From the Bookshelf of YA and Beyond…

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

Start date: March 1, 2013

Finish date: March 31, 2013

Discussion: MONTHLY BOOK DISCUSSIONS

Why we're reading this: March 2013
[close] March 2013

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 36 topics — 4,840 comments total

MONTHLY BOOK DISCUSSIONS

July 2017: The Thirteenth Tale
By *b*l*u*e*m*o*… · 13 posts · 16 views

last updated Mar 22, 2018 04:57PM

Nov. 2017: Whale Talk
By Heidi · 1 post · 4 views

last updated Nov 02, 2017 12:40PM

showing 10 of 14 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Aug 26, 2008 Brigid ✩ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites, yes-yes-yes, young-adult, fantasy

Oh, Book Thief …

I first picked up this book when I was 15 years old, after I'd been hearing such glowing reviews of it here on Goodreads. I knew next to nothing about it, besides that everyone seemed to love it so much; I recall seeing a conversation where a bunch of people agreed it was the best Young Adult book ever written. And then I pick it up from the library and it has some review on the front from the New York Times or something claiming this book is "LIFE-CHANGING" or something like tha ...more

260 likes · Like · see review

May 12, 2010 Lindsay rated it did not like it

Shelves: ya, read-in-2016, 3stars, 1star, read-in-2010, library-read, reread

First read May12/10 to May14/10
3 stars

8 likes · Like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 Renuka rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, historical-fiction, classics, war, e-book, reviewed, fav-couples, livebrary, mind-blown

*Weird noises that go like this: blurghhagrggggghhhbeeeggg* Literally how I ended the book. I mean, it's obvious enough that a book set during WWII in Germany is going to be sad, but I was not expecting this. I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS. WHY DID NO ONE PREPARE ME?

I took a long time to read this book, more than a week. I read pieces at a time. This is a book that needs to be savored. Because if you go to fast, you will get to the end. You do not want to get to the end. No. Stay around the middle of *Weird noises that go like this: blurghhagrggggghhhbeeeggg* Literally how I ended the book. I mean, it's obvious enough that a book set during WWII in Germany is going to be sad, but I was not expecting this. I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS. WHY DID NO ONE PREPARE ME?

I took a long time to read this book, more than a week. I read pieces at a time. This is a book that needs to be savored. Because if you go to fast, you will get to the end. You do not want to get to the end. No. Stay around the middle of the book and simply revel in soccer, stealing books, and snowmen in the basement. The end....is just too heartbreaking.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what the big deal about the book was until the end. The writing was beautiful, the narrator was interesting, the tale of the Jews was horrifying, but I'd been confronted with it many times in school. What was it about this book that made it so special? And I realized, it's the way you become entangled in the lives of the characters. You literally walk around with Liesel and her Papa, drinking champagne in the summer, listening to an accordion. You jump into the river with Rudy Steiner and you beg, BEG for Liesel to just give him a kiss already. You live with them, hope with them, read with them, snore with them, give bread with them, play soccer with them, steal with them, and most of all...(view spoiler)

It's just too much at times. I was fine for most of the book. Mostly. Death....was an interesting narrator. He didn't hide things, or gloss over them, I mean he's Death. The Death. He spoiled things all the time though. There was no spoiler alert either. He'd just come out with something that would break and cripple your poor heart and soul. Yeah, Death did not have compassion for the reader. He was a brutally, honest narrator.

I don't know what else to say. I could go on all day I guess, but I don't want to. I just want to curl up somewhere and sleep for a while. This book takes a lot out of you. I love Hans Hubermann. I love Rosa Hubermann. I love Rudy Steiner. I love Ilsa Hermann. I love Max Vandenburg. I love Jesse Owens. I love Liesel Meminger. I love this book.

Occasionally I will probably think about this book and cry a little. But I'm so glad I read it. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 17, 2010 Brittany (finally graduated and can once again read for fun) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: if-you-don-t-own-it-you-should, 2010, aussies-do-it-better, ya-my-first-love

I cannot say enough good things about this book. It's the story of a girl and her life growing up during the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. As I'm sure you can gather from the subject matter, this book is not for the faint of heart, it's not going to make you feel happy inside, and it's not going to make you feel good about yourself. What it will do is take you on an extraordinary journey about life and love, rebellion and conformity. It will show you the best and worst of what humanity has to o ...more

Like · see review

Jun 02, 2011 Christie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library, favorites, ya

This was an incredible book. It was a well researched fictional story about a girl who lived in Germany during World War II. It is a story of heart ache, love, war, death, and life. I enjoyed the fact that death narrated the story and was not evil or scary, but haunted. It was not a quick read and does not have a very happy ending, but it is a book that will stay will you and one that I feel should be read by everyone.

Like · see review