DO Now: Please turn to a blank page in your writer’s notebook, and start the following exercises on the very top.

Consider your Packet, and make a list in your writer’s notebook What major topics does Zusak focus on in The Book Thief? Try to write down at least five topics

Which topic do you find Most interesting? Circle it.

Compose a Theme Statement: Theme: the central message about life or human nature that the writer is trying to convey to the reader Knowing this, write out the theme that you think Zusak is trying to convey about the topic you circled.

Leave everything but your writer’s notebook, a writing utensil, and your packet at your desk, and make a giant circle from the chairs.

As we go Through and answer the questions from the packet… Make notes under your theme statement—what aspects of Zusak’s writing support your theme? Finding specific evidence to support your theme is key to having a strong thesis statement If you find that your theme statement very often goes unsupported, you are encouraged to revise it as you go.

Station ONe “The Sky Stealer” What did Zusak mean when, in “The Sky Stealer”, as Liesel began to read The Whistler to the Himmel Street residents who crowded in the bomb shelter, he wrote that “This is your accordion”? Why, after her experience in the bomb shelter, does it disturb Liesel so much to know that, if Himmel Street were ever bombed, Max “would die completely alone”? “Frau Holtzapfel’s Offer” Considering how hard times are for everyone on Himmel Street, what does it say about Frau Holtzapfel when she trades her rations for Liesel to read to her? How could this relate to the fact that she has two sons serving Germany in Russia?

Station Two “The Long Walk to Dachau” As the Jews are paraded down Himmel Street, Liesel “could only hope they could read the depth of sorrow in her face, to recognize that it was true, and not fleeting. I have one of you in my basement! she wanted to say. We built a snowman together! I gave him thirteen presents when he was sick! Liesel said nothing at all. What could would it be? She understood that she was utterly worthless to these people”. When Zusak writes this, what sad truth is he expressing about life and human nature? Write out the theme fully below. Did Hans do the right thing when he offered the bread to that man? Explain your answer. “Peace” Zusak claims that the words related to silence, “quiet, calmness, peace”, did not apply to the Hubermann household. Why? (Yes what caused the silence, but more specifically, why did that silence bring the very opposite of peace and calm?)

Station Three “The Idiot and the Coat Men” Consider Hans’ past experiences with loss. Why would he feel such severe surivor’s guilt when he sent Max away, only to find that the Gestapo wouldn’t come to search his basement? “Dominoes and Darkness” What might the game of dominoes symbolize? Alex Steiner has been a member of the Nazi party for a long time. What motivated him to refuse sending Rudy away as the soldiers asked? How is Alex Steiner’s choice an almost exact opposite of Hans’s?

Station Four “The Thought of Rudy Naked” How would you describe the way the adults examined the three boys? How is this consistent with what we already know about Nazi beliefs? “Punishment” Why would Zusak ensure that both Alex and Hans were dealt the same fate? What was he trying to express by doing this?

Station Five “The Promise-Keeper’s Wife” Based on the conversation Liesel and Hans have at the train station, what does his accordion symbolize or represent? How is his telling her to continue reading during the air raids his way of passing the metaphorical torch? When Liesel leaves Rudy to walk back alone, feeling as though her hurt is bigger than his, what is it that brings them back together, and allows them to speak as friends again? What did Hans’ character bring to the Hubermann household that makes Rosa and Liesel miss him so much? What about him made everything so much more bearable?

Station Six “The Collector” How is Hans’ job in this chapter similar to Death’s? “The Bread Eaters” What does Rudy’s decision to follow in Hans’ footsteps tell us about his character development?

Station Seven “The Hidden Sketchbook” Why would Zusak choose for Rosa to hide Max’s book in her bed? How is this similar to another hiding place for a book (think back to the start of the story), and why would Zusak draw that parallel? How does “The Word Shaker” mirror how Hitler took over Nazi Germany? What message do you think Max was trying to send to Liesel through his story?

Write a thematic thesis statement Using the theme you generated at the beginning of class and the notes you’ve taken related to that theme, create a thematic thesis statement. Remember my example: Topic: Change Arguable Theme: Change allows people to break and then reform as stronger, more able individuals. Thesis Statement: Through the way Steven copes with his brother’s diagnosis, Sonnenblick shows that change allows people to break and then reform as stronger, more able individuals.

Homework Read 452-472 (“The Anarchist’s Suit Collection”- “The Ageless Brother”)