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DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

VISAKHAPATNAM

TITLE OF THE BOOK

The Book Thief

NAME OF THE AUTHOR

Markus Zusak

NAME OF THE FACULTY

Ms Beena Punjabi

NAME OF THE STUDENT

Priyanka Chemudupati

ROLL NO.
2017022

Semester -1
Section – A
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ACKNOWLEDGEMT:
I am highly indebted to my Hon’ble English professor, Ms
Beena Punjabi, for giving me a wonderful opportunity to work on the review of
the novel “The Book Thief by Markus Zusak” , and it is because of her excellent
knowledge, experience and guidance, this project is made with great interest and
effort.
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CONTENTS:
 About the book and its achievements………………………….....04
 About the author………………………………………………….06
 Summary of the story………………………………………….....07
 Favourite character……………………………………………….11
 My opinion on the book………………………………………….12
 Conclusion……………………………………………………….13
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ABOUT THE BOOK AND ITS ACHIEVEMENTS:

The Book Thief is a 2005 historical novel by Australian
author Markus Zusak and is his most popular work. This book comes under the
genre of Young Adult novels. It has 584 pages. Published in 2005, The Book
Thief became an international bestseller and was translated into several
languages. It was adapted into a 2013 feature film of the same name.
The book thief established Markus Zusak as a bestseller
author for a very long time on the boards. It bought huge fame to him and has
also been named as his best book till date.
To date, The Book Thief has held the number one
position at [Link], [Link], the New York Times bestseller list, as
well as in countries across South America, Europe and Asia. It has also been in
the top five bestsellers in the UK and several other territories. It has amassed
many and varied awards, ranging from literary prizes to readers choice awards
to prizes voted on by booksellers. It was the only book to feature on both the
USA and UK World Book Night Lists in 2012, and has now been adapted into a
major motion picture.
The various Recognitions received by this book are:
 2006- Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (South East Asia &
South Pacific)
 2006 - Horn Book Fanfare
 2006 - Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award
 2006 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
 2006 - Daniel Elliott Peace Award
 2006 - Publishers Weekly Best Children Book of the Year
 2006 - Booklist Children Editors' Choice
 2006 - Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
 2007 - Boeke Prize
 2007 - American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults
 2007 - Michael L. Printz Honor Book
 2007 - Book Sense Book of the Year (Indie’s choice)
 2009 - Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Master List
 Winner of the National Jewish Book Award
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The Book Thief (the film adaptation) is directed by Emmy Award-

winning Brian Percival (Downton Abbey) and was shot in Berlin by Twentieth
Century Fox. The cast is headlined by Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush
(Shine, The King’s Speech) and Academy Award nominee Emily Watson
(Breaking the Waves, Anna Karenina). It also includes exciting new talents Ben
Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, and Sophie Nelisse (Monsieur Lazhar), with Nelisse cast
as The Book Thief, Liesel Meminger.

The Guardian calls The Book Thief “a novel of breath taking scope,
masterfully told.”
The New York Times: “Brilliant and hugely ambitious the kind of
book that can be life-changing.”
The Age: “an original, moving, beautifully written book.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Book Thief was written by Markus Zusak. Markus Frank
Zusak is an Australian writer. Zusak was born on 23rd June 1975 in Sydney,
Australia. His mother Lisa is from Germany and his father Helmut is from
Austria. They emigrated to Australia in the late 1950s. Markus is the youngest of
four children and has two sisters and one brother. He attended Engadine High
School and returned there to teach English while writing. He studied English and
History at the University of New South Wales, and graduated with a Bachelor of
Arts and a Diploma of Education.
Zusak is the author of six books. His first three books, The
Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe and When Dogs Cry, released between 1999
and 2001, were all published internationally and garnered a number of awards.
The Underdog, his first book, took seven years to publish. The Messenger,
published in 2002, won the 2003 CBC Book of the Year Award (Older Readers)
and the 2003 NSW Premier's Literary Award (Ethel Turner Prize) in Australia
and was a runner-up for the Printz Award in America.
The Book Thief was published in 2005 and has since been
translated into more than 30 languages. Besides winning awards in Australia and
overseas, The Book Thief has held the number one position at [Link] and
on the New York Times best-seller list, as well as in Brazil, Ireland and Taiwan.
It has been among the top five best sellers in the UK, Spain, Israel and South
Korea, and is still set to be released in many other territories. The Book Thief was
adapted as a film of the same name in 2013.
"The Messenger" (or "I Am The Messenger" in the United
States) was published in 2002 and was one of Markus Zusak's first novels. This
novel, although not as popular as "The Book Thief," has won awards such as the
"New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards: Ethel Turner Prize for Young
People's Literature."
The upcoming book of Zusak would be the Bridge of Clay.
Which he stated on March 2016 would be coming soon.
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SUMMARY OF THE STORY:

The majority of the novel takes place in the fictional town
of Molching, Germany, near Munich, between 1939 and 1943. Death narrates the
story of Liesel Meminger, beginning when she is nine years old and suffering
from the death of her brother and separation from her mother. Liesel goes to live
with Hans and Rosa Hubermann at 33 Himmel Street in Molching. When Liesel
arrives, she can't read and is made fun of in school. She realizes how powerless
she is without words, and so Hans, a painter and accordion player, teaches her
how to read during midnight lessons in the basement, reading from the book
Liesel took from her brother's burial: The Grave Digger's Handbook. During
Liesel's early days with the Hubermanns, she has nightmares and Hans sits with
her through the night. With his gentle demeanour and his accordion playing, Hans
gains Liesel's trust as she grows close to him and comes to associate his presence
with safety. She becomes very good friends with Rudy Steiner, the Hubermanns'
neighbour. Rudy is constantly trying to get Liesel to kiss him, but she always
refuses.
For a while, Himmel Street is a happy place for Liesel. She
helps Rosa collect the washing from different wealthy inhabitants of Molching.
One house, in particular, catches her attention: 8 Grande Strasse, the home of the
mayor and his wife, Ilsa Hermann.
The Nazi Party's presence becomes increasingly apparent in
Molching. In addition to the destruction of Jewish shops and yellow stars that
have already been painted on door fronts and windows, Liesel and Rudy are
required to join the Band of German Girls and Hitler Youth, respectively. To
celebrate the Führer's birthday, the people of Molching gather for a bonfire
during which they burn enemy propaganda, including books. Liesel sees one book
that survives the fire and hides it under her shirt. She's beginning to realize that
Hitler is responsible for her brother's death and her mother's absence, and she
hates him for it. Ilsa Hermann sees Liesel take the book and decides to share her
own love of books with Liesel by inviting her into her library. To Liesel, the
library is the most beautiful sight she's ever seen.
Meanwhile, Max Vandenburg, a Jew, is hiding in a storage
closet in Stuttgart and receiving help from his friend Walter Kugler. Walter has
been in touch with Hans and asks if Hans is willing to keep the promise he made
to Max's mother after World War I. It was Erik Vandenburg, Max's father, who
saved Hans's life during World War I and taught Hans to play the accordion. Hans
promised Frau Vandenburg that if she ever needed something, she could contact
him. Hans agrees to hide Max in his basement and sends the key to his house
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inside the front cover of Mein Kampf, a book written by Hitler. In an ironic twist,
it is this book that holds the key to Max's life.
After Max arrives at 33 Himmel Street, Liesel is curious about
the man in her basement but also somewhat afraid of him. She begins to realize
that they have much in common. They both have nightmares, they both are fist-
fighters, and they both have lost their families. They also share the same view of
Hans Hubermann, namely that he and his accordion are sources of safety. Liesel
does the best she can to bring the outside world to Max, describing the weather
to him, bringing him snow, and delivering presents to the foot of his bed when he
falls ill. She continues to play with Rudy and go to school, all while keeping Max
a secret and listening to his stories about his past at night. Max, too, loves stories
and shares these with Liesel.
Max also understands the power of words. For Liesel's birthday,
he paints over the pages of Mein Kampf and makes a book for Liesel called The
Standover Man. It is the story of his life, how he had to leave his family, about
his journey to the Hubermanns, and about Liesel, who has become his friend and
watches over him. In addition to his nightmares, Max also starts having
daydreams about boxing the Führer, but Hitler always uses his words to incite
the crowd and turn the people against Max.
Because most of the people on Himmel Street are struggling for
money, Rosa Hubermann loses her washing jobs, including the one for Ilsa
Hermann. Meanwhile, Liesel and Rudy join a gang of youths who steal apples
and potatoes from farmers. One night, Liesel takes Rudy to the mayor's house and
earns her title of book thief when she sneaks in through the window and takes The
Whistler from Ilsa Hermann's library.
The summer of 1942 is primarily a happy time for Liesel. She
spends it mostly with Hans as he blackens the windows for homes and shops in
Molching in preparation for air raids. He tells her stories and plays his accordion,
and at one home they even share a glass of champagne with the residents. Rudy
continues training for the Hitler Youth carnival where he hopes to win four gold
medals like Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics. He wins three, but he gets
disqualified from the fourth race, which, he says, he does on purpose.
On another late-night visit to Ilsa Hermann's house, Liesel and
Rudy take the Duden Dictionary and Thesaurus, which appears to have been
placed by the window as a gift. Liesel finds a letter inside from Frau Hermann,
saying that Liesel is welcome to come in the front door, too.
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Shortly after these somewhat light hearted days, the air raids
begin. Liesel and her family, along with Rudy and his family, take shelter in the
Fiedlers' basement because they've been told their basement is not deep enough
to protect them from the bombings. They must leave Max behind. On one
occasion in the Fiedlers' basement, Liesel begins to read from The Whistler.
