essay questions the book thief

The Book Thief

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Essay Questions

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Personification is a literary device in which non-human entities, objects, or abstract ideas are given human characteristics. In The Book Thief , the Narrator is an example of personified character.

• What entity, object, or abstract idea achieves the role of the Narrator through personification in The Book Thief , and what basic human traits are granted in the role? ( topic sentence )
• Give three examples from the text in which the Narrator’s human qualities are evident or in which the Narrator participates in human interactions.
• How does the reader gain insight into the Narrator’s journey through personification? Respond in your concluding sentence or sentences .

2. Color serves a variety of purposes throughout The Book Thief.

• Identify one color used consistently or repeatedly in the novel. ( topic sentence )

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The Book Thief

Markus zusak.

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Markus Zusak's The Book Thief . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Book Thief: Introduction

The book thief: plot summary, the book thief: detailed summary & analysis, the book thief: themes, the book thief: quotes, the book thief: characters, the book thief: symbols, the book thief: theme wheel, brief biography of markus zusak.

Historical Context of The Book Thief

Other books related to the book thief.

• Full Title: The Book Thief
• When Written: 2002-2005
• Where Written: Sydney, Australia and Munich, Germany
• When Published: 2005
• Literary Period: Contemporary Fiction
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Setting: Fictional town of Molching, Germany, 1939-1943
• Climax: The fire-bombing of Molching
• Antagonist: Adolf Hitler, World War II and the Holocaust
• Point of View: First person omniscient, with Death as the narrator

Extra Credit for The Book Thief

Bread. Zusak was inspired to write The Book Thief by a story his mother told him, which involved a boy giving bread to a starving Jew who was being marched to a concentration camp. A Nazi soldier noticed and whipped both the boy and the Jew. This scene is recreated in The Book Thief with Hans Hubermann in the place of the boy.

Rudy. Zusak's favorite character from any of his books is Rudy Steiner, Liesel's best friend.

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The Book Thief Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer..

• What is the effect of the mystery surrounding Max's life after his reunion with Liesel after the end of the war?
• Why does Liesel refuse to bathe after losing her brother and mother, and then again after losing everybody on Himmel Street?
• We don't know anything about Rosa's past, but what are some possible reasons that she thinks hitting children with wooden spoons is natural? What makes her change?
• Are the characters in The Book Thief believable? Why, or why not?
• How might the story look if it was told from Max's point of view? From Rosa's?
• Do you like Markus Zusak's writing style in this novel? Does it make you want to read his other books? Why or why not?
• What do you think of Death as the narrator? How does this impact the style of the novel? Could the novel have been better from another point of view? Why or why not?
• What questions, if any, does the novel leave unanswered?
• Could Liesel have trusted Rudy with the fact that Max was hiding in her basement? Why or why not? Do you think it hurt his feelings when he learned the truth? Why or why not?

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The Book Thief Essay Topics & Writing Assignments

Essay Topic 1

Many characters in this novel suffer from recurring nightmares. Choose two characters who suffer from nightmares and describe the visions they have. How do these recurring nightmares affect the way these characters interact with the world and each other?

Essay Topic 2

Both Liesel and Hans have an artistic talent that brings peace to stressful situations. First, describe both Liesel and Hans' talents. Then, describe at least one situation when these characters use their artistic skill in the attempts to calm a crowd. What is the effect of their attempts?

Essay Topic 3

Rudy and Liesel have an interesting and dynamic relationship from the moment they meet. First, describe how Liesel and Rudy meet. Then, describe how the relationship between these two children changes over the course of the novel. Choose at least two major incidents from the novel and explain how these incidents affected the relationship between...

