.

AL DIYAFAH HIGH SCHOOL, DUBAI

Name: ________________________________ Year: 9 Sec: _____
_________________
Subject: ENGLISH
Homework

Date:
Holiday

Reading

AF2 Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and
use
quotation
AF3 Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts
5.1 Developing and adapting active reading skills and strategies
Extract the main points and relevant information from a text or sources using a range
of
strategies such as skimming and scanning
Make relevant notes when gathering ideas from texts
5.3 Reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

THE BOOK THIEF

By Markus Zusak
Markus Zusak, age 32, currently lives in Sydney, Australia. In his free time, he enjoys
surfing and playing soccer.
When Marcus was growing up, he wanted to be a house painter like his father. He soon
realized he had a talent for knocking things over, painting himself into corners and
figured out painting bored him. When he was a teenager, he read a few novels that really
brought him into their worlds. He decided he wanted to become a writer. He wrote his
first book at age 16, but it took many years before he could get a publisher interested. He
was glad he had so many rejections and failures. They made him realize that what he was

writing just wasnt good enough so he had to improve what he was doing.
When it comes to writing, Mr. Zusak has two routines. He said the first one is the nonlazy routine. He begins working at 7am and aims to finish by 11:30am. That usually sees
him though until 12 or 12:30 (with a bit of time-wasting in between). Then he takes a
long break and writes for a few more hours in the afternoon. The lazy routine usually
starts at 10am and he usually writes longer in the afternoon. The only time these routines
change is when he is starting a new book or ending one. He then chooses to work more at
night.
Mr. Zusak grew up hearing stories about Nazi Germany, about the bombing of Munich
and the Jews being marched through his mothers small German town. He always knew it
was a story he wanted to tell.
He is an award-winning author of five books for young adults: The Underdog, Fighting
Ruben Wolfe, Getting the Girl, I am the Messenger, and The Book Thief.
Complete all activities as directed below.

The Book Thief Chapters and Page Numbers

Chapter

Page numbers

Prologue: a mountain of rubble

1-16

Part One: the gravedigger's handbook

17-80

Part Two: the shoulder shrug

81-122

Part Three: mein kampf

123-170

Part Four: the standover man

171-238

Part Five: the whistler

239-303

Part Six: the dream carrier

305-350

Part Seven: the complete duden dictionary and

thesaurus

351-403

Part Eight: the word shaker

405-455

Part Nine: the last human stranger

457-493

Due Date

Part Ten: the book thief

495-539

Epilogue: the last color

541-550

Themes of The Book Thief

Words, Reading, and Propaganda - Throughout the novel, Liesel grows to

understand the power of words, the importance of reading, and the power words
can have in changing the minds of others (both for the better and for the worse).
How is propaganda, in both visual and audio mediums, present in Liesel's
everyday life? How has it created a fearful world?

Bravery and Cowardice - In Hitler's Germany, is it cowardice NOT to stand up to

the Nazis and their beliefs? Is this cowardice acceptable? Who was brave in this
society?

Thievery - As indicated by the title, The Book Thief is a book, in part, about
thievery. How does this stealing have both literal and symbolic meanings
throughout the novel for Liesel and the rest of characters?

The Use of and Acknowledgement of Colors - In literature as in life, colors can

have symbolic meanings. How did Markus Zusak use colors to express tone and
to create bonds between characters in the story?

Anger and Abandonment - To be left is to be hurt. Throughout the novel we see

characters who were left by the ones they love or who feel like they were
abandoned. What impact does this abandonment have on the characters
personalities and outlooks on life?

Tolerance and Intolerance in Nazi Germany - dictionary.com defines tolerance as

" a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices,
race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry."
How do we see examples of both tolerance and intolerance in the story? What
lessons do we learn from these instances?

