The Book Thief

The Book Thief

1st Edition front cover
Author	Markus Zusak
Illustrator	Trudy White
Language	English, German
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Picador, Australia; Knopf, USA
Publication date	2005
Publication place	Australia
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	859
ISBN	978-0-375-84220-7
OCLC	183612599
LC Class	PZ7.Z837 Boo 2007

The Book Thief is a novel by Australian author Markus Zusak. Set in Nazi Germany, it describes a young girl's relationship with her foster parents, the other residents of their neighborhood, and a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. Published in 2005, it has won numerous awards and has been listed on the New York Times Children's Bestseller List for over one hundred weeks.

Plot summary

The Book Thief takes place in Germany before and during World War II. The story is told from the point of view of Death, who finds the story of the Book Thief, Liesel Meminger, to be very interesting, as she brushed Death three times in her life. The novel begins when Liesel's mother takes Liesel and her brother Werner to live with foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. We learn that her father is a communist, and her mother is chronically sick. Her brother dies during the trip and Liesel steals the apprentice Gravediggers' Grave Digging handbook, after he drops it in the snow. This would be Liesel's first close call with death, as well as her first time stealing a book. Liesel's foster mother and father, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, treat her well, though Rosa often insults Liesel by calling her a pig in German (affectionately, of course). Hans teaches her how to read using "The Gravedigger's Handbook", and she continues stealing books from various sources - mainly the library of Ilsa Hermann, the mayor's wife, a friend of hers who enjoys and tolerates her thievery. Liesel also befriends the other children of Himmel Street, including Rudy Steiner, who is in love with her and is also her best friend.

Eventually, Hans and Rosa take in and hide Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man whose father saved Hans' life in World War I. Max becomes friends with Liesel, making her two books, using repainted pages from a copy of Mein Kampf (My Struggle) and showing her his life story in a series of sketches. However, the Nazi presence and the rise of World War II throw all of their lives into turmoil. When a parade of Jews is brought through the town, Hans gives a piece of bread to an old man. He and the old man are whipped and the family lives in fear of the Gestapo searching their house and discovering Max. They arrange for Max to leave and rendezvous with Hans after a few days; however, when Hans arrives at the meeting point he finds only a note that they believe is from Max saying "You've done enough." After a few weeks, Hans is ordered into the army, as is Rudy's father, Alex Steiner - this is also a punishment; Rudy shows athletic and academic promise and is offered a place at an 'elite' school which was meant for Germany's future elite group, which his parents refuse. Hans is drafted into an air raid service, however after a few months he breaks his leg and returns home.

Liesel begins to write her own book, The Book Thief : the story of her life. When Himmel Street is bombed, she is the only survivor, as she was in the Hubermanns' basement, finishing her book that Hans encouraged her to read. She finds the bodies of her foster parents, and then Rudy. This is Death's third encounter with Liesel. Distraught, she drops the book, which Death finds and keeps. She goes to live with the Hermanns and when Alex Steiner returns, works in his tailor shop. In 1945, Max Vanderburg walks into the shop and he and Liesel are reunited. At the end of the book, Death tells us that she dies in Sydney, Australia, although few other details of her life are revealed, and gives her back the book, along with a truth he can not tell anyone else: "I am haunted by humans."

Total Death Encounters:

1) When Liesel was in the train with her younger brother. Werner coughed and stared blankly into the floor as death came and noticed Liesel.

2) After an air raid an American bomber plane crashes into the woods just at the end of Himmel street, Rudy walks to the dying man in the plane and puts a teddy bear on his chest before being carried away. Death saw Liesel and recognized her.

3) During a unknown midnight air raid on Munich, the bombers missed and hit Himmel street. Death watched as Liesel ran to see all of her dead peers. He was especially sad to take Rudy, He had so much life and so much to live for. He takes his soul when Liesel bent down to gave him a final farewell kiss, as she was in love with him after all. This is when Death finds the book...

Main Characters

• Liesel Meminger: A tomboyish girl on the verge of adolescence and the protagonist of the story. She is fostered by the Hubermanns when her father "abandons" their family and her mother is forced to give her up for adoption. Her younger brother, Werner, dies on the way to the Hubermann household. She is very close to her foster father, Hans Hubermann, and has a rough but loving relationship with her foster mother, Rosa. She befriends Max, the Jew whom the Hubermanns are hiding, as well as the mayor's wife, who allows Liesel to read, borrow, and steal books from her home library. She also befriends the other children of Himmel Street, among them Rudy Steiner, who becomes her best friend and eventual love interest. Despite her many refusals to Rudy's requests for a kiss, her love for him is clear, as seen by the lustful nature of some of her fantasies of him. Liesel finally grants Rudy's much-awaited kiss as he lies dead among the ruins of Himmel Street.

• Hans Hubermann: Liesel's foster father, who works as a painter. He also has a bad addiction to smoking cigarettes. He does not agree with the Nazi party, but is forced to join, and is, upon being accepted into the Nazi party, drafted into the Wehrmacht army in order to protect his livelihood and his family. He is described as having silvery-grey eyes and being very tall, although despite this he is described as being very capable of blending in with the crowd. He was taught the piano accordion by Max's father Erik, a friend from the army (who saved Hans' life), and he occasionally performs in pubs to make extra money. He becomes very close to Liesel, as he calms her after her night terrors and teaches her to read. However, he has a falling-out with his actual son, Hans Jr., because of his son's support of the Nazis. Hans is killed in the Himmel Street bombing.

