Review: The Book Thief

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Random House Children's Book, 2005.  ISBN 978-0-375-83100-3

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

After witnessing her younger brother's death, Liesel is taken to a new home in Germany where she meets and grows to love her new foster parents. Young Liesel makes friends, attends school and spends time learning to read with her Papa, as the story of happy and devastating times unveil.  


3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Liesel is a strong, likeable protagonist who, despite being haunted by her brother's death, is able to make friends and enjoy the little things in life once again. Teenagers and adults alike will be able to connect to and respect Liesel's willpower and strength to move on, though trouble always seemed to be lurking around the corner. Through everything that is happening during Hitler's reign, the young girl still finds things to believe in - words. Liesel discovers the power of words, and no matter how difficult it may seem, she strives to learn to read and write with her Papa's help. She successfully accomplished something she has set her mind to, and books became her obsession, playing a big part in the story.

The setting, Germany. Hitler reigns, the war is underway. Jews are being sent to camp and killed, as are German supporters. Himmel Street is home to family, friends, soccer games, races, bike rides, late nights reading and writing. That is where Liesel's life happens, until it is completely gone. The weather plays a huge role in the setting because sunny or rainy days, once appreciated by Max, who lived in a basement, turn into red, orange, and gray skies through the bombings. Zusak's descriptive words of the skies lay the groundwork for the happy days and the tragedies to come.

The question "will good or evil prevail?" is presented through the many circumstances in Liesel's life, but especially through the main plot of the storyline of her stealing books. Readers will agree that it is wrong to steal, but is stealing a book from a bonfire really stealing, if no one really wants it? Or if the mayor's wife knows books are being taken, is it still considered stealing? And though this protagonist's passion was books, how bad was it to steal food when they were truly hungry? or to hide a Jew in their basement because he was a person, too? So many opportunities for discussion are available in this book.

Most prominent, the narrator. Though the book reads as an regular novel, the narrator in this case is death, himself. His voice, as he describes the job of taking souls in a few sections of the book, are nothing short of terrifying. Though he tells the orphan's story, through her written words in the book he had found and carried with him throughout the years, he some times chimes in on his role in the horrible era of Hitler and what he has seen. If nothing else, the way the book ends says something about the affect this significant historical tragedy had on the world: "A last note from your narrator - I am haunted by humans."

On a personal note, I did something through the last 15 or so pages that I had not done in quite some time - I cried as I turned the las few pages, and read the story of this poor child who lived through it all. What does that say about what humans are capable of, when  from one point of view, Zusak presents death as someone who is not doing the haunting, but the one who is haunted?

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

New York Times Bestseller

Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award

Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book Magazine, School Library Journal, Booklist and The Bulletin

From School Library Journal: “Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.”

From Horn Book Magazine: “Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak's poignant tribute to words, survival, and their curiously inevitable entwinement is a tour de force to be not just read but inhabited."

From Booklist: "More than the overt message about the power of words, it's Liesl's confrontation with horrifying cruelty and her discovery of kindness in unexpected places that tell the heartbreaking truth."

5.     CONNECTIONS

Gather other Children's Holocaust Fiction books to read such as:

• Number the Stars. ISBN-10 0547577095

• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. ISBN-10 0385751532

Gather other Markus zusak books to read such as:

• Azarao. ISBN-10 8528616436

• Bom de Briga. ISBN-10 8528616533

Use in conjunction with an in depth study on the Hitler's reign and the war

Review: Lunch Lady

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit. New York: Random House Children’s Book, 2010.  ISBN 978-0-375-86729-3

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

The Lunch Lady is an adventurous, crime chasing hero who works behind the scenes alongside a brave bunch of students named the Breakfast Bunch to save the day when someone steals all the baked goods for the bake sale she has organized to raise money for the school, in order to pay for a fieldtrip to the museum.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The simple plot of the Breakfast Bunch helping the Lunch Lady find out what happened to the stolen goodies for the bake sale takes readers through the adventures of three students, Dee, Hector and Terrence, your typical middle school students dealing with a crazy bus driver, grumpy teachers and a know-it-all, hall monitor. Young adults will relate to this fun story through the mere thought of "what if?" Why can't a lunch lady have an alter ego that helps her fight crimes with the help of some savvy middle school students? What if they were those students? The storyline is definitely something that could happen in real life, especially through the eyes of a child, with some fantasy in the form of "BUSZILLA", the crazy bus driver's bus that comes to life in the form of a dinosaur.

Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit is a graphic novel that is told entirely through the characters' dialogue, providing readers with vivid and fun, black, white and yellow illustrations that help in telling the story. The main setting is the school, where a lot of excitement happens, but the school bus yard plays a big part in the story, since that is where the thief is found and the climax of the Lunch Lady and BUSZILLA battling it out and saving the kids takes place.

3.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

From School Library Journal: “The story packs goofy humor and lots of action into a familiar setting, and simple panels and layouts make it easy to follow.”

From Kirkus Review: “A delightfully fun escapist read. Be sure to recommend this to fans of Captain Underpants."

From Booklist: "A know-it-all fellow student, a crusading health teacher, and a maniacal bus driver are among Krosoczka's funny and over-the-top red herrings. The high action of the yellow-washed, black-and-white cartoon panels is echoed in the narrative's pacing. The end clearly sets up the gang's next adventure."

4.     CONNECTIONS

Gather other Lunch Lady series books to read such as:

• Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta. ISBN-10 0375860940

• Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown. ISBN-10 0375860959

Gather other Jennifer Holm books to read such as:

• It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon. ISBN-10 0385754795

• Punk Farm. ISBN-10 0440417937

• Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked. ISBN-10 0062071645

Review: Savvy

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Law, Ingrid. Savvy. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group, 2008.  ISBN 978-0-8037-3306-0

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

Believing she can save her father with her new "savvy", Mibs stows away in the back of a bus on her thirteenth birthday to get to the hospital, unintentionally taking siblings and some new friends along for what would turn out to be the adventure of a lifetime.


3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Savvy is told through Mibs' eyes, a thirteen year old protagonist who most young girls will be able to relate to. She makes spur of the moment decisions, deals with bullies and boy problems, has an out-of-the-ordinary family, and is looking to find her special ability. Though Mibs' savvy (i.e. ability) is where the fantasy aspect of the book comes into play, the concept is easily relatable because most people have something they are great at - like baking, playing a sport, singing - though their skill is not magical.

The obstacles that present itself throughout Mibs' adventures are events that could happen in real life, making the plot believable to readers in this low fantasy tale. Occurrences such as Mibs stowing away in the back of a bus, her father having a tragic accident, her feeling the need to do something to help, new friends and their good deeds and falling in love are events that keep the reader's interest from one page to the next.

The main setting in Savvy becomes the pink bus, as it carries the characters from home, to the diner, the hotel, Carlene's trailer, and finally to the hospital where Mibs father is. Each location plays an important role in the story, sharing a bit more about the characters and providing great pieces to the storyline, but the bus is what ties it all together.

Law is able to capture the emotions and point of view of a 'tween' through her wonderful use of language and appropriate slang, as well as through Mibs' explanations of what she sees, feels and experiences throughout the story. Savvy keeps readers on he edge of their seats wondering what will happen next, and also leaves them wanting more. I am personally looking forward to reading the next two books in the series that tell the tale of Mibs' sister and her cousin.


4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2008 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award

2009 Newbery Medal and Honor Book

New York Times Bestseller

From School Library Journal: “With its delightful premise and lively adventure, this book will please a wide variety of audiences, not just fantasy fans.”

From Kirkus Review: “Law displays both a fertile imagination...and a dab hand for likable, colorful characters."

From Booklist: "Law’s storytelling is rollicking, her language imaginative, and her entire cast of whacky, yet believable characters delightful."

5.     CONNECTIONS

Gather other 2009 Newbery Award Medal and Honor books to read such as:

• The Graveyard Book. ISBN-10 0060530944

• The Underneath. ISBN-10 0375860959

Gather other Ingrid Law books to read such as:

• Switch. ISBN-10 0803738625

• Scumble. ISBN-10 0142419621

• Le formidable voyage de Missi Beaumont. ISBN-10 2747038688

Writing a personal narrative - "If I could have a super power, I would like to..."