The book thief discussion questions chicago public library. Name some acts of resistance in the book, from large to small. The book thief is a story about the power of words to make worlds. The book thief may be based in nazi germany during world war ii, but the novel was actually written by australian author markus zusak, who wrote the novel in sydney back in 2005. He provides the novel with dark thoughts, humor, and information. When liesel s foster family hides a jewish fistfighter in their basement, liesel s world is both opened up, and closed down. When she first comes to live with her foster family, the. Death describes his first encounter with the book thief as white like the. Death explains why liesel steals frau hermanns book. The reason being because she didnt own any books whos covers were green. Feb 01, 2017 in the book thief it is said that her mother is a communist, which was taboo during that time, and may have been taken to a concentration camp because of it. Its the first book liesel steals and the first book she reads. Markus zusak is the international bestselling author of six novels, including the book thief and most recently, bridge of clay. It was adapted into a 20 feature film of the same name.
What were the books liesel meminger stole in the book thief. Liesel meminger is the hardworking, bookthieving, kindhearted star of the novel. The first one she steals is the the gravediggers handbook. At the start of her story, liesel is without words and cannot read.
Feb 24, 2019 this pin was discovered by hermione elendil skywalker. The nazis and the assault, then and now, on culture by joanne laurier 16 december 20 directed by brian percival. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Surrounded by violence, hardship, and war, liesel is watched over by death, who narrates her story. While subjected to the horrors of wwii germany, young liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. A song in the dark is the book liesel stole from ilsas library,before liesel received the duden dictionary and thesaurus. The story of the book thief is told to us by death. The book thief part three summary and analysis gradesaver. The book thief had struck for the first time the beginning of an illustrious career. If anything, she stole that book from the grim reaper of books. The book thief was magically brought to life by 20th century fox. I do not own any of the movie clips, all rights go to fox and markus zusak. The death narrates this story, describes main characters and gives us his own opinion about humans.
Death comes for her soul and shows her the book thief, and tells her that humans haunt him. Meanwhile, liesel is trying to shake off memories of numerous tragedies by immersing herself in books. Nov 07, 20 there is no irony in the book thief, which gets its name for liesels penchant for borrowing books, first from the unknown gravedigger and later the burgermeisters wife. When she enters the library, liesels understanding of the world of books is greatly expanded. The novel is narrated by death, characterized not as the usual grim reaper, but a sympathetic guardian of the souls of the deceased. The grave diggers handbook, a training book about grave digging, which liesel meminger protagonist found lying in the snow at werner memingers funeral. Set in germany in the years 19391943, the book thief tells the story of liesel, narrated by death who has in his possession the book she wrote about these years. When ilsa brings her a blank notebook, she begins writing the story of her life, called, the book thief. Death says hes growing tired as he tells the story, so he thinks it wise to finish. Title of book author publisher date stolen recived place stolen from notes the grave diggers handbook. Aug 12, 2015 in the novel, death picked up liesel s book because he felt it was important.
Her soul, like her papas, sat up when death came for her, and as she went she thought. The novel ends when she is an old woman and death comes to collect her soul. She has so much desire for books that she steals them even before she learned how to read a proper book. The book thief is a historical novel by australian author markus zusak and is his most popular work. Shes editing it in the basement when the bombs strike himmel street. Liesel cannot read but, with the support and guidance of hans, teaches herself to read a whole manner of things, and when her curiosity is not satisfied. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. The first book liesel steals from ilsas library and it also marks the point where the hermanns fire the hubermanns laundry service the last human stranger the final book liesel steals from the library, we dont know much else about this one. The second book that liesel steals is called the shoulder shrug she stole her first book, the grave diggers handbook, on january, 1939, and.
After frau hermann fires rosa, liesels opinion changes. In the book thief, what actually happened to liesels family. Liesel moves to australia and grows to be an old woman with a family. The first book liesel stole was the grave diggers handbook. The book thief part five summary and analysis gradesaver. Liesel stole books from a grave digger, a bonfire and the mayors wife, ilsa herman.
