The book thief

Author

Markus Zusak

Call Number

• FICTION ZUSA TEEN (EAS, OSH, WSQ)

Edition

First American edition.

Publication Information

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, [2006]

Physical Description

552 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Audience

730 Lexile.

Summary

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.

It's just 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. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist -- books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau. - Markus Zusak.

Contents

• Prologue : A mountain range of rubble. Death and chocolate
• Beside the railway line
• The eclipse
• The flag
• Part one : The Grave Digger's Handbook. Arrival on Himmel Street
• Growing up a Saumensch
• The woman with the iron fist
• The kiss (A childhood decision maker)
• The Jesse Owens incident
• The other side of sandpaper
• The smell of friendship
• The heavyweight champion of the school-yard
• Part two : The shoulder shrug. A girl made of darkness
• The joy of cigarettes
• The town walker
• Dead letters
• Hitler's birthday, 1940
• 100 percent pure German sweat
• The gates of thievery
• Book of fire
• Part three : Mein Kampf. The way home
• The mayor's library
• Enter the struggler
• The attributes of summer
• The Aryan shopkeeper
• The struggler, continued
• Tricksters
• The struggler, concluded
• Part four : The standover man. The accordionist (The secret life of Hans Hubermann)
• A good girl
• A short history of the Jewish fist fighter
• The wrath of Rosa
• Liesel's lecture
• The sleeper
• The swapping of nightmares
• Pages from the basement
• Part five : The whistler. The floating book (Part 1)
• The gamblers (a seven-sided die)
• Rudy's youth
• The losers
• Sketches
• The whistler and the shoes
• Three acts of stupidity by Rudy Steiner
• The floating book (Part 2)
• Part six : The dream carrier. Death's diary : 1942
• The snowman
• Thirteen presents
• Fresh air, an old nightmare, and what to do with a Jewish corpse
• Death's diary : Cologne
• The visitor
• The Schmunzeler
• Death's diary : the Parisians
• Part seven : The complete Duden dictionary and thesaurus. Champagne and accordions
• The trilogy
• The sound of sirens
• The sky stealer
• Frau Holtzapfel's offer
• The long walk to Dachau
• Peace
• The idiot and the coat men
• Part eight : The word shaker. Dominoes and darkness
• The thought of Rudy naked
• Punishment
• The promise keeper's wife
• The collector
• The bread eaters
• The hidden sketchbook
• The anarchist's suit collection
• Part nine : The last human stranger. The next temptation
• The cardplayer
• The snows of Stalingrad
• The ageless brother
• The accident
• The bitter taste of questions
• One toolbox, one bleeder, one bear
• Homecoming
• Part ten : The book thief. The end of the world (Part 1)
• The ninety-eighth day
• The war maker
• Way of the words
• Confessions
• Ilsa Hermann's little black book
• The rib-cage planes
• The end of the world (Part 2)
• Epilogue : The last color. Death and Liesel
• Wood in the afternoon
• Max
• The handover man.