Everyone gathers around her and the words calm them as they calm Liesel. Those
in the basement stay even after the all-clear signal has been given to hear the end
of the chapter. Liesel realizes that books are her accord
Parades of Jews come through Molching on their way to
Dachau. Liesel sees their suffering, and Hans tries to help one of them. Because
of Hans's actions, they must send Max away because Hans is afraid the Gestapo
will come to search their house. The Gestapo never comes for him, though;
instead, they come for Rudy to offer him a place in a special school. The Steiners
refuse. Eventually, both Hans and Alex Steiner are punished for their actions.
Hans is sent to serve with the LSE, an air raid unit, in Stuttgart, and Alex goes to
Vienna, Austria, to serve at an army hospital. Himmel Street becomes a very
forlorn place.
Rosa gives Liesel a book called The Word Shaker, which Max
made for her. It contains many of Max's stories, thoughts, and sketches. The fable
about the word shaker catches Liesel's attention. In it, Max describes a girl who
is able to use words like some of Hitler's most skilled word shakers, but she uses
her words to help her friend and remove small bits of hate from a forest dominated
by cruelty. Her words are for good, not for evil.
Meanwhile, Hans Hubermann avoids a fatal accident while on
an LSE truck. Reinhold Zucker, who holds a grudge against Hans because of a
card game loss, takes Hans's usual seat on the truck and dies in the accident. Hans
gets a broken leg and is sent home.
In 1943, the Jews continue to march through Molching, and
Liesel always looks for Max. One day, she sees him and runs to him, but a Nazi
soldier tosses her from the parade. She gets up and enters the parade again,
reciting words from The Word Shaker. She is whipped, and Rudy has to hold her
down to keep her from going back for more punishment. Afterward, Liesel finally
tells Rudy about Max Vandenburg.
Liesel returns to Frau Hermann's library and becomes angry
with the words, how they can fill her up, but can also bring so much hate to so
many people. She tears the pages from a book and then writes a note to Frau
Hermann to apologize and say that she won't come back. Three days later, Ilsa
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Hermann shows up at Liesel's front door and gives her a black journal so that she
can write the words of her own story.
Then, in October 1943, bombs fall on Himmel Street while
everyone sleeps. Liesel, though, sits in the basement writing her story in her
journal. She survives. When she emerges from the basement, she finds the bodies
of those she loves — her Mama and Papa, as well as Rudy, whom she kisses on
the lips. She is taken away by air raid officers, and it is at this moment that Death
finds and takes her book, The Book Thief. This is how he knows her story.
Ilsa Hermann and the mayor collect Liesel from the police
station and take her home with them. Alex Steiner is relieved of duty after he
hears about the bombings and finds Liesel. She tells him about Rudy, about
kissing him. They spend a lot of time together, going for walks and hiking to
Dachau after its liberation. She spends a lot of time with Alex in his shop, and
one day, in 1945, Max Vandenburg shows up. They have a reunion mixed with
much happiness and great sadness.
Death ends the story by telling us about Liesel Meminger's death,
how she lived a long life in Sydney with her husband, three children, and many
grandchildren. When Death goes to collect her, he sets her down so they can walk
together for a while. He shows her The Book Thief and wants to ask her so many
questions about humans. He cannot understand them, how they can contain so
much lightness and darkness. He doesn't ask these things, though. All he can tell
her is that humans haunt him.
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FAVOURITE CHARACTER:
This book is the most beautifully crafted work of
art. It has many visually strong moments in it. It shows that many people in
Germany were not as evil as they were portrayed. The writing of this book is very
original and detailed.
My favourite character in this book is “death”.
Though it is not a human character it has its own perspective of viewing things
and understanding the situations in the novel. The entire story of Liesel is narrated
by death, which is a really interesting and a unique aspect of this book and it is
done very well. Writing from deaths perspective is very difficult and
could’ve ended really badly, because death isn’t human and has a very different
way of seeing things than humans do.
In this book death has a fascination with colours
which is clearly seen in the lines- “People observe the colours 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 colours. Waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues.
Murky darknesses. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.”
He uses them (colours) as a sought of distraction
from his work. He observes the colours rather than the bloody bodies he is
collecting the souls from. It also reveals quite an interesting fact about death,
which really separates him from the other representations of death. This book
shows us that death is very sympathetic towards humans and despises war,
destruction and tries to distract himself from it. And uses these colours to distract
himself from it.
The best part about death is that it has a personality, a
perspective of seeing things and that personality and perspective are very unique
and intriguing. Death narrating Liesel’s story brings the story a heart breaking
and haunting quality. Death narrates this story with emotions.
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MY REVIEW ON THIS NOVEL:

