The Reading Response To The Book Thief

These behaviors impact the way many view Germany during this time period. The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, also takes place during this time. It focuses on a girl named Liesel, her family, her friend Rudy, a Jew named Max, and Death. The author personifies Death as the narrator of Liesel’s story, living in Nazi Germany during WWII.

In The Book Thief, the author, Markus Zusak writes a beautiful story following a young German girl named Liesel who experiences the atrocities that occur during World War II. Early in the book, she is given by her mother to foster parents who raise her as their own. During her childhood, she begins stealing books and learns about the power of words. Throughout the story, she bonds with many people including her neighbors, her foster parents and a Jew hidden in their basement. Most of the characters end up dying due to the horrible living conditions and time period the book takes place in.

Liesel and her family have been hiding a Jew in their basement. During WW2 this was a serious crime. This book started off with liesel stealing books and then takes a plot twist when Max shows up in their house one day. Max and liesel have become really good friends. Liesel has been hanging out with her friend Rudy on the side, and getting into some trouble too.

Liesel is kind-hearted because in The Book Thief she said, “ I don’t want to lose someone else”. She said this to Max after they became close friends. Given that, she is kind-hearted one can tell that she would do anything to protect her family from death. After WWII max and Liesel reunite and they hug and cry until they fell to the floor. Where Liesel use to live in 33 Himmel Street before there was a raid that destroyed the whole street, they hide Max. Her best friend is Rudy Steiner, he is a neighbor at first but then the friendship grows after each mischievous thing they do together. With Rudy, she grows and steals books for fun. Rudy might think it is fun, but to Liesel, it means for her. Like I said, she does this in memory of her brother. They have a race and it is a draw after falling. Rudy then said to Liesel, “If it’s a draw, do I still get my kiss?” Liesel then says, “ Not in a million years” and Rudy at the end he says “One day, Liesel, you’ll be dying to kiss me”. Therefore, at the end of the book and middle, she desires to kiss him but doesn’t until the end where he is dead. Later on, her family and she hide a Jew, Max Vandenburg, from the Nazis. Max and Liesel have grown close together. Liesel is competitive, compassionate,

The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, outlines the tragedies and events that take place in Liesel Meminger’s life, in Nazi Germany. Throughout this young girl’s struggle of living in the oppressive Nazi regime, she is able to learn crucial lessons about life and the art of survival- some that follow her to the grave. The most important lesson she learned and the pivotal theme of the novel is that rebellion can be and beneficial in certain situations.

The Book Thief is about a young German girl named Liesel Meminger as she goes through life while living in Germany in 1939. Liesel and her foster parents live a normal life on 33 Himmel Street. There is only one difference between their family and the others, they are hiding Max Vandenburg (a Jewish man) in their basement during the time of the Holocaust. This story, narrated by Death follows the life of Liesel from her first step into 33 Himmel Street, until the day she died in Sydney, Australia.

The Book Thief is a historical fiction novel by Markus Zusak set in Munich, Germany during the Nazi reign from 1936-1943. The novel incorporates a main character that is, in the beginning, an innocent child who doesn't understand the world and takes her on a journey where she grows up and matures through the hardships and challenges of her life. The story is narrated by the character Death, who is a fresh take on the Grim Reaper, only wearing the black cloak when it's cold and never carries a syte. Death describes the life Liesel Meminger, an orphaned girl who witnesses her brother's death and burial and finds herself being adopted by the benevolent old couple, the Hubermanns. The rest of the story follows Liesel's journey through her incredibly challenging life with the Hubermanns and characters such as Rudy, The mayor's wife, and Max helping her along. Symbolism in The Book Thief deepens the story by conveying many different ideas and emotions that supports the reader's understanding of the story. This is especially apparent with the use of the gravediggers to help the reader remember characters, the use of color to help the reader feel the proper emotions and remember the correct events, and the use of Liesel's changing feelings about Rudy to convey how Liesel grows and matures through the book.