Throughout the story the book thief, the author, markus zusak, uses his main character liesel meminger to demonstrate that, although words often start off as innocent, with personal experiences their true power becomes evident and often times it becomes easier to see their ugliness than the beauty they can bring. In the novel, death picked up liesels book because he felt it was important. What was the second book liesel from the book thief. The bible, the grave diggers handbook, the word shaker. His work is translated into more than forty languages, and has spent more than a decade on the new york times bestseller list, establishing zusak as one of the most successful authors to come out of australia. If ilsa hermann, the mayors wife, hadnt seen liesel steal the book from the fire. Instant downloads of all 1288 litchart pdfs including the book thief. Liesels second stolen book, taken from a pile of burning books. While rudy and others steal food, liesel steal books as a form of self actualization zusak. Not much is known about a song in the dark except that she stole it without rudys help, and she picked the book because it was green. The book thief essays are academic essays for citation. This is because most of the time when she steals a book, ilsa was leaving things like snacks beside the window that she left open for liesel. Set against the tragedystained canvas of world war ii, death tells the story of young liesel meminger the eponymous book thief growing up in nazi germany under the watchful eye of a staunch foster mother and kindly foster father who teaches her to read. She takes liesel to the library, a room full of shelves of books, and liesel thinks its the most beautiful thing shes ever seen.
While subjected to the horrors of world war ii germany, young liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Liesel steals this book after the book burning that takes place in the heart of himmel street. The characters hans, rosa, and rudy are also introduced in part one. She believes the towns wealthy should continue to employ workers during the war. Hans hubermann papa liesels foster father and husband of rosa, hans is a former german soldier during the first world war, accordion player, and painter. The film showed liesels house, when she was older, and on a desk was the book thief. Liesel goes home with ilsa hermann and is later reunited with max. She steals it out of anger, after the hermanns fire rosa because they cant pay her anymore. Get an answer for in the book thief, what is the chronological order of the books liesel steals. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. What are the books liesel steals in the book thief answers. The book thief tells the story of liesel and her foster family who are living in nazi germany at a time when jews are being persecuted.
The book thief tells the story of liesel meminger, a young german girl coming of age in nazi germany. Sep 01, 2005 this is a book to treasure, a new classic. Her brother werner was sick and died on the train before arriving. Liesel does not steal this book, which is penned by mattheus ottleberg, but rather receives it as a christmas gift from hans and rosa hubermann. In part one of the book thief, death introduces liesel. Death narrator page 31 this quote also indicates the time it was in world war 2 19391945 because in. Death explains liesels history and why she is moving in with her foster parents, the hubermanns.
Afterwards, she tears up a book in ilsas library and forsakes writing. So hard that he would never ask for her lips again and would go to his grave without them. Another one of the books liesel steals from ilsa hermanns library. She sees sketches of hitler conducting a crowd of people and another of a man and woman standing atop a pile of bodies beneath a swastika sun. Published in 2005, the book thief became an international bestseller and was translated into 63 languages and sold 16 million copies. The book thief summary from litcharts the creators of. She stole, or borrowed, depending on how you look at it, seven books. This is the first book that liesel steals from ilsa hermanns library. The 9yearold book thief, liesel meirlanguarger or whatever she stole a bunch of books right. Summary liesel avoids the mayors house at all costs because she suspects that the mayors wife saw her steal the book from the bonfire.
Having lost her father because of his communist sympathies, and soon thereafter her brother and mother, she understands the pain of loss, and these experiences inform her actions and attitudes towards the other characters. The second book liesel steals is called the shoulder shrug. The protagonist of the book, liesel is also its moral center. The novel focuses on the joys and sorrows of liesel, her foster family, and the jewish man they hide from the nazis. We do not know too much about the context of the book, but we do know that it is about a jewish protagonist. January, 1939 snow in a nameless town after being droped by a gravediggers apprentice. In the book thief, what is the chronological order of the books. Companion book for the book thief the book thiefliesel. The book thief is the story of liesel meminger, a girl living in nazi germany whose foster parents provide refuge for a young jew, max vandenberg, by hiding him in their basement. Get an answer for what was the second book liesel from the book thief stole. Liesel steals a number of books throughout the novel. In markus zusaks book, the book thief, liesel has to face many obstacles in order to see that she just needs to be brave and keep fighting through the emotional pain. Its january 1939, and ten year old liesel is traveling by train with her mother and her little brother werner.
So, we think a good way to analyze liesel s character. Stealing the shoulder shrug also opens the doors to a whole word of books. Liesel s second stolen book, taken from a pile of burning books. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book thief. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. Liesel then steals books from book burnings by the nazis and from the mayors house. You didnt really want brown eyes in germany around that time. Take it from liesel meminger, the protagonist of the book thief. While its set during a historical time period, the book thief doesnt give us a dry, factbased history lesson. What is the first book liesel meminger steals in the book.
