The Book Thief Book Report

1. Setting:

a. “Liesel made a clear circle on the dribbled glass and looked out.

*** A PHOTO OF HIMMEL STREET ***

The buildings appear to be glued together, mostly small houses and apartment blocks that look nervous. There is murky snow spread out like a carpet. There is concrete, empty hat stand trees, and grey hair.” (pg. 27)

b. The Book Thief is located in Molching, Germany during world war two.

c. The setting is significant because during world war two in Germany a lot of very terrible things went on, and this is the story of these events.

2. Point of View:

a. First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try. *** HERE IS A SMALL FACT ***

YOU ARE GOING TO DIE

I am in all truthfulness attempting to be cheerful about this whole topic, though most people find themselves hindered in believing me, no matter my protestations. Please, trust me. I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that’s only the A’s. Just don’t ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me. (pg. 1)

b. Since this story is told by death it tends to have a rather morbid feel. This story is told in second person. Since not many books are written in second person this one reads quite differently than others. It has a detached feel to it, like listening to a person on the platform discuss the goings on inside a passing train.

3. Conflict:

a. “*** THE THOUGHT PROCESS OF ***

HANS HUBERMAN

He was not well-educated or political, but if nothing else, he was a man who appreciated fairness. A Jew had once saved his life and he couldn’t forget that. He couldn’t join a party that antagonized people in such a way. Also, much like Alex Steiner, some of his most loyal cust...

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...he town hall stood like a giant ham fisted youth, too big for his age. The church disappeared in darkness the farther his eyes traveled upward.

It all watched him.

He shivered.

He warned himself. “Keep your eyes open.”

b. Markus Zusak uses sentences a lot like lines in poetry; they are very clipped and short. This has an odd effect on his writing, it causes it to be less descriptive, but contain more emotion than a normal piece of writing.

7. Opening and Closing

a. “Nobody wanted to tell Rosa Hubermann that the boy didn’t survive the trip” (pg.26). This scene is significant because it starts the book off with death, which sets the mood for the rest of the book.

b. Papa was a man with silver eyes, not dead ones. The closing scene is significant because it brings the book back to its beginning, the death of a loved one. And thus concludes the story where it began.