The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

The story, of Liesel, a young German girl during world war II, is told by Death. And Death has an odd way of speaking. It’s a combination of sly, often grim, humor in the storytelling, and interjections of bold-face explanations, sometimes translations of words, sometimes descriptions of a character’s thinking process. For example,

*** HE SURVIVED LIKE THIS ***
He didn’t go into battle that day

Often the inserts are simply definitions. Emphasizing them in this way draws attention:

***A NECESSARY EXPLANATION ***
LSE
Luftwaffe Sondereinbeit
Air Raid Special Unit

The language is often in the passive voice, as

When the coughing stopped, there was nothing but the nothingness of life moving on with a shuffle, or a near-silent twitch. A suddenness found its way onto his lips then,which were a corroded brown color and peeling, like old paint. In desperate need of redoing.

The story is also told, in part, with staccato, telegraph-like bursts. As:

“Mixed candy again?” She schmunzeled, to which they nodded. The money splashed the counter and Frau Diller’s smile fell slightly ajar.

“Yes, Frau Diller,” they said in unison. “Mixed candy, please.”

The framed Fuhrer looked proud of them.

Triumph before the storm.

“Figurative language,” they call it. Initially I found the style so irritating that I wasn’t sure I’d get through it. It felt like I was being bludgeoned with fact after fact, metaphor after metaphor. But I thought there may be gold here somewhere so I kept on and found that I was better able to ignore the style as I moved through it.

I also notice that the book is categorized as “young adult”, which initially surprised me, but which may help explain why I found its constant obvious explanations annoying. Perhaps they are not so annoying to younger adults? Or people who think like younger adults?

The story of Liesel, a nine-year-old girl when she is thrown into a foster home, is a story of words. From her first book theft to her efforts to read to story-reading in an air raid shelter to the spreading of words in her own hand, she is acutely aware of the power of words. More than once the story slips into a comparison of her use of words with that of Hitler, who used them as weapons to kill. Her theft of the written word is a metaphor, as I see it, for her theft of power from the more common story told among Germans to themselves.

To me, the value in this story is the insight it offers into a poor German neighborhood during World War II. While non-Jewish Germans obviously did not suffer the same way Jews did, the truly poor were usually the first to be forced into service and to accept sacrifices not required of wealthier Germans. They were also the least powerful, essentially unable to effect any change in the political climate. The story brings home that simplistic notions of what went on in Germany during that war need to be revised.

This is a "bonus book" for me. I completed my challenge for 2008 but then read one more.

Sold - Joy's Thoughts

Author: Patricia McCormick

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Published: 2006

Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl that lives in Nepal with her mother, stepfather and brother. Their living conditions are meager and food is often scarce, but they survive. One day after Lakshmi's stepfather squanders what money they had, he announces that it is time for Lakshmi to work. He sells her into a world of darkness under the guise of working in the city as a maid.

Whoa. I wasn't fully aware of what was going to happen to Lakshmi and frankly I was surprised. McCormick researched and interviewed women in Nepal making this story very accurate and in turn extremely disturbing. The writing - amazing. She delivered such a deplorable topic through a poetic style that swept me up. This fast-paced book helps build awareness through the life of Lakshmi that is truly palpable. McCormick is going on my "must read another soon" list.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Joy's Thoughts

Author: John Boyne
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2006

Personal Rating: 4/5

In the early 40's, Bruno is a naive nine-year-old boy that lives in Berlin. One day he comes home from school to find the maid packing his things. He discovers that his father has received a promotion and the family needs to move far away. Bruno hates his new home and longs for friends. One day he goes exploring and finds a boy . . . a boy in striped pajamas.

I've never read a book on the subject of the Holocaust from this perspective. It was very interesting and well done. Actually, all the characters gave good insight into their individual worlds that helped paint the picture of the time frame. While I was listening, I did feel that Bruno was extremely naive, but after listening to the author's explanation in an interview, I fully understand now. It was a quick read, not light or easy, but one worth reading.

Boyne also said in an interview with his publisher that he wrote this novel as a book - not as an adult or children's book, just a book. He believes that classifications are more for where to place a book in a store or library; however, it was published as an adult book.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas--Juli's Review

Author: John Boyne

Pages: 216

Genre: Fiction/YA

Personal Rating: 4

Awards: Shortlisted for British Book Awards: WH Smith Children's Book of the Year Award 2007 and Independent Booksellers' Book of the Year Award: Children's 2007.

