The+Book+Thief

**//The Book Thief//** Facilitator: Rick Betts and Heidi Domescik Room Assignment: Student Enrollment:

__Themes from the Reading:__   love, literature and writing, war, mortality, criminality, identity, language and communication, suffering and courage

__Guided Reading Questions / Questions for Understanding:__   Who is the “book thief”? Are there more than one in the story and what do you think Markus Zusak is warning us as readers?    Which is your favorite of Liesel's books, and why? Which do you think is her favorite? What does the act of book thievery teach Liesel about life and death?    Liesel believes that Hans Hubermann’s eyes show kindness, and from the beginning she feels closer to him than to Rosa Hubermann. How does Hans gain Liesel’s love and trust? Debate whether Liesel is a substitute for Hans’s children, who have strayed from the family. Why is it so difficult for Rosa to demonstrate the same warmth toward Liesel? Discuss how Liesel’s relationship with Rosa changes by the end of the novel. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"> Hans Junior, a Nazi soldier, calls his dad a coward because he doesn’t belong to the Nazi Party. He feels that you are either for Hitler or against him. How does it take courage to oppose Hitler? There isn’t one coward in the Hubermann household. Discuss how they demonstrate courage throughout the novel. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"> Does this novel increase your knowledge of World War II? Why or why not? Have you learned anything surprising about World War II? Do you think that the Allies were justified in their bombing campaign against Germany? Why or why not? Do any of the characters fight internal wars? If so, which ones, and what are they battling? How does Death feel about war? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"> How do you see radio and newspapers being used in the novel? How would it feel to live in a place where there are constant sirens signaling air raids? What is the effect of the use of German in the book? Do the German words and passages make things confusing? Do they make the story feel more authentic? Why or why not? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"> In the final lines of the book, Death proclaims that he is “haunted by humans”. What do you think haunts him most? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"> Who was your favorite character and why? How would the story have been different if it been written from their perspective? Was Death a good choice for the role of narrator? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">