Character List
Character Name
Liesel Meminger

Hans Hubermann

Rosa Hubermann

Narrator

Character Description

Introduced by Death as "The Book Thief," Liesel is nine at the

beginning of the novel, when her younger brother dies and she is
given up by her mother to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann in
the small town of Molching. Liesel is traumatized by her brother's
death, but Hans proves to be a calming foster father; with his help
she learns to read and soon finds comfort in the written word. Ove
the course of the novel, she befriends Max, the Jew who arrives to
hide from the Nazis in the Hubermanns' basement, and falls in lov
with Rudy Steiner, her best friend. Ultimately, Liesel learns the
power of words to influence humans to act towards both good and
evil as she experiences the beauty and the brutality of humanity.
Death describes her as a "perpetual survivor," and Liesel survives
Hitler's reign while many of those whom she loves perish as a
result of World War II and the Holocaust.
Liesel's silver-eyed foster father. An amateur accordion player,
Hans is a tall, gentle man with a remarkable amount of integrity
and bravery -- Hans' compassion sets a strong example for Liesel,
who is soothed by his presence. His life was saved by a Jew Erik
Vandenberg in World War I, and he keeps his promise to Erik's
widow by hiding her son Max from the Nazis. A skilled house
painter by trade, Hans is horrified by the Nazis' persecution of the
Jews, and he brings scrutiny to himself by painting over antiSemitic slurs on Jewish-owned homes and businesses. Hans'
impulsive kindness ultimately gets him in trouble, and he is
conscripted to serve in a dangerous air raid recovery unit. Hans
survives this assignment, but ultimately dies in the air raid that
hits Molching at the end of the novel.
Hans' wife and Liesel's foster mother. A squat woman who makes
some money doing laundry for wealthy neighbors, Rosa has a fiery
attitude and frequently employs profanity, especially towards
those whom she loves. Death describes Rosa as a good woman fo
a crisis: she maintains order in the household through difficult
times, but her spirit is steadily beat down by several the events in
the novel, e.g. Max's illness, Hans' conscription, and the air raids.

A metaphysical being, Death serves as the dryly cynical narrator o

Character Name
Rudy Steiner

Max Vandenburg

Ilsa Hermann

Tommy Muller

Frau Diller

The Book Thief. Death's duty is to carry away the souls of the
recently departed, which it has apparently done for millenia. In its
line of work, Death tries to focus on colors as a way of distracting
itself from the survivors of those who have died. Liesel's story is
one of a handful of survivors' tales that Death remembers; in fact,
Death retrieves the actual written autobiography of Liesel's life
after the air raid at the end of the novel. Death is "haunted" by
humans and unable to reconcile humanity's capacity for evil with
humanity's capacity for good.

Character Description

Liesel's best friend. One of six Steiner children, Rudy is gallant and
impetuous -- he is best known for painting his face black and
running around a track imitating Jesse Owens. Rudy is motivated
throughout the novel by his love for Liesel; at one point he
retrieves Liesel's book from the icy cold river and asks her for a
kiss. By the end of the novel, Liesel has come to love Rudy as well
Rudy dies in an air raid at the end of the novel, and Liesel kisses
his corpse.

Introduced by Death as "The Book Thief," Liesel is nine at the

beginning of the novel, when her younger brother dies and she is
given up by her mother to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann in
the small town of Molching. Liesel is traumatized by her brother's
death, but Hans proves to be a calming foster father; with his help
she learns to read and soon finds comfort in the written word. Ove
the course of the novel, she befriends Max, the Jew who arrives to
hide from the Nazis in the Hubermanns' basement, and falls in lov
with Rudy Steiner, her best friend. Ultimately, Liesel learns the
power of words to influence humans to act towards both good and
evil as she experiences the beauty and the brutality of humanity.
Death describes her as a "perpetual survivor," and Liesel survives
Hitler's reign while many of those whom she loves perish as a
result of World War II and the Holocaust.
The mayor's wife. An intelligent woman with her own library, Ilsa
has spent decades mourning the death of her son Johann, who
froze to death in 1918, the final year of World War I. Ilsa takes a
liking to Liesel: she witnesses Liesel stealing a book from the book
burning and invites Liesel into her home library to read. Ilsa gives
Liesel a blank book and encourages her to write, and not to live
the rest of her life in despair. Ilsa and her husband take Liesel into
their home after Hans and Rosa are killed.
A friend and classmate of Liesel's. Described as a twitchy kid,
Tommy has hearing problems due to a chronic ear infection.
Tommy is generally helpless and relies on the support of his friend
Rudy Steiner.

The very pro-Nazi shopkeeper who refuses service to anyone who does

not salute and say "Heil Hitler" upon entering her corner store.