There is more than meets the eye with the protagonist of the book thief, liesel meminger. Books are in short supply so he teaches her to read the book she had stolen. The narrator refers to liesel as the book thief because she steals a. When liesel grew older and died, he was to present it to her as a gift. What is the first book liesel meminger steals in the book thief. Liesel meminger as a girl with a mountain to climb liesel meminger is the main character of the book the book thief. She is about fifteen toward the end of the novel when the bombs destroy her home and kill her loved ones. What is the significance of colors in the book each color is an aid to. In the case of the book thief, the legions of fans of the original novel lessen that risk somewhat, but it still may take some welldeserved oscar nominations in january for the film to be. Her hair was a close enough brand of german blonde, but she had dangerous eyes.
The book thief is an earnest melodrama with a solid cast that deals with powerful themes of life, death, and connection. Soon she is stealing books from nazi book burnings, the mayors wifes library, wherever there are books to be found. Rather than being random items to be stolen when the rare chance. It is a welldesigned, good looking film with locations and costumes that place its audience squarely in the middle of world war iiera europe. The theme of stealing and giving in the book thief from. Sure, shes a book thief, but shes no ordinary criminal and is more relatable than one might expect. The book thief is narrated by death yup, you heard that right who tells us the story of liesel meminger. The central story of liesel the book thief who is fostered following the heartbreaking loss of her mother and sudden death of her little brother at the start of the war, follows her delightful friendship with her new papa, a kind, humble and musically gifted former german soldier who is there for her at every turn. Hans reads liesel her stolen book so thats what its called liesel was travelling with her brother and mother to munich to meet her foster parents. At first, liesel refuses the book offered by frau hermann because accepting felt wrong. It was the first time liesel had been branded with her title, and she couldnt hide the fact that she liked it very much.
She never knew her father, her mother disappears after delivering her to. Liesel threw it back decides later she only wants the book if she can steal it november 1941, her and rudy sneak in the window and almost get caught viktor chemmel threw it into the amper river rudy retrieved it from the icy water. The most crucial character from this book, the book thiefs real name is liesel meminger, a 9 yearold girl with all kinds of memories, experiences, curiousity, desires. Liesels foster parents harbor a jewish fighter named max. She is a little, but very strong girl, who has to suffer too much in her life.
Under the stairs in her home, a jewish refuge is being sheltered by her adoptive parents. Liesel meminger is a foster child living in nazi germany in 1939. Nominated as one of americas bestloved novels by pbss the great american read. A list of the stolen books in chronological order please. Having liesel witness rudys death, in the film, caused her to be overwhelmed and to pass out. From hans to liesel to the mayors wife, discuss how some of the characters in the book thief deal with their past. In the book the the book thief, set in germany during the nazi army and air raids back in late 1930 to early 1940s, liesel meminger she shows many acts of courage. Liesels second book, the shoulder shrug, was saved from a book burning that was meant to celebrate hitlers birthday. Death takes an interest in liesel, and believes that her story is one of the best stories that he has. Death narrator page 31 this quote also indicates the time it. Markus zusaks the book thief, set in germany during world war ii, follows young liesel meminger as she struggles with the loss of her mother and brother and must go to live with foster parents, hans and rosa hubermann. Well look at how she grows and changes between 1939 and 1943 by looking at what each of the books mean to her. The whistler is the first book liesel reads during the air raids, and it helps liesel. She stole it because she didnt have a green book in her collection.
According to death, liesel s book, the book thief, is divided in this way as well. The dream carrier, liesel steals a copy of this book from ilsa hermann s library. Liesel sees it beside him while he is sleeping and opens it. Liesel is nine years old, almost ten, at the start of the novel. In the basement of her home, a jewish refugee is being protected by her adoptive parents. When i found out about it, i knew that books held an important place in her heart. Stolen moments with the book thief cast dallas news. Like many of us, liesel doesnt have an easy time reading, at least not at first. Get free homework help on markus zusaks the book thief. Faust the dog, written by mattheus ottleberg, a christmas gift from hans and rosa hubermann to liesel meminger.
Despite trauma from the death of her family members, liesel is determined to survive and make sure that she has her tale written with words full of love and compassion. Economizing at home makes poor workers like rosa even poorer. The film showed liesel s house, when she was older, and on a desk was the book thief. He states that the book thief died only yesterday, that she lived a long life in a place far away from munich and himmel street in a suburb of sydney. Liesel is the book thief referred to in the title because liesel is fascinated by the power of words. The whistler is the first book she steals from ilsa. It is the story of a young girl liesel meminger, deaths distraction and fascination.