Independent+Novel+Study

__**THE BOOK THIEF**__ //by Markus Zusak//

__**Journal Entry #1 December 2**__ __**Part One**__ __**to Page 80**__


 * Question 5.**
 * Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told?**

Death/The Grim Reaper is the Book Thief's narrator. he introduces himself as "Agreeable. Amiable. Affable. And that's only the A's." He gives the story a completely doomed outlook, starting with
 * HERE IS A SMALL FACT*
 * You are going to die.**

happily followed by


 * REACTION TO THE AFOREMENTIONED FACT*
 * Does this worry you? I urge you - don't be afraid. I'm nothing if not fair.**

He collects souls once people die, and though that doesn't bother him, something does. The survivors do, "left behind, crumbling among the jigsaw puzzle of realization, despair, and surprise. They have punctured hearts. They have beaten lungs." He starts out by collecting a dead six year old off a train, yet he foolishly stays and watches the boy's sister as he gets quickly buried in the frozen ground. This is Leisel, the book thief. The book is written in such a way that is doomed, but beautiful. For example, the first book the Leisel steals is a grave digger's manual that fell out of a pocket at her brother's funeral by the train tracks. She can't read. Yet. Also, when mentioning a bombed and destroyed town, it has little to do with fate, and 'more to do with humans hiding in the clouds hurling down bombs. The narrator gives an insight to everything that only makes sense coming from the Grim Reaper (who is very amused at the human image of the reaper with the scythe.) Death can't sugarcoat the story.

Question 12. Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? GIve examples and explain.

The Book Thief has easy language that perfectly forms Death's perspectives.Some of the 'harder' words include: intonations, a 'nefarious' glare, dutiful, intersect, etc. Nothing really difficult. A unique part of the language in this book is has many little parts in German, just a phrase or a word. "//Auch Mama"// Also Mama. //"Dein nues Heim"// Your new home. The wording of the Book Thief is beautifully used.

Question 4 What's going on as the story begins?

Death is introduced as the narrator. By himself. While collecting a six year old boy off a train who died of a cough, he becomes interested in his sister (still alive) and watches the funeral. It is January 1939. //Furher// time. Then Leisel is left by her mother at a German family for foster care. She has a 'close enough shade of German blond" hair, but "dangerous brown eyes" for Germany 1939. Her new Mama is Rosa Hubermann, her new Papa is Hans Hubermann, who loves rolling cigarettes, paints, and plays the accordion. Leisel has no trouble calling him Papa, and he teaches her to read (slowly and painfully) at night after her nightmares, because at school, she is placed in the 'midget class' to learn the alphabet. In her new neighbourhood, she meets Rudy, one of six Steiner kids. On her street, they play soccer year round. At the Catholic school, Lutheran Leisel, after starting a fight (and winning), settles the fact she is not stupid. She, as a German female 10 year old, joins the Band of German Girls where " the first thing they do is make sure your //heil Hitler// is working properly." Her foster father, Hans Hubermann does not support the Nazi party. There is "a reason for that", and I hope I found out soon what is it.

__Journal Entry #2 December 9 (National Pastry Day)__ __Part 2 - Part 4__ __from page 80 to page 170__

Question 8. How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest?

The Book Thief uses a lot of flash-forwards (it literally says 'flash forward to...') and has many layers of foreshadowing. Page 142 'You're well aware of what was coming to Himmel Street by he end of 1940. I know. You know.' Also, Leisel and her friend Rudy found a //pfennig// (basically a penny) on the street, and went into Frau Diller's shop (where you have to //heil Hitler// when you enter to get served). They got one candy. Frau Diller wasn't very nice about it. Later that summer, they were given a bag of roasted chestnutsm which they sold for several //pfennig.// They returned to Frau Diller's shop, and and bought some (plural this time) candies from the dumbfounded Frau Diller. The line; 'Truimph before the storm.' I think this has something to do with the fact that Leisel had just figured out that the 'they' that took away her father, basically her brother, and her mother, and burned thousand of books (one of which she stole from the bonfire) is Hitler. Frau Diller is completely supportive of the Nazi party... Another foreshadowing event is when Hans Hubermann's (Papa's) only son returned for a visit, he was a complete Nazi supporter. He saw his father's unNazi ways, and called him a coward for not standing up for the country. Death comments that Hans Junior will soon be in Stalingrad, where ' All day long as I carried souls across it, the white sheet of the sky was splashed with blood, until it was full and bulging to the earth. In the evening, it would be wrung out and bleached again, ready for the next dawn. And that was when the fighting was during the day.' Death has a hobby of remembering skies. The ending of that chapter is with the jewish book bonfire the next day. 'A fire would be lit. A book would be stolen.' I don't think it meant only a physical, orange fire.

