The Book Thief - Discussion Q7

Do you think the author's choice to have Death narrate was appropriate? How did it enhance (or take away) from the story?

The Book Thief - Discussion Q6

The book mentions Liesel's children and grandchildren, but no specifics about them or her husband. Do you think Liesel ends up marrying Max?

The Book Thief - Discussion Q5

Liesel lives to be an old woman. On the last page of the book (p. 550), Death says that he would
like to tell the book thief “about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things
that she didn’t already know?” How does her life represent beauty in the wake of brutality?

The Book Thief - Discussion Q4

Death says that Liesel was a girl “with a mountain to climb” (p. 86). What is her mountain?
Who are her climbing partners? What is her greatest obstacle?

The Book Thief - Discussion Q3

Compare and contrast the lives of Liesel and Max Vandenburg. How does Max’s life give Liesel
purpose? At what point do Liesel and Max become friends?

The Book Thief - Discussion Q2

Liesel has complex relationships with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa. In what ways do they
show how they feel about her and about each other? How do you feel about these relationships? Have you seen any like them?

The Book Thief - Discussion Q1

The Grave Diggers Handbook is the first book Liesel steals. What is significant about the titles of each of the books she steals? (Other titles, The Whistler, The Shoulder Shrug, The Dream Carrier and The Complete Duden Dictionary and Thesaurus).