The Book Thief - Fiction



Bibliography:

Zusak, Markus. 2005. THE BOOK THIEF. New York: Alfred A Knopf. 978-0-375-84220-7.

Plot Summary:

Liesel Meminger is a young girl in Nazi Germany, her brother has died and her Mom is taking her to live with a foster family.  During her brothers funeral Liesel finds a book partially buried in the snow and takes it as her own, this begins the story of Liesel’s obsession with books, taking them when she finds them; becoming The Book Thief.  During these difficult times Liesel builds a relationship with her new foster family especially her foster father Hans who teaches her to read, a Jewish boy named Max who her foster family is hiding from the Nazi’s and a neighbor boy named Ruby who will ultimately become her best friend.  This captivating story follows Liesel as she begins her obsession with books and reading and the relationships she builds during such a horrific time in Germany.

Critical Analysis:

Liesel is a young girl that many girls can admire and possibly identify with.  She never learned how to read but discovers a love of books.  She is admired by Ruby, the boy next door, but never gives into his desire to kiss her until she kisses him when he tragically dies.  And she develops a lovely relationship with her foster father who teaches her how to read. All circumstances that Liesel finds herself in are realistic, situations that many people can understand.  Being a young girl and developing these relationships allows young girls to identify with Liesel’s character and then the culture and dynamic of which she is now living. 

It is always tragic to read books that take place during World War II and discuss Nazi’s, concentration camps and the death of beloved characters but The Book Thief is written beautifully.  One unrealistic aspect of The Book Thief is the voice of Death, this is something many people and children can contemplate but The Book Thief gives Death interesting qualities.  The style of which Death is written is very unique and one that is not often found in books.  He has a voice periodically throughout the book but I think one of the most reassuring statements is when Death says, “When the war was over and Hitler delivered himself to my arms…”  Death is a topic that can scare children and adults alike and to read a book that gives Death a voice and to associate colors with circumstances is downright interesting.

The Book Thief’s plot is realistic in that it takes place during World War II Nazi Germany, there are Jewish people in hiding to keep from being captured by the Nazi’s and there were book burnings that took place per Hitler’s request.  These are all true events that took place in our world’s history.  This is one of the reasons this book is so intriguing, these are events that have taken place in history and we continue to be fascinated by the sequence of events and then to read about those events in a fictional novel makes it a special read.   

Review Awards and Excerpts:

Winner of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award

Winner of the Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children’s Literature

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award

A Booklist Best Book of the Year

A Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book

A Kirkus Reviews Editor’s Choice

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

An American Library Association Notable Book

“Beautiful and important.” – Kirkus Reviews, Starred

“An extraordinary narrative.” – School Library Journal, Starred

Connections:

·    The Book Thief is a young adult book that many adults have found enjoyment in reading too.  It deals with a true piece of world history, World War II and the impact it made on thousands of people’s lives.  This type of literature can be used as a tool to help teach children and adults about our history and what we can learn from it.  Dealing with different religions and opening the door to a conversation about being open minded of other people’s religious reviews is an incredibly important lesson to learn.  Reading The Book Thief aloud and having conversations about different aspects of the book will allow for a lively conversation that could possibly make a life long impact.

• Because The Book Thief takes place during World War II it would be a fantastic piece of literature   to use in a history class.  Doing a comparison of historical facts that are listed in history books and what is in the storyline would be an interesting assignment.  This is not considered a non-fiction book so there are aspects of the book that are probably fabricated or embellished so doing a comparison of what is real versus what is not would be a great lesson.

Babymouse Puppy Love - Fantasy

Bibliography:

Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. 2007. BABYMOUSE PUPPY LOVE. New York: Random House. 978-0-375-83990-0.

Plot Summary:

Babymouse is an animal loving, rambunctious and imaginative little mouse.  She unfortunately has a problem keeping her goldfish alive!  As she and her mom go to the pet store to get her 6^th goldfish she talks her Mom into letting her have an animal that is a little less boring and one she can hold, and she goes home with Hammie the Hamster.  Babymouse doesn’t have all of her attention on Hammie and Hammie and he gets out of his cage and is lost.  As the story progresses Babymouse thinks of all different types of animals she could have and her mom lets her have some of them but it’s up to Babymouse to keep them from getting out and lost!  You discover that what Babymouse really wants is a dog, does she get one and can she keep from losing it?   

Critical Analysis:

Even though Babymouse is a mouse she has many characteristics that are similar to a humans’ and many of her mannerisms are similar to a child’s.  Many children get incredibly excited at the thought of having their own pet to care for, Babymouse is this way and her facial expressions show that excitement.  She gets frustrated and upset when she loses her pets just the way a child would.  Babymouses mom behaves in a way that many parents would too by lecturing her on how she could lose her animal but giving it another try to help build her confidence as a caregiver.  The simple yet realistic illustrations in Babymouse show these human and childlike characteristics which help a child identify with Babymouse.

