Discussion Prompts for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Assignment #1: After you have read pages 1-138, answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper using events and quotes from the book to support your answers.

1. 
   Who is the narrator? What is his line of work, and what does he use as a distraction to ease the stress of his work?
   

2. 
   Describe the colors that death sees in the first three chapters of the book. What do these colors signify?
   

3. 
   What does Death take from the last scene in the chapter titled The Flag, and why does he take it?
   

4. 
   Where are the book thief and her brother going at the beginning of the book? Why?
   

5. 
   Describe the setting of this book (time, location, and significance).
   

6. 
   What do the descriptions given of Liesel and her mother tell you about them?
   

7. 
   Liesel’s father was a communist. Read the information on the back of this sheet, and describe what that meant in Nazi Germany.
   

8. 
   What is the Hubermann’s household like? Describe each member of the household. Give three adjectives for each Hans and Rosa Hubermann with text support for your decisions.
   

9. 
   Describe the Jesse Owens incident. What do other characters in the novel think about the event (describe at least two)?
   

10. 
    What books are stolen by Liesel? Who knows about it?
    

11. 
    Liesel believes that Hans Hubermann's eyes show kindness, and from the beginning she feels closer to him than to Rosa Hubermann. How does Hans gain Liesel's love and trust?