Week One Prologue and Part One: Students will be introduced to the narrator, Death, and the main character, The Book Thief. They can discuss how they feel about Death as a narrator. Do they believe Death will be a reliable narrator? Why might the author have chosen to narrate this story with this personification? Students will meet the secondary characters and learn about the setting. Students can discuss how they feel the setting might play an important role in this story. Students can also discuss the unique structure of the book and how it almost reads as a number of interconnected short stories. 

Week Two Part Two: Students will become more immersed in the Germany lifestyle of that time period. Students should discuss why Liesel steals the book. Do they feel it was worth the risk? What does this act of defiance say about Liesel's character? What other acts might they expect from Liesel later on in the story? 

Week Three Part Three: Students can discuss why the author uses stolen books to frame his story. Do they find this method effective? What other ways of storytelling might have  been more effective? Students can also discuss how Max's story might intertwine with Liesel's story. 

Week Four Part Four: Students can discuss whether the flashback scene is effective. Also, how do students feel about the book pages drawn into the book by Max? Why does the author toy with structure this way? 

Week Five Part Five: Students can discuss Rudy's character. How does his friendship with Liesel impact the overall story? Why do readers think the author allows the narrator to flash ahead and give us potentially spoiling information? What does the author hope to achieve with this nonlinear story line? 

Week Six Part Six: Students can discuss Liesel's relationship with Max. Why has he become so important to her? How does their relationship shape the overall story? How important is it that he is Jewish (to Liesel and to the story)? 

Week Seven Part Seven: Students can discuss the raids in this chapter. How did the characters feel? What tone or mood is the author trying to convey? Is he effective? Students can discuss if they believe these pages foreshadow events to come. Why or why not?  

Week Eight Part Eight: Students can discuss how the war is coming to Himmel Street and what might await each character. How do these events affect Hans, Liesel, Rudy, and Max? What do the students make of Max's story within a story? Why did the author choose to share the information in this way? Is there another way the author could have incorporated this information?  

Week Nine Part Nine: Students can discuss the abundance of death in this section. Is it expected, given the era of this story? Have the students become desensitized from it, given the fact that the story's narrator is Death? Or do they still find the grim details disturbing? 

Week Ten Part Ten & Epilogue: How do students feel about Max's return? Are they saddened that he did not escape? Or did they find his capture inevitable?  Students can also discuss the destruction of Himmel Street. Are these deaths more jarring because students have gotten to know these characters over the course of the many pages of this book? Why did the author choose to give Liesel and Max a happy ending? Were there other characters the students would have liked to see have a happy ending, too? 

I have a Master's Degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher for three years and currently tutor and write curriculum. I once substituted a junior high class that was reading The Book Thief. I was so impressed! I myself had started the book but put it down because of the confusing timeline and long, winding passages. Those students inspired me to finish reading the book, and I'm so glad that I did. It is a unique take on a story that is worth repeating. I hope this class helps other students push through this important and powerful book. 

Homework Offered
Students will read one part (approximately 40 pages) a week on their own time. Each Sunday, students will have access to the new videos and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and encourage the students to share their responses in the classroom.
2 - 4 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
The more assignments that students complete and the more questions that they share in posts helps me to understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.
Grades Offered