• Rosa Hubermann: Liesel's foul-mouthed foster mother. She is very short and has browny-grey 'elastic' hair often tied up in a bun. To supplement the household income, she does washing and ironing for five of the wealthier households in Molching, however, as the war causes economic problems, she loses her jobs one by one, the last being at the Hermann household. She has a quick temper, rules the household with an iron fist, and is known for straightening out previous foster children; however, though she often swears at Liesel, she cares very much for her. She has two children of her own, Trudy and Hans Jr. Rosa is killed in the Himmel Street bombing.

• Rudy Steiner: Liesel's neighbor and love interest. He is eight months older than Liesel and is described as having bony legs, sharp teeth, blue eyes, and lemon-colored hair. As part of a household with six children, Rudy is permanently hungry. He is known throughout the neighborhood due to the "Jesse Owens incident" in which he painted himself with charcoal one night and ran one hundred meters at the local sporting field. He is academically and athletically gifted, and gets into trouble at the Hitler Youth due to his smart mouth, rebellious nature, and vindictive group leader. Rudy becomes Liesel's best friend, often accompanying her on her adventures and talking her through her problems. He also teases her, regularly (though always unsuccessfully) asking her for a kiss. Rudy is killed in the Himmel Street bombing; Liesel finally grants him a kiss as he lies dead in the street.

• Max Vandenburg: A Jewish fist-fighter whom the Hubermanns stow away in their home. He is described as having feather-like hair and swampy eyes. Max finds Hans Hubermann and convinces him to shelter him because of Hans' friendship with Max's father. Max befriends Liesel due to their shared affinity for nightmares and words, and he writes two books for her and presents her with a sketchbook that contains his life story. He is taken away by the German Gestapo to a concentration camp, but manages to return to Molching after the war and is united with Liesel at the end of the novel.

• Tommy Müller: A friend of Rudy Steiner and Liesel. He has a hearing problem, which caused him to have multiple ear surgeries. One failed, causing nerve damage that makes him twitch. As a result, he is frequently made fun of by his classmates and later punished by the head of the Hitler Youth when he is unable to obey commands promptly. Tommy is killed in the Himmel Street bombing.

• Ilsa Hermann: The wife of the mayor of Molching. They had a son, Johannes Hermann, who was killed in Russia. Rosa and Liesel do their washing and ironing for a time; eventually the bad economy forces the Hermanns to fire them, which causes an argument with Liesel. However, despite this, Ilsa allows Liesel to continue visiting and read books in the large library in her home.

• Frau Holtzapfel: A neighbor of the Hubermanns. Originally she is an object of Rosa's hatred because she always spits on the Hubermann's door. However, eventually, she asks Liesel to read to her, stopping her spitting and giving the Hubermanns her coffee rations in return. Of her two sons, Robert died on the battlefield while his elder brother Michael committed suicide a few months later to join him. Frau Holtzapfel is killed in the Himmel Street bombing.

• Death: The narrator of the book throughout the story. Death is sympathetic to mankind and dislikes all of the despair and destruction brought upon humans by war. He comments on the thoughts, morals, and actions of humanity throughout the story while keeping a close eye on Liesel. At the end of the book, he takes Liesel's story and carries it with him everywhere. He frequently likes to describes the colours of things, and has sympathy with the humans whose souls he carries, as revealed in the book's final line, "I am haunted by humans". He does not seem to have any control over life and death, frequently calling upon God with 'I don't understand' and answering himself with 'but it's not your job to understand'.

Themes

• The value of literature: Liesel learns the value of having a voice and knowing how to read. She also realizes that words are what hold the country under the power of Hitler and the Nazi party. Hans teaches her to read; the mayor's wife allows her into the library; and Max gives her two books he wrote himself. Though it is also the source of her strife, literature is Liesel's escape from her bleak life.

• Guilt: Many characters have to deal with guilt. When Max stays with the Hubermanns, he constantly asks for forgiveness for putting them in danger. Guilt is reinforced throughout the novel.

• The duality of humanity: Humanity is described as being both brutal and beautiful. Brutality is shown primarily through the horrors of war and the treatment of Jews; however, these examples are often counteracted by the kind actions of the Hubermanns, Liesel and Rudy, and other sympathetic characters in the story.

• The value of words: Liesel learns that words cause destruction and the peace in this world. When Liesel's foster mother gives her Max's second book this theme is greatly noticed.

Adaptation

A possible adaptation of the novel is currently in the works. 20th Century Fox acquired the rights to the novel and is filming it through their subsidiary Fox Searchlight Pictures. The release has not been confirmed yet.

Awards

• 2006 - Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (South East Asia & South Pacific)
• 2006 - Horn Book Fanfare
• 2006 - Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award
• 2006 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• 2006 - Daniel Elliott Peace Award
• 2006 - Publishers Weekly Best Children Book of the Year
• 2006 - Booklist ChildrenEditors' Choice
• 2006 - Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
• 2007 - Boeke Prize
• 2007 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
• 2007 - Michael L. Printz Honor Book
• 2007 - Book Sense Book of the Year
• 2009 - Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Master List

External links

• The Book Thief on FantasticFiction.co.uk
• The Book Thief study guide, quotes, themes, literary devices, teacher resources