I thought the book thief was one of the best books I have ever read. At first I was intimidated/somewhat annoyed with how long it was, but once I started reading it, I was sucked in immediately. This book did a great job of really connecting to the reader and drawing them in. Throughout reading this book, I felt so close to the characters and that I was a part of the book.
My two favorite characters, other than Liesel, were Hans and Rudy. Hans was the most loving and caring father to Liesel; she could not have fallen into better hands. He truly cared for her and wanted her to be happy. He would sit at her bedside all night when Liesel was upset because of her nightmares. He taught her to read when no one else really seemed to care to teach her. In my opinion, Liesel was his life; He lived for her and wanted her to have the best. Rudy was also a very loving and caring character toward Liesel. He was her best friend and they did absolutely everything together. Rudy also confessed his love for Liesel and continuously asked her to give him a kiss, but Liesel would never comply. The narrator mentioned early in the book that Rudy was going to die and this made me so sad. I also found myself panicking every time Rudy would go somewhere alone because I thought, “oh no! This is it, Rudy’s going to die!” The author did a good job of keeping the reader on their toes and interested in the story.
Another aspect of the book I really enjoyed was that the perspective of the book was written through the Germans. Most all of the books I have read in school regarding the Holocaust were written from a Jewish person’s perspective and involves their hiding or struggles in concentration camps, or trying to stay out of concentration camps. This book gave the reader a different outlook on the Holocaust and instead of following the life of a Jew around; the reader was placed in a German town and watched the Jew from a different perspective. What made the book even better though was that the main characters were against the Holocaust. All in all, this was a great book, and included accurate informational facts for students to learn. All I’m wondering is, what age group do you think this book is appropriate for? I think middle school, but I’m wondering if you think fifth graders could handle it?
I loved The Book Thief as well. Although I ran out of time to finish it before our book discussion, I plan on finishing it over Christmas break. Zusak did a great job in developing the characters and I grew to love Liesel, Hans and Rudy. I liked the book, but I was so sad when two of my favorites died. I definitely think this would be a good read for later middle school, but I think fifth grade might be a little too young. I, as a nineteen year old, was even a little intimidated by the length of the book so I can just imagine how a fifth grader would feel. I think it would be useful for them to hear about WWII from a German perspective, especially from someone who opposed the Nazi party, but I think some of the concepts and the style, with Death as a narrator, might be a little hard for a fifth grader to understand.
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