Question 15 Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose?

Max Vandenburg. Hidden Jew. Sent to a new hiding place with safe enough fake papers and a map hidden in //Mein Kampf (My Struggle// by Adolf Hitler//).// Max's next 'safe' place is Himmel Street. Hans Hubermann, the man who made too many 'mistakes' to be let into the Nazi Party. Leisel, who realized it was the //Furher// who stole everything she had. It think Max will help Leisel try to understand what is happening with the war and Hitler and the book burning and Hans Hubermann take a stand against the Nazi party, hidden in the basement.

Question 11. Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events?

The novel has many flash back and forwards, and much foreshadowing, but it doesn't make the novel confusing, just more interesting. It you were reading this book without paying attention to the deeper meaning of the sentences and what was happening, it wouldn't be that interesting. The novel doesn't jump around, more give windows into different parts of what happens.

__Journal Entry #3 December 15__ __Part 4 -part 6__ __Page 70 to page 303__**

Question 7 What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character?

In the Book Thief, Leisel, the girl abandoned by her mother at a foster home, is the main focus of the story, with all other events eventually affecting her. Some problems she has are that she is behind in school, her real mother isn't responding to any of her letters, and she's always hungry and maybe most of all. Perhaps most of all, though, is that it is the 1930's in Germany, and she has recently realized the //Furher// has caused most of her problems in some way or another. A Jew named Max is now hiding in her basement, too. She's smart enough not to say anything to anyone, but the threat is always there. The closest she has come to actually telling someone is Ilsa the Mayor's wife. Rosa (her foster mother) did her washing, and Leisel would carry the clothes and money back and forth. Ilsa saw the Book Thief steal a Jewish book from the bonfire (or maybe she didn't). Anyway, she lets Leisel into her library to read when she picks up the washing or returns it. She never really speaks. Several times, Leisel has been very close, too close, to walking across the room and whispering 'There's a jew in my basement.' But then The mayor decided to no longer have the laundry done by Rosa, Leisel was fired, and Leisel was so mad she stole a book then never returned, though ilsa invited her back. The threat of telling someone is still there, but there is no longer really anyone Leisel is prepared to tell.

Question 1. Why did you select this novel? I chose the Book Thief for many reasons. First, I love historical fiction. I've read quite a few books about World War 2, but this on looked different. It wasn't a story written about the author's (or author's relative/friend's) experience. It was set in Nazi Germany, but as it was narrated by Death, there was a timeless piece to it. It reminded me slighly of 'The New Policeman', which is one of my favourite books/trilogies (if you haven't read it, do so. Read all three.) Also, no matter what they saying says, I judge books, at least at first, by their covers. The Book Thief was dramatic with dark and sepia. There was a quote (BRILLIANT and hugely ambitious... It's the kind of book that can be LIFE CHANGING) and 'The Extraodinary New York Times #1 Best Seller' but I ignore those. I never really read them and consider them fine print. Half of the back cover is wasted on 'best selling this' and 'honour award that'! Another thing that got me to choose this book was I saw it when I went to Ecuador. I was on the coast in the library in the resort place we were staying and saw it on the shelf: yellow cover with Death and a blond girl dancing. It looked good, but I went swimming instead of reading it. Seeing it back at home and I knew I would drive myself to read it eventually, why not now? Basically, I love historical fiction and "//grim, darkly consoling humor.//" //-Time//

Question //9// What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses?

The original problem was that Leisel's brother had just died on the way to foster care, and she was dumped with a foster family by her mother. Soon, after settling into her new life, she come to the conclusion that her troubles are caused by Hitler. Her foster father is glad she thinks so, because he is no Nazi either, but has to make sure she looks and acts enough of a Nazi to not attract attention. Then, he ends up looking after Max Vandenburg, who is Jewish by hiding him in the basement. They are in a Nazi world, but instead of singing the Nazi songs, they just mouth the words*.

