Opinion on "The Book Thief"

  This book has easily become one of my favorites of all time. I do tend to enjoy historical fiction, but this book really stood out to me. The narrator was death, and I think that allowed for a lot of insight that could never have happened with anyone else from the story as the narrator. The characters were so easy to get attached to, and when bad things happened it hurt me in the soul. This book, for me, is the epitome of a page turner. 

This is perfect for my classroom whenever I do historical fiction. I think it’s one of the best genres for learning how to function as humans, because it gives us a glimpse into some of the most testing moments of humanity. I would love to pair this with The Crucible, and possibly something from another genre, such as science fiction or dystopian. I wrote a lesson plan for one class where the students compared this book, The Crucible, and The Giver after finishing this book. It seemed so logical to have them compare and contrast the themes of two real moments in time put into fiction, and one fictional interpretation of a dystopian future. This book is so moving, so fun, and I cannot wait to use it in my future classroom. It’s become a must. 

     

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I think the characters are wonderful, the messages are strong, and the book is clean with nothing trivial within it. I can’t believe I had never read this book before this class. This is one of those books that once you read it, it sticks.