The book thief is a book which is published for both teenagers
and adults. This book is equally enjoyed by both adults and teenagers. The book
includes many typographical symbols, illustrations and hand-written notes which
not only add beauty to the book but also adds a sense of uniqueness to the writing.
The Book Thief has a aesthetic depth to it but at the same time
it wears it heart on its sleeve, which a great combination for a book which is about
a child.
Zusak gives you everything you except form a book based on
holocaust, wartime and Nazi Germany. It shows you hungry children pinching
food, bombings and innocent people dying.
I found this book quite an eye opener. It makes you realize that
many people in Germany who had nothing do with the war were victims of it, and
the people who did not even wish for the war were the people most affected by
it.
We all know the stories of the second world war but in a very
few of them do we hear the depth of German life which is one aspect of what
makes this book so interesting and gripping. Another aspect is the fact that we
see the world – and the war- from the point of view of Death which is something
many of us, had ever thought about to the detail Markus Zusak manages to convey
in this masterpiece of a novel.
The Book Thief is not a kind of a novel that has you laughing
one moment and crying the other. This story slowly grows on you and the sadness
of Liesel creeps on you and then eventually you realize many people in Germany
at that time had the same or even worse stories. It leaves a sense of guilt in us and
also leaves the reader’s cheeks soaked in tears.
The Book Thief is one of my all time favourite books for
several reasons: It’s a beautiful story that lingers with you long after the final
page is read; the writing is of a classic literary style that is intelligent and wraps
readers into a poetic cocoon, and the well developed characters, major and minor,
feel so multi-dimensional it's as if they could walk right out of the book and be
recognized. Every word, every character is created with purpose and there is
nothing to spare. It has a lot of detail to itself.
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CONCLUSION:
This book has been targeted to mostly teen audience but also can
be equally enjoyed by adults also. The various awards and reviews this book has
received proves that this book is a worth read. There are many other books in this
genre of historical fiction like
 All the light we cannot see- by Anthony Doerr
 The German Girl - Armando Lucas Correa
 Milkweed- Jerry Spinelli
This book changes the perspective of viewing the world after
you read it. It becomes a very special part of your life and a story you will always
carry with yourself. It helps you fall in love with reading and for people who are
very new to the art of writing it is a great inspiration.
It is a book which is at times hilarious and heart breaking. The
Book Thief is rich and creative. It's also a heartfelt reminder of the power of
words—they can destroy or heal, depending on how we use them.