3). In addition, literacy empowers Liesel when she reads to others to comfort them, and to feel in control of herself. During a bomb raid, Liesel reads to her frightened neighbours to help calm them down: “everyone was silent but Liesel…for at least twenty minutes, she handed out the story. The youngest kids were soothed by her voice, and everyone else saw visions of the whistler running from the crime scene” (Zusak 381). Liesel also begins to read to Frau Holtzapfel which helps console her during her time of grieving over her lost son. Frau Holtzapfel even offers to “‘stop spitting on [Rosa’s] door’” in exchange for Liesel to read to her. Being literarily educated, which is restricted during World War II, results in great power for many people. For Liesel, the power of words, writing, and reading help comfort her during her emotional trauma. Literacy “ultimately save[s] [Liesel]” (Smith para. 3) in the sense that books give her a strong purpose to her life. As Grace Lee has said, “not only does Liesel steal books, but she also steals her life back from death itself” (Lee 21). During a time where she is distraught and

"It's a small story really, about, among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery" (Zusak "The book jacket). Based around the life of Liesel Meminger, under the power of Hitler, lives during a horrendous period of time. Witnessing the death of her own brother and abandonment of her mother, she copes with this by being around the thing she loves most: books. Until one day, her foster family takes in a Jewish man, Max, whose presence keeps Liesel happy, as she can relate to. With the compassion of her foster family and best friend, Rudy, Liesel becomes comfortable within the community. Yet, with the one hidden secret that might just turn everything upside down,

The Book Thief is a film directed by Brian Percival, narrated by death, the film is about a nine year old girl called Liesel who is the protagonist of the story she went from being a character that’s angry to a character that deeply loves her family and friends. Hans Hubermann which is Liesel’s foster father he is described as being patient and gentle with Liesel and he was the first person to win her trust, Liesel’s foster known as Rosa Hubermann came across as cold and impatient after she fostered Liesel and Max she became kind and caring. Max Vandenberg went to hide in the Hubermann’s house he was cautious and introverted; when he grew stronger, he had a rage for Hitler which motivated him to stay alive. He understood Liesel’s experience

Markus Zusak’s historical fiction novel, The Book Thief, tells the story of the Hubermanns living in Germany during World War II. The novel focuses on a young, adopted girl, Liesel, as she grows up and must survive in difficult times. Liesel keeps her morale high during the hard times she faces through her love and friendships with Max, a Jew that the Hubermanns secretly hide in their basement, and Hans, her stepdad.

Liesel’s character begins as an illiterate young girl, but she ends as a passionate lover of literature. From the beginning relies on books to get her through tough times, such as her brother’s death. Reading becomes her way of coping. Now when Liesel goes to read she sees her brother telling her she is doing well instead of haunting her in her dreams. Eventually, her thirst for words leads her down the path of stealing which is described as, “[feeling] like magic, like beauty” (135), and her criminal acts end up benefitting a majority of the characters.

The multifaceted nature of humanity surrounds an abundant diversity of perspectives and values that shape our interactions and relationships. In “The Book Thief” Markus Zusak shows that the passage's theme is humanity's multifaceted nature by asking if humans are good or bad and highlighting the emotions and behaviors within us all. The author asks whether humans are principled or unprincipled through the character’s moral dilemmas. The story details human nature, showcasing acts of kindness and cruelty, ultimately having the reader think about the capacity for both good and evil within individuals. Death the narrator is fascinated by humans and the colors of the world, but he struggles throughout the novel to interpret how humans have the

The Book Thief, is a Death narrated novel by Markus Zusak. The story takes place in Nazi Germany, 1939, where Liesel Meminger arrives on Himmel Street to start a new life with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She lives to a very old age and when Death finally comes to take her away, he wants to tell Liesel about beauty and brutality. But what could he tell her about beauty and brutality that she didn’t know, the Book Thief had lived through it all. The time she saw Max marching to Dachau, the time Rudy went into the Amper River to save The Whistler, and the final moments she spent with Mama. Liesel Meminger’s life had always represent beauty in the wake of brutality.

The Renaissance period, also known as the time of “rebirth”, brought many new ideas from the early 14th to late 16th century. These ideas derived from old medieval beliefs coinciding with new modernist attitudes (“Basic Ideas of the Renaissance,” 2012). Of the many changes that occurred, politics and power, humanism, and the Protestant Reformation predominated. Many desired a strong central government and an end to feudalism, which gave way for the establishment of monarchies (“Introduction to Renaissance,” n.d.). The humanist movement gave individuals a different perspective in regards to life satisfaction and limits of reason (Nauret, 1995). With that being said, to recognize man fully, an emphasis was placed on art, activities, and education of the Classical World (“Basic Ideas of the Renaissance,” 2012). With the establishment of monarchies and humanism, the Renaissance period brought to light the issues of the Church and Catholicism. The movement that appeared from this conflict is known as the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther, a major supporter of the Protestant Reformation, brought forth a different way of thinking and perspective that reflected traditional Christian ideas (Fiero, 2011). Much of the arts in the Renaissance period emulated the ideals and struggles of this time. One popular play known worldwide is Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, who is known as the greatest English playwright of all time (Fiero, 2011). The character Hamlet displayed many