Leisel is a young girl, separated from
her mother and recently deceased brother, and living with a foster family in
Nazi Germany. Leisel’s life is being narrated by Death. Death puts the events
in Leisel’s life in perspective for the reader, setting place, and letting us
know what in history is happening. Death also has a conscious and sets the tone
through descriptive colors and moods. Leisel and her foster family hide a
Jewish man, and live through one of the most dangerous times in Nazi Germany.
Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief
should be in every high school classroom. European history, and world history
classes could benefit from having this novel in the rotation. It provides a
unique look from inside Nazi Germany.
Chapter 7: Moving From Fiction To
Informational Books
Historical Fiction
Historical fiction novels have a
tough job. They have to take the egocentric teenager, and get them to transport
themselves to a different time and a different place, and care about the events
and characters. The Book Thief does just that. You care about Leisel, her
foster family, her friends, and you root for them to overcome everything.
Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
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