The book thief

[Catherine]

Just finished this and really liked it. I loved some of the descriptions of people :like having a wardrobe body and cardboard face... it deals with the topic from a different slant... the narrator is death... Read it.

[Kati]

Yeah, I read it a few months ago...it's really good.

[Jess]

I loved this book, and found it well deserving of the praise it's received. I found the concept of death as the narrator hard to adjust to initially, but well worth the effort once I got into the story.

[Carina]

this book is excellent! I loved the different view of a commmon topic and the creative narration!

[Marc]

Captivating. This book is one of my favorites so far this year and entirely worth the praise it has received. Well done, Zusak.

[Lindsay]

I loved the idea of a girl who loved reading so much that she tried to steal a few books back. I can relate to that love. Even stealing one from the book burning, a condemned book. Yet she enjoyed it. Very cool.

[Linda]

I would LOVE to know what age group the reviewers were. I'm NOT a young adult, and I am so afraid this book will get lost in the shuffle. As an adult reader, I loved everything about this novel. We were made to care about each character, even as many were taken away from us. We know it will be sad since it deals with the Holocaust, but it is so worth the read. Liesel, as the book thief, craves the written word. I was reminded of Guy Montag in FAHRENHEIT 451. I've recommended it to some freshman teachers I know and hope it will get adopted for honors kids. It is a tremendously worthwhile novel.

[Seth]

I liked the book. It was sad yet happy at the end. A good read

[Mags]

The book was not what I was expecting at all. It was a great new fresh approach to this topic of fiction. I loved the perspective coming from Death itself, and I loved the characteristic of Death too, the almost poetic feel to the whole thing.

I am a young adult reader - 16 years old, but I normally read adult books. (Which you can't really tell from my 'my books' list which is mostly young adult books right now, I'm still working on it, just joined)

[Veronica]

i loved this book. i don't think that I would have ever read it if it hadn't been on a list my library made up called "books for girls" although, it think the for girls part is crap becuase anybody can enjoy the book. but either way, it caused me to read the book after waiting a while for the person who checked it out to bring it back more than a month late. I was so excited when it was finally available for me to check out! The wait for the book was definitly worth it!

[Jennifer]

This was my favorite book read in 2007. I am a (former) high school teacher and have recommended this to everyone I know --- former students, my parents, colleagues --- and I chose it for my book club. I think it is a unique novel that can be appreciated on a number of levels. When I return to the classroom, I want to teach this book!

[Carrie]

Do you think that 7th grade is too young to handle this book?
I would love to teach it.

[Veronica]

It might be too old for some of the less mature kids, but I think that most would be able to handle it. I read this book at the beginig of 8th grade and I thought it was amazing. 7th graders aren't that different from 8th graders. After all, right now they are not that far away from becomeing 8th graders themselves.

[Linda]

Carrie,
I just posted a long reply to the WRONG person, so here goes again. I'm a newly retired high school English teacher. After reading THE BOOK THIEF, I recommended it to several freshman English teachers. We all agreed that the boys would be a tougher "sell" for this novel, not the girls. We also thought that the length could be daunting, and I presume you might be hesitant at the 7th grade level for the same reasons. However, if you've got a group of high readers or an honors level group, go for it. It's such a fantastic book, and I still think about it after many months and many other "reads" in between.
Good luck,
Linda

[Carrie]

Thank you for your reply!
The length is a bit scary and I was worried about the language a LITTLE bit. I know they hear worse words than asshole!
I do have some very good readers that I know would love it!
THANK YOU!

[Debbie]

This book is outstanding! I found the writer's use of "Death" as the narrator very creative and unique. While the story is somewhat disturbing, it is still very thought provoking.

[Margaret]

I loved the book. I read it a few months ago, after my book club picked it for their monthly selection. I'd never heard of Zusak, but since then have gone on to read "I am The Messenger," and one of the Wolfe family series... I forget the name of the last one. He's an amazing writer. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

[Leslie]

An English teacher at the middle school I work at had The Book Thief as one of the selections students could pick for a book discussion group. The kids who selected it loved it. They all were very strong readers who enjoy reading. We, in education and the outside world, really need to get kids reading! I am amazed at how many kids would rather stare at the wall than read a book!

[Meg]

Hi Cheri,

Have you finished the Book Thief yet? I am stuck in the middle too... and worried about what might come next. Although, from the responses to your message, it looks like it's worth it. Let me know if you continue!

[Liz]

The Book Thief was a fascinating book set in the midst of World War II. I recommend this to everyone sixth grade and above. The cursing wasn't THAT bad. Most of it was in German...

[Connor]

Hi, I have twin boys who are 15 now. About two years ago (maybe three), A. and I heard the author read the prologue on the raido. We were upstairs folding laundry. He turned and said "we have to get this book." I nodded and did the usual 'yes, we should ..." He said "Mom, I mean right now!"
So we did. We read it allow as a family and the boys just kept wanting more. This book led A. to read "The Messenger" on his own. So I would say boys can and do go for this one.

[Andy]

Although this is quite geeky, after reading this book, I felt the need to look up Molching in Google. I quickly realised that it was a fictitious town. However, Olching is not, so I looked that up on Google Maps. Sure enough, there was a town, close to Dachau, on the river Amper. The first thing that hit me from the satellite view was the running track. Even some of the street names are shared with the fictitious Molching. All of a sudden the book seemed a lot more real.

Call me geeky if you will. :)

[Court]

I read this book in 6th grade. And I loved it. Still Do. I think I liked best was how the author put this soul, almost, to Death. And made it seem like Death actually cared, somewhat, for the dying.
And as to the whole 7th grade not mature enough possibility, well I think they'd love it but it might cause them to start cursing in German...

[Brigid ✩]

Gah!!! Such an amazing book. I read it last week. And despite the fact that it made me feel utterly depressed for about an entire day after I read it, I loved it. It's a really original and intriguing story, and the writing style is fantastic. And it made me cry, which few books have ever done to me. XD