The Book Thief

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

• nonfiction; the diary of a young Jewish girl who lives in hiding for two years during World War II
• connects with the themes of secrecy and first-person narration

Night by Elie Wiesel

• a memoir of the author’s experiences as a young Jewish boy imprisoned in concentration camps during the Holocaust
• connects with the themes of secrecy, first-person narration

“Refugee Blues”

• poem by W.H. Auden that demonstrates reactions and emotions of German Jews during Nazi occupation
• connects through themes of resistance and first-person narration

Other Student Resources

The Book Thief, Scene #1

• scene between Max and Liesel on writing
• can be used to compare character representations in cinema and in the book

The Book Thief, Scene #2

• scene where Liesel steals the book from the fire
• includes themes of thievery, secrecy, and resistance

Teacher Resources

Video Interview with Marcus Zusak on The Book Thief