From the back cover:

Berlin 1942

When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

I'll admit until the last few chapters of this novel the book was fair. It was well written and a nice little story, but I couldn't understand what the big "fuss" was about. Well, you will when you get to the end. The end MADE this book. It took everything I had previously read and put it into a whole new perspective. This may not make a lot of sense to you, but I really do not want to give away the ending.

Bruno is a naive little boy (9 years) who returns home one day to to find everything being packed up. They are moving. The "Fury" has instructed them to move and this is a great honor for his Father who is now to be called Commandant. (this sentence style is how the book is written) He hates his new house since it is smaller, doesn't have a banister he can slide all the way down, he misses his friends and he doesn't like the mean soldiers who come in and out of his house like they own it.

On the first day in his new house he looks out the window of his room .

"He put his face to the glass and saw what was out there, and this time when his eyes opened wide and his mouth made the shape of an O, his hands stayed by his side because something made him feel very cold and unsafe."

Bruno has moved to "Out-With" with his family for his Father's new prestigious job. He goes to talk with his sister about the children who live outside in dirt and small huts and they draw the conclusion that perhaps they have moved to the countryside. Neither of them understand what is going on. When they both return to look out the window they realize that the people they see aren't all children, but men who are very small (for some reason they can't figure out). Bruno then realizes they are all wearing striped pajamas.

One day Bruno decides to explore along the fence and found The Dot The Became a Speck That Became a Blob The Became a Figure That Became a Boy. This is the boy in the striped pajamas on the other side of the fence who will become Bruno's friend.

My suggestions is to stick with reading this book even if it seems average for the first three quarters. it will quickly catapult itself to spectacular. I would have rated it higher but for me it really was a little slow going in the beginning.

raidergirl's list

Last year I joined this challenge half way through and I've read 7 so far, and would have liked to read a few more. I'll probably be able to get through 8 this year - I don't want to go with one each month, but I know I'll read more than 6.
When I peruse the lists, these six stand out as books I noticed this year and hoped to read. I'll leave room for my 'bandwagon reads' at the bottom.

1. The Gathering by Ann Enright (NYT 2007)
2. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (PW Best Book)
3. Then We Came to The End by Joshua Ferris (NYT 2007)
4. The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak (2007 IRA CL/R SIG Notable Books)
5. House of Meeting by Martin Amis (NYT 2007)
6. Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah (NYT 2007)
7. In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar (NYT 2007)
8. Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (ALA 2007)
9. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (NYT 2007)
10. The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro (NYT 2007, PW Best Book)

The Book Thief - Laura's Review

The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
552 pages

First sentences: First the colors. Then the humans. That's how I usually see things. Or at least, I try.

Reflections: This book tells the story of a young girl, Liesel, who lives near Munich during World War II. The story is set in the early 1940s and is told by "Death," who is quite busy claiming recently-departed souls. Liesel is placed in foster care and gradually assimilates into a new community and a new family. Her new family is poor, and she takes to stealing books in order to feed a reading habit. The story develops when Liesel's family takes in a Jewish man named Max, the son of someone her "Papa" fought with in the first world war. Liesel becomes close to Max, and also befriends a local boy named Rudy. The story intensifies as the war progresses and the Allies begin bombing Germany.

I very much enjoyed this author's writing style and the unique point of view of this story. I became attached to the characters and the relationships. Many of the events are foreshadowed again and again, so when the climax occurs it is not a huge surprise but still very sad. The last 100 pages or so were gripping.

This book left me pensive and contemplative, as it caused me to reflect once again on the holocaust and its terror and devastation.

The original review can be found here.

The Book Thief - Wendy's Book Review

I read The Book Thief in January 2007. My original review may be found here.

Poignant, gripping, compelling, lyrical and tragic - The Book Thief is all this and more. Death narrates this tale of a young girl, a stealer of books named Liesel, who is growing up in a small town outside of Munich during Hitler's reign of terror. Markus Zukas - an award winning author of children's literature - pens an original novel which explores (among other things) the tragedy of war, love and hate, the power of words, and that tenuous space which separates life from death. The characters who people this amazing book come alive on the page:

Rudy Steiner - Liesel's best friend and a boy whose dreams include being an athlete as great as Jesse Owens.

"Papa" aka Hans Hubermann - Liesel's foster father, an accordion player who honors a long forgotten promise and whose kind spirit repeatedly brought tears to my eyes.

When he turned the light on in the small, callous washroom that night, Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver, melting. Liesel, upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth a lot. - from The Book Thief (page 34)-

"Mama" aka Rosa Hubermann - Liesel's foster mother, a woman who loves as fiercely as she curses.

