The Book Thief | Teen Ink

The Book Thief

August 16, 2009
By Anonymous

Jews, Death, Books, Bad Words, losing people you love… That's what The Book Thief is about. It is a story of a young girl, Lisel Meminger, who has a passion for books.

An eerie, yet rather interesting thing about this book is that the story is narrated by “Death.” He tells you early on what he is, but still there are questions I have in my mind about him which remain unanswered. I found that chapter a bit frightening.

Another thing I found interesting is that the story is about a young German girl living during World War Two. I have found that most books about World War Two are from a perspective of a Jew, but this one is unlike any other book on the same topic, that I have ever read.

The story has a few happy parts, but mostly it is sad. Death is the fate of many of those that Liesel loves. Even Death feels sympathy for Liesel, “I wanted to stop. To crouch down. I wanted to say, ‘I'm sorry child.” Those are the words that Death said himself.

The Book Thief, who is Lisel Meminger, is different from any other character I have read about. She seems so real. Her feelings and emotions are conveyed amazingly in this book. When I read it I felt as if I was there with Liesel, in the story, actually watching her.

Lisel Meminger's foster parents are such unbelievable characters, yet they feel real. Rosa Hubermann, the foster mother, and Hans Hubermann, the foster father, could not have been more different. Rosa Hubermann is described in the book as a small wardrobe with a coat thrown over it, and a distinct waddle in her walk.

This book is unique in its approach and it appealed greatly to me. I would recommend it to everyone. The characters are extremely believable. The story is full of sadness, yet at times it also has humor. I really liked the way the writer made ‘Death' the narrator. It made the book a lot more interesting and eerie.



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This article has 2 comments.


Juicer Jo said...
on Sep. 30 2009 at 7:16 pm
I thought this book was depressing because Death was the narrator, there was parts where innocent people died, and it was way too long just to be talking about "dark" things.

alxrox412 said...
on Sep. 2 2009 at 8:41 am
This book is amazing!! a friend recommended it 2 me and i loved it!! Ur description of this book is v. good and I hope that someone, after seeing this article, will feel inspired 2 read it!! Absolutely Fab!!