The Book Thief is Markus Zusak's fifth work. First published in 2005, it was on The New York Times' best seller list for over 230 weeks and has won numerous awards. In addition, The Book Thief was made into a movie in 2013.
Liesel Meminger is a nine year old orphan living in 1939 Nazi Germany. Fortunately, she does not have to face the world alone - she is taken in by Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans teaches Liesel how to read and inspires her love for words and books. Sometime after Liesel settles in, the Hubermanns hide a Jew in their basement, and Liesel learns to adjust.
The Book Thief is narrated by Death, who tells the story through a detailed and omniscient lens. Death's account of Liesel's journey adds a dark, humorous tone which is surprising and unexpected.
Zusak's writing is stellar. The book is chock full of clever comparisons, interesting chapter juxtapositions, and well thought-out symbols. The writing was the best aspect of the book.
This is a book which I felt was almost perfect. It pulls on every thread of emotion and I really admire Zusak for accomplishing such a feat. A solid, well-deserved five out of five stars.
Tell The Wolves I'm Home is Carol Rifka Brunt's 2012 debut novel. It has been well-received by many critics.
It's 1987. June Elbus is a fourteen year old girl who lives in Westchester, New York with her parents and sister. June's Uncle Finn is her world and when he dies of AIDS, her world is completely destroyed. A few days after his funeral, June meets Toby, a complete stranger with whom she has one thing in common: a love for Finn.
I really liked the interesting and quirky characters in this book. June is obsessed with the Middle Ages and often ventures into the woods where she imagines going back in time. June's sister, Greta, is possibly the most intriguing character. She and June were best friends but grew apart. Greta tries to revive their friendship in meaningful and unexpected ways, and her efforts make for enjoyable reading.
The detailed and accurate descriptions of New York City (where Finn lived) added depth to the novel.
The writing was solid but nothing too special. What was special, however, was the emotional plot. June experiences the grief of losing the only person in the entire world who understands her. To top that off, her parents never seem to be around and her sister seems to despise her. The only place June feels comforted is in the woods.
This book is a heartfelt account of how tough life can get, told in an innocent and honest voice. However, the ending was not completely satisfying because the author left many characters at loose ends. Four out of five stars.
Published in 1981, The Wave is a fictional story based on a real incident in a 1969 high school history class in California.
Laurie and David are students learning about WWII in Mr. Ross' history class. No one in the class can comprehend how the German people blindly followed Hitler and the Nazis in the 1940s. Mr. Ross creates an experiment, The Wave, in order to demonstrate to his students the influence of authority. The Wave is a metaphor for the Nazi party and Mr. Ross becomes its dictator. In The Wave, everyone is viewed as equal despite their social differences. The entire high school soon joins the movement. Only Laurie and David recognize The Wave for its manipulative nature and try to stop it.
This book stresses the importance of independent thinking and of not blindly following the majority. If we are not aware of the importance of independent thinking, we can allow ourselves to be manipulated by dictators.
I think this story is poorly written; there is no clear writing style and I will not remember the author's name. The only good thing about this book is its main message, but for that alone, it is worth reading.
This book rates two out of five stars because the writing was terrible.
