Nazi Germany in World War Two in the novel The Book Thief:
The Power of Books in Mark Zusak’s The Book Thief:
Books play a central role in in Zusak’s novel. Several of the main characters in the story are saved by books or by the power that comes with learning to read and write. Pick one of the books that appear in the story and follow it throughout the novel. What is the significance of this particular book? How does the book shape relationships, influence events, and change lives? You can also focus on one character and analyze the role books play for this person.
Work closely with the text. Be specific. Analyze in detail in concrete scenes or pages. The language in which the novel is written is very powerful and effective in itself. You could say something about the author’s choice of style, the words he chose or the perspective of the narrator. What effect deos the language used by Zusak have on you as a reader?