Zusak, M. (2007). The Book Thief. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books.
Summary: Death narrates the story of an orphaned girl named Liesel in Germany during the Nazi regime. Her mother takes her (Liesel) and her brother to live with an older couple, but the brother dies. Liesel has nightmares of her brother and her new Papa is of great comfort. As the country's grows more isolated and desperate, so does their town. At one point the family hides a Jewish man in their basement who becomes friends with Liesel, endangering everyone, eventually forcing him to leave. Another comfort of Liesel's is reading, and stealing select books. Her only childhood friend is her neighbor Rudy, an uplifting distraction from the hunger and poverty that engulfs them. Death eventually takes everyone from her town, except Liesel, who moves to Australia to start her new life and family.
Reading Level:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1, 2, 3
History-Social Science CA Content Standards
10.8.1-6
11.7.1-8
Curriculum Suggestions:
Related Links:
Awards:
Tags: friendship, secondary, contemporary, fiction, historical
Summary: Death narrates the story of an orphaned girl named Liesel in Germany during the Nazi regime. Her mother takes her (Liesel) and her brother to live with an older couple, but the brother dies. Liesel has nightmares of her brother and her new Papa is of great comfort. As the country's grows more isolated and desperate, so does their town. At one point the family hides a Jewish man in their basement who becomes friends with Liesel, endangering everyone, eventually forcing him to leave. Another comfort of Liesel's is reading, and stealing select books. Her only childhood friend is her neighbor Rudy, an uplifting distraction from the hunger and poverty that engulfs them. Death eventually takes everyone from her town, except Liesel, who moves to Australia to start her new life and family.
Reading Level:
- Quantitative: Lexile 730
- Qualitative: Grade 10 / High. This novel is a very good example of the wide variation between readability and complexity of text. Its knowledge demands offer multiple layers of meaning with mature themes of man vs man, life vs death, war, suffering and isolation. The structure is difficult because the order of events is frequently shifting, and elements of foreshadowing are a constant. The narrative structure is unconventional with shifts in points of view - primarily from Death, but also from the main character named Liesel, her best friend named Rudy, her stepparents, and her friend, Max, a Jewish fugitive. The language conventionality and clarity are high because the story is dense and purposefully ambiguous, and incorporate a heavy dose of abstract language and irony. And yet, regardless of the overall high literary measures and length of the text itself, this story is so engaging that most readers may take exception and gladly consume its content.
- Content Area: English, Social Studies
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1, 2, 3
History-Social Science CA Content Standards
10.8.1-6
11.7.1-8
Curriculum Suggestions:
- Create a timeline of events
- Letter from Liesel to her grandchildren to tell them about Hans Hubermann
- Virtual field trip to Dachau
Related Links:
Awards:
- Book Sense Book of the Year Award, 2007
Tags: friendship, secondary, contemporary, fiction, historical