(read more Essay Topics)

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The Book Thief Discussion Questions

• In the opening of the book when Liesel steals her first book, The Gravedigger’s Handbook , this event can be thought of as the first of many turning points for her. What are some of the others? Talk about each major character and what their turning points are, as well as turning points for the community as a whole.
• Knowing that Liesel is called a “thief,” how does the book complicate our ideas of justice and judgment? Which characters do you view as just/unjust or brave/cowardly, and why? Which events or details most color your perceptions of these characters?
• What choices do characters make about groups they will belong to? What groups do they belong to without choice? What are the consequences?
• Discuss Liesel’s friendship with Rudy. Does she love him in the way he loves her, or is it a child’s love? Do you think he reminds her of her brother?
• Zusak’s books often portray characters with a tendency to fight—including Max and Liesel. Is a child who fights more forgivable that an adult who fights? Why?
• From Hans to Liesel to the mayor’s wife, discuss how some of the characters in The Book Thief deal with their past. Discuss themes of memory and punishment.
• Is Hans Hubermann a courageous man? How does he show courage, or lack of courage?
• Name some acts of resistance in the book, from large to small. What does the author intend with his inclusion of these acts?
• Who has power in this book? How does Liesel gain power, and how does Max? Toward the end of the novel Liesel remarks to herself that words give power. How so?
• Discuss the meaning of Max painting over Mein Kampf . What is he able to express by doing this and by drawing over it, that he cannot convey in person?

Thanks to Facing History and Ourselves for its valuable input on these questions.

Content last updated: October 31, 2012

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — The Book Thief

Essays on The Book Thief

Prompt examples for "the book thief" essays, the power of words and literature.

Discuss the significance of words, books, and literature in "The Book Thief." How does Liesel's love for books and Max's writing influence their lives, and what do these elements symbolize in the novel?

Narration by Death

Analyze the unique narrative perspective in the novel, which is narrated by Death. How does Death's perspective provide insight into the human experience during wartime, and what effect does it have on the reader's understanding of the story?

Character Development

Examine the growth and development of characters like Liesel, Hans, Rosa, and Max throughout the novel. How do their experiences and relationships shape their personalities and perspectives?

Survival and Resistance

Discuss the themes of survival and resistance in "The Book Thief." How do characters resist oppression and maintain their humanity during the harsh conditions of Nazi Germany, and what strategies do they employ to survive?

The Impact of War on Innocence

Explore how the novel portrays the loss of innocence in the face of war. How do Liesel, Rudy, and other child characters grapple with the harsh realities of war, and how does their understanding of the world change?

Symbolism of Colors

Analyze the symbolism of colors in the novel, particularly the use of the colors red, white, and black. How do these colors represent different aspects of the characters' experiences and emotions?

The Use of Foreshadowing, Irony, and Symbolism in "The Book Thief"

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Book Thief Foreshadowing: Fate's Clues

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A Look at The Emotional Journey of Liesel as Shown in "The Book Thief"

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Analysis of The Key Scene Depicting Violence in "The Book Thief"

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2005, Markus Zusak

Historical Fiction

Narrated by Death, the story follows Liesel Meminger, a young girl living with foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, in Nazi Germany during World War II. Liesel settles down into her new home and during her time there, she is exposed to the horrors of the war and politics. Hans, who has developed a close relationship with Liesel, teaches her to read during this time. Recognizing the power of writing and sharing the written word, Liesel not only begins to steal books that the politicians are seeking to destroy, but also writes her own story.

A theme that stands out from the beginning is literacy and power. While language initially is a struggle for the main character, Liesel, it becomes one that empowers her and allows her to quietly rebel against Hitler's regime. Other major themes include kindness, and cruelty of humans, reading and writing, the duality of the Nazi era, mortality, and love.

The Book Thief features innovative stylistic techniques. The most obvious innovation is narrator Death's use of boldface text to relay certain information. The mood of "The Book Thief" is defiantly a somber time, and fear is in the air in Nazi Germany.

Liesel Meminger, Death, Hans Hubermann (Papa), Rosa Hubermann (Mama), Rudy Steiner, Max Vandenburg, Ilsa Hermann, Werner Meminger, Paula Meminger (Liesel's Mother), Hans Jr (Hans' and Rosa's son)

Published in 2005, The Book Thief became an international bestseller and was translated into 63 languages and sold 16 million copies. It was adapted into the 2013 feature film, The Book Thief. The novel has also win several awards, such as Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, Best Books for Young Adults (American Library Association).

“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.” “I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” “Even death has a heart.” “Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.”