Character Name
Frau Holtzapfel

Hans Junior and Trudy

Hubermann

Franz Deutscher

Erik Vandenburg

Arthur Berg

Viktor Chemmel

Walter Kugler

Character Description

A neighbor of the Hubermanns who has feuded with Rosa for a

long time, spitting on the Hubermanns' door on a daily basis. Frau
Holtzapfel agrees to stop this practice if Liesel will read to her on a
regular basis. She has two sons serving in the German Army in
Russia, Michael and Robert. Robert dies at the Battle of Stalingrad
and Michael returns with a bloodied hand. Frau Holtzapfel is
emotionally ruined by the death of one of her sons, and after
Michael commits suicide, she quietly awaits Death.
Hans and Rosa's only son. Indoctrinated by Nazi propaganda, Han
Jr. is ashamed of his father's kindness towards the Jews and
accuses him of being a coward for not supporting Hitler. He serves
in the German Army in Russia and stops returning home for
holidays because of his animosity towards his father. Another
soldier, Michael Holtzapfel, tells Rosa that he heard that Hans Jr. is
still alive, but no other indication is given about Hans Junior's
ultimate fate.
Trudy Hubermann
Hans and Rosa's adult daughter.
The Hitler Youth leader described as a sadist by Rudy. At one point
Franz viciously beats Rudy up in the street for throwing a rock at
his head.

Max's father who served in World War I with Hans. Erik saves Hans
life by volunteering him for a writing assignment on the day he
and everyone else in his regiment are killed in battle. Erik's death
comes at Max is very young. Erik taught Hans to play the
accordion, and Hans' accordion was originally Erik's.

The fifteen-year-old leader of a small group of thieves. The group

mainly steals food from farms, and Arthur is very kind to the
others, divvying up their gains fairly and sharing with everyone th
food brought to him by Rudy and Liesel. Arthur gives the two a ba
of chestnuts before leaving town. He is replaced as leader by a
new boy, Viktor Chemmel.
After Arthur Berg, the second leader of a group of thieves. Unlike
Arthur, Viktor is wealthy and steals for excitement. Also unlike
Arthur, Viktor is very domineering and cruel to the others; he
savagely beats Rudy for his insolence. Viktor is the one who throw
Liesel's book into the freezing cold Amper River.
Max's best friend. Walter and Max began as fighting partners
growing up, but soon became friends. In the early stages of the
Holocaust, Walter helps Max hide from the Nazis and arranges for

Max to stay at Hans Hubermann's.

Vocabulary - Create a word book of at least 50 new words with the

synonyms, antonyms and other derivatives of each word. Follow
the pattern given below. Submit the book to your teacher on
September 1st
In order to understand words, you have to truly own them. This is
why the vocabulary organizer was created. If you put your heart in
it, this will help you.
Explanation of sections:

Word: where the word goes

Other Forms: adding ing, -ed, -s, or writing down other word forms.

Official Definition: the dictionary definition

In Your Own Words: the dictionary definition in your own words
Sentence: a sentence using the word correctly

Picture: a picture of the word that will help you remember it

Your Choice: honor system (if you do it, it will help!)

Word:

Official Definition:

Other Forms:

Picture:

In Your Own Words:

Sentence:

Your Choice: Pick one and put a check mark next to the one you did.
___ Create a gesture that helps you remember the word.
___ Say the word and the definition three times each.
___ Act the word out in some way.
___ Relate the word to a song that helps you remember it.
___ Write the word and its definition three times each.
___ List some things that the word is NOT.

Word:
Other Forms:

Official Definition:

Picture:

In Your Own Words:

Sentence:

Your Choice: Pick one and put a check mark next to the one you did.
___ Create a gesture that helps you remember the word.
___ Act the word out in some way.
___ Write the word and its definition three times each.

___ Say the word and the definition three times each.
___ Relate the word to a song that helps you remember it.
___ List some things that the word is NOT.

English 9/Francois

Word:

Official Definition:

Other Forms:

Picture:

In Your Own Words:

Sentence:

Your Choice: Pick one and put a check mark next to the one you did.
___ Create a gesture that helps you remember the word.
___ Say the word and the definition three times each.
___ Act the word out in some way.
___ Relate the word to a song that helps you remember it.
___ Write the word and its definition three times each.
___ List some things that the word is NOT.

Word:

Official Definition:

Other Forms:

Picture:

In Your Own Words:

Sentence:

Your Choice: Pick one and put a check mark next to the one you did.

___ Create a gesture that helps you remember the word.

___ Act the word out in some way.
___ Write the word and its definition three times each.

Word:

___ Say the word and the definition three times each.
___ Relate the word to a song that helps you remember it.
___ List some things that the word is NOT.