How many children have had to flush a goldfish down the toilet?  Probably quite a few, this is a main storyline in Babymouse Puppy Love and one that children will understand.  The plot is logical; she loses one pet and would like to replace it with another.  Babymouse wants to prove she is responsible and can care for animals, very similar to how a child of a certain age would feel.

 I love how a narrator type character pops up throughout the book.  When Babymouse decides she wants to get a hamster the narrator jumps in and asks, “Do you know anything about hamsters, Babymouse?” and Babymouse actually answers the questions looking very pleased with herself by saying, “I got a book!”  It’s a very unique way to write a book and very engaging for the person reading it.

Review Excerpts and Awards:

“The text and illustrations successfully differentiate between reality and daydreams, and there’s a good amount of humor injected into both.” – The Horn Book magazine, starred

“Ruff, ruff!  Four paws up!” – The Canine Courier

Connections:

• The Babymouse series is perfect for pre-teens, Babymouse Puppy Love is a great book to read aloud and discuss different types of animals since so many are mentioned in this book.  Make a poster of all the different animals that live amongst the students in the classroom and discuss them, their needs and how to care for them. 

• In Babymouse Puppy Love there is a daydream where Babymouse is part of another well known book, Charlotte’s Web; this is a great way to segue into reading this book aloud.  She also daydreams of being in a circus and riding a horse on the open range so a teacher or librarian could look for another book dealing with either of these ideas to keep the theme going.   

Joey Pigza Loses Control - Realistic Fiction



Bibliography:

Gantos, Jack. 2000. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL. New York: Scholastic Inc. 0-439-33898-0.

Plot Summary:

Joey Pigza is a young boy who has ADD and has gone to live with his father for the summer.  Joey and his Dad are looking to start over and get a real father son relationship started.  Joey’s mother is rather nervous about the arrangement and Joey understands why when he sees his father for the first time.  “When I looked in the mirror I could see it in my eyes, and now I could see it in his.  Even with my medicine working real good.  I felt nervous inside he was so hyper.  Now I knew what Mom meant when she said he was like me, only bigger.”  Unfortunately Joey’s summer and the relationship between he and his father does not turn out the way he would have liked. 

Critical Analysis:

The characters in Joey Pigza Loses Control are very real characters; they have characteristics that many children will be able to identify with.  Joey is a sweet young boy who loves his dog Pablo but he also suffers from ADD which is a constant struggle for Joey and his Mom.  Joey’s Mom is a hard worker who wants the best for Joey and it is very difficult for her to drop Joey off at his father’s house for the summer as she is the most familiar with who this man really is.  Joey’s father is someone who has struggled with his own demons for a long time; he has suffered from alcoholism and a smoking addiction but he also suffers from many of the same ADD characteristics that Joey does.  These are all very real characteristics for people to have and ones that are very difficult for anyone to deal with.    

Joey Pigza Loses Control is a great realistic fiction novel for older children and younger teens to read but I wonder based on the subject matter how many children will seek this book out on their own.  The plot line is a serious one, dealing with very serious issues.  I like that the main character is male because I believe there are many books available dealing with similar issues for girls with the main character being female but not so much for boys.  There isn’t any sugar coating these serious subject matters and they are realistically represented within the storyline.  This book is a great way to open a conversation about a serious subject matter such as ADD or alcoholism.  The style in which the book was written is very natural and the way a young teen would actually speak, and the things Joey does are realistic such as play baseball.  At the beginning of the story Joey is bored playing his trumpet so he starts throwing things and pretending he’s throwing things at a moose which ultimately gets him into trouble, this is such a typical boy thing to do! 

Many children have to spend time between parents due to separation and divorce so I am sure many children can identify with the scene within the book where Joey’s mom is dropping him off at his Dads house for the summer.  She gives him emergency quarters for the pay phone if he needs it and an emergency $20.  It is clear she is scared to leave her son which I’m sure many children have seen in the eyes of their own mothers or fathers as they were dropped off to spend time with another parent or caregiver.  Scenes such as this one make this book so incredibly real and identifiable for children.  It’s heartbreaking to think so many children can identify with such aspects of the book but at the same time it’s reassuring to children that others experience similar things and feel the same way.    

Review Excerpts and Awards:

Newbery Honor Book

National Book Award Finalist

ALA Notable Book of the Year

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Connections:

• This is a book that would be best read with a parent or teacher out loud to allow a discussion of what is occurring in the story.  This story takes on such topics of ADD, divorce, dysfunctional adults, and alcoholism which can be very difficult for children to understand and then verbalize.  Joey gives a voice to these issues and it’s a great opportunity to have an open discussion or to write down personal thoughts of how any of this has affected each child or if each of them knows of someone that one of these issues has affected.  Creating a conversation about these topics is very important, it would allow a child to ask questions and get answers of why things happen the way they do.  It can be difficult for children to understand adult relationships and why they don't work sometimes or if an adult is suffering from a very serious illness such as alcoholism.