up sensory words to create new visions. “The sky was like soup, boiling and stirring. In some places, it was burned. There were black crumbs, and pepper, streaked across the redness.” The Book Thief is not a quick or easy read, but the beauty of the words makes it worthwhile. German words and phrases are used and defined throughout the story, providing both informative and amusing details (Arschloch = asshole).

Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. (School Library Journal)

Review Citation

2006. "THE BOOK THIEF." Kirkus Reviews 74, no. 2: 91.

Goldsmith, Francisca. 2006. "The Book Thief." School Library Journal 52, no. 3: 234.