*That's a metaphor...

Journal Entry #4 Pg 304 to 419

Question 2 What information did you need to know before reading the novel? Before reading the Book Thief, it would be helpful to know al least some background information about World War 2. The book has parts where it would make even more sense if you knew about Nazi Germany and concentration camps. A chapter or so describes Death collecting the souls from the gas chambers, one part reads 'we climbed out of those shower facilities, onto the roof and up, into eternity's certain breadth'. One of my favourite lines ever from a book is in the section. 'They were French, they were Jews, and they were you.' There is a poster upstairs in Mount Doug on a classroom door (I have no idea which one) that has a poem that has something like 'first they came for the Jews, but I was not Jewish so I did not speak out, then they came for the communists, but hat was not me so I did not speak out ...(a few more verses I don't remember) then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out .' This isn't exactly the wording of the poem, but it is the general sense of what is it. This poem is by my locker, and is about World War 2, as is the Book Thief. I have read about the time period and know a lot about what happened, so I can pick up the subtleties in the Book Thief. Some background information really helps.

Question 13 To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence. This book is for young adults to seniors. Any younger than 'young adult', and you probably wouldn't know some of the wording and history. There is some swearing (in German) but it is only adds to the realistic dialogue. Another obvious point os the cover. A website on the back is for www.randomhouse.com/teens. I can easily see adults (young and old) reading this book. It isn't a sparkle-fairy-happy-party book at all, and is isn't action packed, so I think you need to be mature enough to appreciate the book for all it's subtleties and grim humour. I know my eleven year old sister would hate it and give up on it pretty quickly, my mom has read it and loved it, and the librarian from my middle school read it and highly recommended it, but it was on the Grade Eight Only Shelf. Whatever the 'recommended' age group, I certainly enjoy it and can think of many mature people who would.

question 20 Is the novel believable? The story of Leisel Memminger and her foster family during 1940's Germany is certainly realistic enough. However, add in Death as a searing narrator, and the amount of foreshadowing that brings, and it becomes questionable. Could it be that Markus Zusak head of Leisel's general story and gave it a dark narrator? Probably not. There is just too much fate and Death is just much too human. However, there is another twist to this answer. While researching for the glogster, I found out that Markus Zusak heard a lot about Nazi Germany from his parents, and had had an idea about a book stealer that had previously been unripe for writing until paired with the setting his parents told him so much about. Maybe Leisel is a conglomerate of stories and ideas, both real and unreal. Overall, the storyline is believable, but the narrator is certainly fiction.

FOCUS ASSIGNMENT (This is the plot so you know what happens: The happy beginning of the Book Thief is when Liesel’s brother dies on the train to Molching, Germany, where they will they placed in a foster home. While at his funeral, someone drops ‘The Grave Digger’s Handbook’. Liesel picks it up and begins her illustrious career as a Book Thief. Her mother then leaves her in Molching with Hans and Rosa Hubermann, Leisel’s new parents. It’s a rough start with train nightmares, being placed in the baby class in school, and terrible pea soup. Liesel survives on street soccer and night reads of her Handbook, from which she slowly and painfully learns to read. However, it is 1940’s Germany, and soon Liesel finds connections from her misery to Hitler after she steals a slightly smouldering book from a Jewish book bonfire. Who stole her mother? Who burns books? Though Hans internally agrees with her view of Hitler, he makes sure Liesel never speaks like that because it’s too dangerous. Another book source for Liesel is one of her mother’s laundry customers, the mayors wife, a quiet woman with ‘porcelain legs’. She has a library. Whenever Liesel drops off the washing, she reads, but when the mayor decides to have the washing done at home and fires Rosa, Liesel seeks revenge and steals a book. Then comes a big twist: a Jew called Max Vandenburg hides in their basement, where he writes several meaningful stories. Things become very tense when Hans is refused entry into the Nazi party because he has made to many ‘mistakes’ and been kind to Jews. Fearing suspicion from neighbour, Max has to leave. Leisel steals many more books from the mayor’s wife’s library, but eventually decides to punish herself by not stealing anymore. Then Hans is sent to war, but he comes back and a twist of events and a broken leg. Liesel then finds Max in a ‘parade’ of doomed Jews. He is forced to continue on with the other Jews, and is difficultly parted from Liesel. One night after that, Molching is heavily bombed. Leisel’s whole street collapses in flames. Everyone Liesel knows dies in their sleep. She, however, is in the basement where Max was hidden from the rest of the world, writing a book. The basement is just barely deep enough to keep her alive. Soon she is rescued, and is looked after by the mayor’s wife. She moves to Syndey, where she lives to her eighties. When she dies, Death finds her soul sitting up, ready to go.)

