From the Bookshelf of 2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge…

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

Start date: August 1, 2016

Finish date: August 31, 2016

Discussion: Group Reads

Discussion leader: Taylor C

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Group Reads

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* Group Read Rules and Timelines
By Winter , Group Reads · 1 post · 2564 views

last updated Jan 23, 2016 02:35AM

January Group Read Nominations
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What Members Thought

May 04, 2010 Gaijinmama rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

You are going to die.
That's the first thing Marcus Zusak, with Death as his narrator, tells us in this beautiful, devastating story. Inevitably, any story of Nazi Germany is going to be dark. This story is no exception, but Zusak reminds us that there were also kids joking, swearing, and playing soccer; and good, average, everyday people who decided to do the right thing even as evil consumed their world.
I suppose what I liked best was the fact that ultimately, this is the story of a little girl ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 Ashley Fritch rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paused

I savored every moment of this book. The language was so delicious, I fell in love every time I opened the book.

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2009 Judy rated it really liked it

I really want to give this book a four and a half. I only read it because of the book discussion group at the library. In fact, I put off reading it until yesterday (book discussion tonight at 7:00). I was wrong. This is a great book. But then you have to sit up and take notice of a book that is narrated by Death. Yes, that's right. Death. The book takes place during Nazi Germany and the main character (The Book Thief) is a ten year old girl, Liesel Meminger. Liesel is living in a foster home--h ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 05, 2011 Rhonda rated it really liked it

I really liked this book. The characters were all wonderful and the writing was really very intriguing. Markus Zusak can definitely find some very interesting ways to go about describing things and I loved that.

"Death" as the protagonist was OKAY, but the book could have been just as good without that whole gimmick I think. What I definitely did not care for were the constant starred and bolded interjections from the narrator that came along every page or so. I think all of that could have been ...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Barbara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-book-group-reads

(Libary Book group read Jan. 2012)

It's World War II in Germany. Liesel Meminger is 9 yrs old when the story starts. She just lost her brother on the trip to go with her new step-parents. Her real mother couldn't take care of them because she had no food or money.

Liesel's first book she stolen when she was burying her brother. She seen it in the snow. After that she would only take one book at time as she needed them. The boy next door, Rudy, was her best friend and they stole fruit and vegetabl (Libary Book group read Jan. 2012)

It's World War II in Germany. Liesel Meminger is 9 yrs old when the story starts. She just lost her brother on the trip to go with her new step-parents. Her real mother couldn't take care of them because she had no food or money.

Liesel's first book she stolen when she was burying her brother. She seen it in the snow. After that she would only take one book at time as she needed them. The boy next door, Rudy, was her best friend and they stole fruit and vegetables together, along with some other town kids.

It's a story about when Hitler was in rein. If you didn't say "Hail Hitler" you could get a back lashing. And you could never associate yourself with Jewish people for if you did you were sure to die or get sent to do the most awful jobs in the war that no one else wanted, like collecting the dead bodies. It was a time when you had to always listen for the air raid whistle and when it blew you went running to the basement.

Liesel loved her step-father who played the accordion. He teaches her to read. Later, the family hides a jewish man in their basement and this brings Liesel a new friend. His name is Max. She reads to him or they sit in the basement telling stories. Her step-mother seems to be kind of mean sometimes but Liesel soon understands later in life the love her step-mom has for her step-father.

Words is what Liesel craves. She rather steal a good book than steal anything else. Death is watching her but he doesn't want to take Leisel away, he's just fastinated by the girl.

The book is told from deaths point of view. Death is tired. Even a death collector gets tired in a war where he is collecting so many bodies. Sometimes he misses the stories of Liesel because he is so busy taking peoples souls.

This book isn't morbid in any way though even though it's told from the perspective of death. It's well written and something that I've never seen by looking at it from death's point of view.

Sometimes it even has a few funny parts in it, but mostly it's about the hardships of war, friendship, loyalty, and the written words of books.

A great book and a must read. The writing is so well writen it gives you such a good visual on the scenes in the book. ...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Margaret rated it really liked it

This book has a brutal ending! Overall I liked it, but there were places where it was dragging for me. The last quarter is can't-put-down-able. ...more

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Jun 13, 2008 Elisa rated it liked it

I found it interesting that the book is written from death's perspective. I also liked a lot of the other themes in the book. Though the story was difficult to read as it covers the sorrows of war and Jewish genocide. ...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Nina S rated it really liked it

It took me awhile to get into this book because of the way it was written. I persevered and eventually found the writing to be charming and then very hard to put down.

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