The Book Thief

 

The Book Thief

By: Markus Zusak

Genre: Historic Fiction

Pages: 552 

Right now I am reading the Historic Fiction novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  The book starts of very strange, a little girl Liesel is traveling on a train with a lady and brother, but something has happened to her brother and has died, Liesel is going out of her mind, and but the lady does not seem to care as much. They get of the train and go to a town nearby to bury her brother. But the weird thing at the beginning of this book the story is being told by someone else, not Liesel and apparently when Liesel was watching her brother being buried, the person telling the story was there next to her. So in this story I’m guessing the author is going to find out who this person is later in the story.  But as the grave diggers are digging a book falls out one of the pockets, Liesel picks it up and hides it. After her brother is buried she then continues her journey with her mother. They travel to Munich, and the lady gives her away to the Hubermann family, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. I am not exactly sure why the lady is giving her away, but I think either Liesel is a foster child and is been given to a new family, but then for some reason I get the feeling that she is Jewish. This is the time of 1939, the war is starting in Germany, and this is a tough time. 

Liesel feels very lonely and scared but she gets use to things. Rosa Hubermann is a very strong and tough women, she will not take any excuses. But Hans Humbermann is a very kind man. Liesel has trouble because she cannot read or write. But every night she always has a night mare about her brother dying and her mother leaving her, but when she wakes up Hans Humbermann is always there, and they read together, they start to read the grave diggers book they go chapter by chapter circling all the words that she does not know. Then in school Liesel starts to get better, but she does not like the teacher so she gets sent out to the hallway and usually gets the ruler on her hands. Liesel has also got a new friend Rudy, he is a sweet mischievous boy and has a little crush on Liesel. He is always trying to see if he can get a kiss from her. Rudy’s favorite person in the whole world is Jess Owens the black runner, who came to the Olympics and won something but Hitler would not give him his medal. Liesel loves books, she just finds then so interesting and strange. For Christmas she got two books, and now she has three books and starts to make her own collection. 

Now let’s fast forward it a few months ahead, it is the day of Hitler’s birthday and there is a speech and the book burning. Liesel looks at all the wonderful books and wonders why they are all being burnt. But later that day, after the book burning when everybody has gone home she and her Papa (Hans Humbermann) are still there. He is talking to a man but Liesel goes and inspects the burnt pile of books. When nobody is looking she picks up two books that have not been burnt and hides them under her shirt, but really someone had been watching, Liesel feels stupid she could get into lots of trouble. 

But now comes a different story a man Max turns up at their door step, he is a Jew. He asks Hans Humbermann if her plays the accordion? He said yes, and he asked if he was Hans Humbermann and he said yes. Then he asked him if he keeps his promises? And Hans said yes. So then the story behind this is when Hans was in World War I, he was in the army with Ma’s father but one day the general wanted one of the men to stay back and write some documents. And Max’s father volunteered Hans and he saved his life because none of the soldiers came back that day. And after the war Han’s went to Max’s fathers wife and son(Max) and he told then that his father was a wonderful and he made a promise that if they ever needed help to go to him. 

So this is a really interesting book and I really love it. So if you are someone would likes to read about WWII and about Jews, this a really cool book to read. And one of my favorite quotes from the book that is really funny and sweet, this is what Liesel is thinking about Rudy, “The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.” So cute, I hope somewhere in the book he finally gets that kiss. So if you want to read an absolutely amazing book read The Book Thief.