actual focus assignment:  Throughout the Book Thief, Death beautifully tells Liesel’s gloomy tale, because he is inexplicably drawn to her. When she dies, Death gives her the book she wrote while she was in the basement the night Molching was bombed. It is called The Book Thief and it is about Liesel’s story, as she tells it. There is a clear connection between the title and the story: Liesel steals books from meaningful places like her brother’s funeral, a Jewish book bonfire, and is given some from her foster parents. When Molching is bombed, Liesel is changed forever. She had barely recovered from her mother abandoning her when Max dissapear, but she kept going. Being abandoned twice was livable, but this third time was too much. It doesn’t make a difference that the people she loved had no choice in leaving her (they died). All this change makes the bombing of Molching the climax, even though it is near the end of the book. That would make the last page the resolve of the climax: when Liesel dies, and finally meets Death. This is why I chose “We’ll meet again” for the soundtrack for my Glogster. Liesel’s main conflict is the war. She doesn’t march out into battle, but it indirectly causes most of her problems. Because of the war, her mother was taken away and Liesel was sent to foster care, her brother died, then her new papa was sent to war, Hans’ son goes against him, her friend Max was made illegal, and ultimately bombing kills everyone she knows. The Book Thief is my one of my favourite books because of it’s combination of historical fiction, beautiful descriptions, quotes, views of the war, and ‘dark, grimly consoling humor.’ LAST Journal Entry pages 420 to end ( 550) 16)What is the climax of the novel?  I think the climax of the Book Thief is the bombing and (immediatley after) of Himmel Street. Before, there has been a few times where the alarm on the radio went off and Liesel and everyone on the street had to go the nearest bomb shelter. This was terrifying for Liesel. What if her house got bombed? Max obviously couldn't come to the bomb shelter, so he risked being in the house. This time, the alarm was too late. No one made it to the shelter basement. Them whole street melted with everyone asleep. Leisel, however, was in her own basement, which was just deep enough to save her. She was writing a book called about herself. Ilsa, the mayor's wife with the library, gave a blabk book to her after Liesel decided to punish herself by not coming to the library anymore. At nights, when Liesel couldn't sleep, she would go to the basement and write. This saved her when bombs fell and made houses melt in flames. All the people she knew, however, died. Once she was rescued, she saw all the bodies lined up. Mama, Papa, Rudy, Frau Holtzapfel, Pfiffikus. This was the third time she had been abandoned. Her mother, Max ( he had to leave to save Hans and Rosa and her from being discovered), and now everyone else. They had to leave (they died), but it completely changed her once and for all. After, Ilsa took her in, but she wouldn't eat and wandered into the river where Rudy had saved one of her books, muttering. Though late in the novel, the boming was the climax. 20) Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend?  This book was one of my favourites ever, and that's very special because I read a LOT. I would recommend it to anyone who would ask. However, I don't know if everyone would like it. It isn't very exciting, and is quite dark. I'm not sure if everyone would like the world war two setting, either. I think if someone was mature enough to enjoy the way the book is, with foreshadowing and metaphors, then they would like it.  21) Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations? The Book Thief gets a 5 out of 5, exceeding expectations. It was excellent. First of all, I like historical fiction, and the Book Thief was set in the 1940's. I also like the almost ironic, gloomy humour of Death. It has some of the qualities of The New Policeman by Kate Thompson (read it). When I saw the cover before I read it, it looked dramatic, deep and dark, with sepia dominoes being toppled. Another cover I have seen was the one in Ecuador, that got me to read it. It was pre-faded paper yellow with a yellow-haired girl and Death (in a black cloak) dancing. It meant the girl (Liesel) was somehow linked with Death. Intriguing. It had me expecting a very different book, which it was. Overall, the book was way better than expected, and I expected it to be very good.