Max Vandenberg - The "Jew in the basement" who discovers the friendship of a girl and the healing power of words.

Ilsa Hermann - The mayor's wife who has lost and grieved and punished herself, and yet makes room in her heart for a young girl with a hunger for words.

And finally, Liesel herself - a girl whose courage and wonderful spirit of life shines through on every page.

At one point, Liesel writes: I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right. (from The Book Thief - page 523-) Markus Zusak makes the words right. His novel will resonate with book lovers. It is a story larger than life; one that touches the reader's heart and never lets go. Death's voice, at once both playful and profound, delivers the ending of this novel with a flourish that will break your heart.

There were many favorite passages from this book. Below are just a few.

About the colors or life (as narrated by Death):

People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations, with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues. Murky darknesses. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them. -page 4-

About Trust and Love (as narrated by Death):

***A Definition Not Found In the Dictionary*** Not leaving: an act of trust and love, often deciphered by children. -page 37-

About the horrors of war:

It was a place nobody wanted to stay and look at, but almost everyone did. Shaped like a long, broken arm, the road contained several houses with lacerated windows and bruised walls. The Star of David was painted on their doors. Those houses were almost like lepers. At the very least, they were infected sores on the injured German terrain. - page 51-

A horizon of Nazi flags and uniforms rose upward, crippling her view every time she attempted to see over a smaller child's head. It was pointless. The crowd was itself. There was no swaying it, squeezing through or reasoning with it. You breathed with it and you sang its songs. You waited for its fire. - page 110-

(As narrated by Death) They say that war is death's best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing, incessantly: "Get it done, get it done." So you work harder. You get the job done. The boss, however, does not thank you. He asks for more. - page 309-

"'My heart is so tired,'" the girl had said. She was sitting in a chapel, writing in her diary. No, thought Liesel as she walked. It's my heart that is tired. A thirteen-year-old heart shouldn't feel like this. -page 427-

(As narrated by Death) I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They're running at me. -page 175-

About the power of words:

After a miscarriaged pause, the mayor's wife edged forward and picked up the book. She was battered and beaten up, and not from smiling this time. Liesel could see it on her face. Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had been blackened. Cuts had opened up and series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All from the words. From Liesel's words. -page 263-

2007 International Reading Association Notable Books

The International Reading Association's special interest group: Children's Literature and Reading has formed a committee called Notable Books for a Global Society (NBGS). Each year they select outstanding trade books which enhance student understanding of people and cultures throughout the world. The first list was published in 1996. To be eligible, a trade book must be published in the United States for the first time during the year of copyrights under consideration (so books on the 2007 list have a US copyright date of 2006). Winning titles are from fiction, non fiction and poetry written for children in grades K-12.

2007 IRA CL/R SIG Notable Books:


HISTORICAL FICTION

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by J. Boyne (David Fickling)

Copper Sun, by S. Draper (Atheneum)

Penny From Heaven, by J.L. Holm (Random House)

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, by A. Lee-Tai (Children's Book Press)

Christmas in the Trenches, by J. McCutcheon (Peachtree)

Night Boat to Freedom, by M.T. Raven (Melanie Kroupa)

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw tale of Friendship and Freedom, by T. Tingle (Cinco Puntos Press)

Counting on Grace, by E. Winthrop (Wendy Lamb)

Dear Mr. Rosenwald, by C. Weatherford (Scholastic)

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, by C.B. Weatherford (Jump at the Sun)

The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak (Alfred A. Knopf)


NON FICTION

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, by R. Freedman (Holiday House)

Cat With the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin, by S.R. Goldman with Ela Weissberger (Holiday House)

Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in American, by D. Hopkinson (Scholastic)

Ryan and Jimmy and the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together, by H. Shoveller (Kids Can Press)

Paths to Peace, by J.B. Zalben (Dutton)


POETRY

When the Horses Ride By, by E. Greenfield (Lee & Low)

Jazz, by W.D. Myers (Holiday House)


REALISTIC FICTION

I Lost My Tooth In Africa, by P. Diakite (Scholastic)

Crossing the Wire, by W. Hobb (HarperCollins)

Best Beekeeper of Lalibela: A Tale from Africa, by C. Kessler (Holiday House)

Selvakumar Knew Better, by V. Kroll (Shen's)

Sold, by P. McCormick (Hyperion)


TRADITIONAL LITERATURE

Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale, by F.I. Campoy & A.F. Ada (Atheneum)

Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters, by P. McKissack (Schwartz & Wade)