Official Definition:

Other Forms:

Picture:

In Your Own Words:

Sentence:

Your Choice: Pick one and put a check mark next to the one you did.
___ Create a gesture that helps you remember the word.
___ Act the word out in some way.
___ Write the word and its definition three times each.

___ Say the word and the definition three times each.
___ Relate the word to a song that helps you remember it.
___ List some things that the word is NOT.

Identifying Literary Techniques

Death and Chocolate and Beside the Railway Line
Directions: Identify the following literary elements: similes, metaphors, personification,
hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration and imagery. Which one of the literary techniques

I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable.

___________________________________

Personally I like a chocolate covered sky.

___________________________________

It helps me relax.
___________________________________

It felt as if the whole globe was dressed in snow.

________________________________

The world was sagging now, under all that snow.

______________________________________

The guard was as small as a squirrel.

____________________________________

Death was honest Abe.

____________________________________

As you read, you will come across beautiful sentences, descriptions and quotes. Write the
quotes and the literary devices that you find meaningful separately in an A4 sheet paper
and explain it. Write at least 15 quotes.
"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them
right."
"You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror
while I continue."
"Sometimes I imagined how everything looked above those clouds, knowing without
question that the sun was blond, and the endless atmosphere was a giant blue eye."
"They had no qualms about stealing, but they needed to be told. They liked to be
told, and Viktor Chemmel liked to be the teller."
"Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had blackened. Cuts
had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All
from words. From Liesel's words."
'
"Mystery bores me. It chores me. I know what happens and so do you. It's the
machinations that wheel us there that aggravate, perplex, interest, and astound me."
"There were the erased pages of Mein Kampf, gagging, suffocating under the paint
as they turned."
"I am haunted by humans."

"Did they deserve any better, these people? How many had actively persecuted
others, high on the scent of Hitler's gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his
opus? Was Rosa Hubermann responsible? The hider of a Jew? Or Hans? Did they
all deserve to die? The children?"
"The word shaker and the young man climbed up to the horizontal trunk. They
navigated the branches and began to walk. When they looked back, they noticed
that the majority of onlookers had started to return to their own places. In there.
Out there. In the forest.

But as they walked on, they stopped several times, to listen. They thought they could
hear voices and words behind them, on the word shaker's tree."
THEMES: Provide at least one example-words/phrases/quotes of each of the
following themes as seen in p. 123-170.

Words, Reading, and Propaganda -

Bravery and Cowardice -

Thievery -

The Use of and Acknowledgement of Colors -

Anger and Abandonment -

Tolerance and Intolerance in Nazi Germany -

Assignment: Examine the novel for comparisons between Liesels and Maxs characters
and experiences. For each ofthe comparisons you should include three quotes or
examples as evidence. Write a character analysis comparing both characters.(300 words
in an A4 Sheet paper)
Characters

physical description:

Characters

personality

Characters

occupation/hobbies/activities:

traits:

Characters importance to the plot (including conflicts):

The Book Thief Culminating Activity

For your final activity for the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, you can select one
of the following activities to complete. This activity will count as a project grade and
will be due on September 1st.
Activity options:

Alternate ending- Write a scene giving the story an alternate ending. What
might you change? How might the message of the story be different if certain
elements of the storyline were different. Write a short explanation of your
motivations for the plot changes.

Favorite/ Least Favorite Character- Write a paragraph describing your favorite

character from the novel. Then write another paragraph describing your least
favorite character. Each paragraph should include examples from the text to back
up your arguments.

Diary- Choose one character from the novel and create a diary written in that
persons voice about their experiences. Each diary should have at least 10 short

entries and span the length of the entire novel.

Map- The novel gives the reader many physical descriptions of such places as
Himmel Street, Munich as a whole, and the bomb shelter. Using the descriptions
in the text, create and in-depth map of the landscape of one of the major locations
in the novel and describe it in your words.

Author Investigation- Research the life of Markus Zusak and write a short report
of his biography. Why might he have been inclined to write a book about the
horrors of World War II.

Interviews- Imagine that a reporter has come to Himmel Street to interview one
of the characters from the novel for the newspaper. Create a list of 10 questions
that the reporter might ask them, and imagine and record the characters answers.

Books- Liesel writes many small books about her experiences throughout the
novel. Write and illustrate a short book of your own. Fold computer paper in half
and staple it along the middle to fashion a book of your own. Bring the
published work into class for display.