1. Buráková, Z. (2019). Whose trauma is it? A trauma-theoretical reading of The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Holocaust Studies, 25(1-2), 59-73. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17504902.2018.1472874) 2. Koprince, S. (2011). Words from the basement: Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Notes on Contemporary Literature, 41(1). (https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA255494819&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00294047&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E7cb76d72) 3. Yarova, A. (2016). Haunted by humans: Inverting the reality of the holocaust in Markus Zusak's' The book thief'. Papers: Explorations into Children's Literature, 24(1), 54-81. (https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/ielapa.033178079846317) 4. Brady, B. K. (2013). Beyond the basics with Bakhtin: a dialogical look at Markus Zusak's The Book Thief (Doctoral dissertation, Rutgers University-Camden Graduate School). (https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/40257/) 5. Gipson, E. M. (2017). A Close Encounter with Death: Narration in Markus Zusak's The Book Thief (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Southern Mississippi). (https://www.proquest.com/openview/eba2b3153629faedca16050fdb2c21ff/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750) 6. Adams, J., & Adams, J. (2011). ‘Into Eternity’s Certain Breadth’: Ambivalent Escape in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Magic Realism in Holocaust Literature: Troping the Traumatic Real, 144-172. (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9780230307353_6) 7. Stevenson, D. (2006). The Book Thief. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 59(9), 389-390. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/197387/summary) 8. Lee, G. (2015). Literacy in The Book Thief: Complicated Matters of People, Witnessing, Death (Doctoral dissertation). (https://whitelibrary.dspacedirect.org/handle/11210/49)

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The Book Thief

By markus zusak.

• The Book Thief Summary

Narrated by Death , The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger , a nine-year-old German girl who given up by her mother to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann in the small town of Molching in 1939, shortly before World War II. On their way to Molching, Liesel's younger brother Werner dies, and she is traumatized, experiencing nightmares about him for months. Hans is a gentle man who brings her comfort and helps her learn to read, starting with a book Liesel took from the cemetery where her brother was buried. Liesel befriends a neighborhood boy, Rudy Steiner , who falls in love with her. At a book burning, Liesel realizes that her father was persecuted for being a Communist, and that her mother was likely killed by the Nazis for the same crime. She is seen stealing a book from the burning by the mayor's wife Ilsa Hermann , who later invites Liesel to read in her library.

Keeping a promise he made to the man who saved his life, Hans agrees to hide a Jew named Max Vandenberg in his basement. Liesel and Max become close friends, and Max writes Liesel two stories about their friendship, both of which are reproduced in the novel. When Hans publicly gives bread to an old Jew being sent to a concentration camp, Max must leave, and Hans is drafted into the military at a time when air raids over major German cities were escalating in terms of frequency and fatality. Liesel next sees Max being marched towards the concentration camp at Dachau. Liesel loses hope and begins to disdain the written word, having learnt that Hitler's propaganda is to blame for the war and the Holocaust and the death of her biological family, but Ilsa encourages her to write. Liesel writes the story of her life in the Hubermanns' basement, where she miraculously survives an air raid that kills Hans, Rosa, Rudy, and everyone else on her block. Liesel survives the war, as does Max. She goes on to live a long life and dies at an old age.

The Book Thief Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Book Thief is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Why does max leave the Hubermanns home?

Basically because he does not want to put Liesel or the Hubermanns at any more risk. Being found hidden in their basement would most certainly have grave consequences. Max also wants to actively fight the Nazis.

Characterize Rosa Hubermann. What kind of a character is she?

Rosa Hubermann

Hans' wife and Liesel's foster mother. A squat woman who makes some money doing laundry for wealthy neighbors, Rosa has a fiery attitude and frequently employs profanity, especially towards those whom she loves. Death describes Rosa...

what is ugly and beautiful about liesel, rosa, hans, max, and rudy?how doese each of their lives represent beauty in the wake of brutality?

You will have to submit each of these characters separately. 

Study Guide for The Book Thief

The Book Thief study guide contains a biography of Markus Zusak, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Book Thief
• Character List

Essays for The Book Thief

The Book Thief essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

• Liesel's Emotional Journey Through the Book Thief
• Zusak's Death Breaks the Mould
• Guilt in The Book Thief
• The Toil of Good and Evil: Multi-Faceted Kindness in The Book Thief
• Stealing the Narrative: The Irony of Reading in The Book Thief

Lesson Plan for The Book Thief

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Book Thief
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Book Thief Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Book Thief

• Introduction