Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief.ZUSAK, Markus. The book thief. Random House, Knopf. 552p. c2006. 0-375-83100-2. $16.95. JSA JSA - Japanese Standards Association. * This extraordinary book defies summary or categorization. Usually when we review YA fiction, we know the perimeters that define the genre. The Book Thief doesn't fit within any of those perimeters, yet I'm quite sure there are YA readers who will consider it one of the most amazing books they have ever read. For starters, the narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. is a Being who is with humans at the moment of death, who carries their souls away. This narrator has a detached view of human nature, but he is captivated cap·ti·vate tr.v. cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing, cap·ti·vates 1. To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm. 2. Archaic To capture. by a young girl, Liesel, who is trying to wend Wend Any member of a group of Slavic tribes that by the 5th century AD had settled in the area between the Oder and Elbe rivers in what is now eastern Germany. They occupied the eastern borders of the domain of the Franks and other Germanic peoples. her way in the madness that is Nazi Germany. It's a busy time for the narrator, of course, in the middle of a world war, with bombing, the concentration camps, and all the death and destruction. But he sees Liesel steal a book from the gravesite grave·site n. A place used for graves or a grave. of her younger brother at the beginning of this story, and from then on, he watches her with interest. Why would she steal a book when she can't even read? She continues to steal books, and eventually does learn to read, even reading aloud to keep her neighbors in the bomb shelter sane during bombing raids. There is irony throughout, with larger than life larg·er than life adj. Very impressive or imposing: "This is a person of surpassing integrity; a man of the utmost sincerity; somewhat larger than life" Joyce Carol Oates. , frequently outrageous characters, from Liesel's foster parents to her best friend Rudy, who wants to be like Jesse Owens. The way Liesel and her family and neighbors try to survive, to outwit out·wit tr.v. out·wit·ted, out·wit·ting, out·wits 1. To surpass in cleverness or cunning; outsmart. 2. Archaic To surpass in intelligence. the authorities, to help one another (Liesel and her parents hide a young Jew in the cellar for months, for instance), is the stuff of a good story. Zusak has made a name for himself with the highly successful I Am the Messenger, another work of literature that can't be easily categorized. Claire Rosser, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries. *--The asterisk highlights exceptional books. |
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