1. THE BOOK THIEF

3.  The story is narrated by ‘Death’ – what impact does this have?  ‘Death’ as the narrator is reluctant to do his ‘job’. He is sentimental and cares for souls: - He is “haunted by humans” p584  Max and Liesel have been touched by death and loss are haunted by death in their nightmares  Death is all around:  Devastation of war  Hatred of the Jews- loss of freedom and identity

4.  Frau Hermann’s grief following the loss of her son is evident.  Michael Holtzapfel hangs himself after his brother dies in war

5.  ‘The consequence of this is that I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both...’ (p584)  The novel describes Rudy Steiner: ‘In years to come he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer – proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. Just add water.'(p 178)  Even ‘Death’ cannot comprehend how humans can be so cruel and yet so good at the same time.  Human compassion and kindness  Hans’ patience in teaching Liesel and his selflessness through buying her the books for Christmas  Hans helps Max by allowing him to stay with the family, despite the obvious risks  Frau Hermann sharing her books with Liesel

6.  Erik Vandenburg (Max’ father) saves Hans’ life  Walter helps Max to initially escape the concentration camps  Hans gives one of the starving Jewish camp prisoners a piece of bread- a risky decision  Max and Liesel’s friendship, developed amidst war and suffering  Rudy leaves a teddy bear on the chest of the American pilot who crashes his plane (Part Nine)  Hans and Rosa accepting Liesel into their home, despite their own lack of wealth and food  Brutality of humanity  Suffering endured by Max, Liesel and many other characters in the novel  The atrocities committed in the war, the persecution and deaths of millions of Jews  The horrors of war, e.g. The dying pilot scene  “I am haunted by humans” p584

7.  Hans rebels against Hitler and the Nazis by hiding Max in his basement  He is trying to uphold his beliefs and morals in a society where they are not tolerated and accepted.  “Since 1933, 90% of Germans showed unflinching support for Adolf Hitler. That leaves 10% who didn’t. Hans Hubermann belonged to the 10%” p65  Who else shows courage in the novel?

8.  Liesel finds solace and sanity in books she has stolen or salvaged from the Nazi bonfires of banned books.  The Shoulder Shrug- stolen at the bonfire  Liesel develops a bond with the Mayor’s wife after she is allowed into the library.  She is striving for knowledge at a time when ideas are being squashed  She is comforted by reading after her nightmares  She is able to tell her own story through her book  Max’ books “ The Word Shaker” and “The Standover Man”  “she knew how powerless a person could be without words” – (Max, The Word Shaker p476)

9.  “The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn't be any of this. Without words, the Führer was nothing.” – Liesel p553  She “wanted to kill the words” p554  ‘It was a nation of farmed thoughts…our Führer also planted seeds to create symbols.'(p 475)  Max's story suggests that Hitler's power lay in the words he planted  She said it audibly now, to the orange-lit room. "What good are the words?"(p.521)  I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right. (p.528)  Liesel understands how words are used to invoke and spread feelings of hatred during the war, and how powerful they can be (i.e. To the Nazi Party)  Gravediggers Handbook is a link to Liesel’s past. Why?

10.  Storytelling – The Book Thief, ultimately saves Liesel  “The words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them out like the clouds and she would wring them out like the rain” p85  Liesel reads aloud to calm everyone as they await the bomb raids  Frau Hermann gives Liesel a blank book to record her story.  Liesel reads aloud to Frau Holtzapfel as a favour  Max and Mein Kampf  He carries it with him on his journey to Munich, which saves him from the German soldiers  He uses it to make The Standover Man (he paints over the words)

11.  Liesel and Rosa  “a woman with an iron fist”  Made to clean Frau Holtzapfel’s spit off the doorstep, made to help with the housework and ironing  “She did love Liesel Meminger..her way of showing it just happened to be strange. It involved bashing her with wooden spoon and words..” p35  Liesel and Hans  The accordion  Education in the basement, and night-time reading  He buys her two books for Christmas after selling his cigarettes  Hans gains Liesel’s trust early on when she is suffering from nightmares every night “a stranger to kill the aloneness”. He convinces Liesel to take a bath when she arrives in Molching.  His eyes were made of “kindness, and silver” p34

12.  Liesel and Max  Max makes a book for Liesel as a birthday present (The Standover Man)  Max and Liesel have many things in common  Max asks Liesel to cut his hair  The Word Shaker is a symbol of their strong friendship which has developed throughout Max’ stay with the Hubermanns.  Liesel diligently watched the Jewish marches looking out for Max, signifying her affection and hope for Max.  “Often I wish this would all be over, Liesel but then you go and do something like walk down the stairs with a snowman in your hands” p313  Rudy and Liesel  A strong friendship from the start  “He was there for her at the beginning and he would be there later on... But he wouldn’t do it for free” p53  Liesel finally gives Rudy the kiss he always wanted after he dies from the bombs in Himmel Street.

13.  Max’ guilt for leaving his family behind to be arrested  Feels guilty for sleeping in Liesel’s room like a guest and moves into the basement  Liesel’s guilt at calling Frau Hermann “a pathetic woman”  Rudy feels guilty for his father being drafted into the Nazi Party to fight in the war  Frau Holtzapfel’s son’s guilt at wanting to live while his brother is dead.

14.  Liesel is unsure of her identity as she is taken away from her family to be raised with an unknown foster family  She suffers ridicule at school because she cannot read well  Through her education at home with Hans, Liesel creates her own identity as she becomes independent in her reading.  She becomes the ‘Book Thief’