The Book Thief

I can hear my students now, as they pick up this 552 page book in my classroom or the library, "This is too long! I'm not reading this." Please stop judging books based on length!

This book is amazing! It takes place in Nazi Germany during WWII and the protagonist is a young girl named Leisel. Leisel is German and, after the death of her brother, is taken to live with another family as their foster child. Oh...and the book's narrator is Death.

Death first meets Leisel when she steals her first book in a graveyard. She cannot read, but is fascinated with the words on the page. Her foster father soon teaches her to read and she begins stealing more books from none other than the mayor's home. The story evolves and we learn more about Leisel's foster parents and their reluctance/refusal to join the Nazi party. Soon, the family hides a Jewish man in their basement named Max. Max has a profound influence on the whole family, but most importantly, on Leisel.

I'm not going to say any more as I do not want to spoil anything. But I will say that I cried at the end of it.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred K. Knopf, 2005.

Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995

This book is nonfiction and is also a graphic novel written by Joe Sacco. It tells the story of life in Gorazde during the Bosnian War from '92-'95.

I read this book for a few reasons: one, based on my husband's recommendation and two, for a better understanding of the war I so often hear my students talking about. I am warning you now that it is an emotional and difficult read at times. Joe Sacco spent a lot of time in Gorazde getting to know what life was like there. I've read other books about various wars before, but having Sacco's illustrations there, along with reading the difficult life stories of the people he met while there, can bring one to tears at times (myself included).

It's a great read and I learned so much about the war in Bosnia. Sacco has two other books about Bosnia and the war: The Fixer and War's End, which I also recommend. I just also finished reading another book of his called Palestine, which was another excellent and challenging read about the tension in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Palestine.

Sacco, Joe. Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995. Washington: Fantagraphics Books, 1992.