The Book Theft

The Book Theft

Summary:

 Liesel  Meminger and her mother get off the train with Werner’s body her little brother who has just pass away and they are going to bury him in the next stop in town. One of the gravediggers drops a book, and Liesel, who has been digging in the snow, finds the book and take it with her. Liesel and her mother continue they journey to Munich where Liesel’s new foster parents stay in Himmel Street, in Molching. Metting her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Because her mother is sick and her father has been taken away for being a Communist, Liesel understands that the Hubermanns represent a form of salvation for her, but at first she is very wary of them, especially Frau Hubermann, who calls Liesel saumench, meaning “pig girl.” Liesel’s stepfather is a housepainter who wins her over by teaching her how to roll. As time pass by Her stepfather and her start to bond, cause he is teaching her how to read and write. Later on we see how she get to meet young 22 year old Max and young boy Hans they like their only friends only that the solders have cam to take Hans into war and Max is running way for his life, as max is the only one she can talk to right now they get a close bond a almost become brother and sister type of bound they seem to get alone pretty well but later on Max has to go because it time for Max to find a new home since the solders are checking the houses and see if the Germans are hiding or helping Jews. Now she all alone and has to find a way to live life on her own since her family has pass way in they sleep solders found Liesel alive but didn’t know what to tell her. Later on she moves away and wrote a book about her life and what she when through she live a lovely and happy life.

Author:  Markus Zusak

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; Reprint edition (September 11, 2007)

Edition/Format:

Print book : Fiction : Secondary (senior high) school : English : 1st American edView all editions and formats

Database: WorldCat

My impression of the book: This book I can say that I love it the well writing story from the sad tail it holds, and is like you can feel the emotions from the author and the concept it give you and how the ending is just made me burst into tears  and it keep you on the edge this hold time it won’t let you down.

Reviews:

 This book deserves more than 5

By N. Gargano VINE VOICE on March 23, 2006

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

I am not going to tell the plot of this book yet again, Amazon and some other reviewers have done it quite well...I will tell you that this is an astounding book, a beautiful book, and a book that I know I will read again and again......

I read a lot, two to three books a week, my family makes fun that I "love" so many that I read...but in the past few years there have only been a handful of books that when I finish reading the book I sit and try to think of who I can send a copy to, who can I share this wonderful experience with. A book that when I finish, I want to go back to the beginning and start over.

I am a little sorry it is listed as a young adult book, I feel that if the bookstores put it in the young adult section, so many people will be missing out on a wonderful experience. Yet it is important that younger readers, high school readers, read this book too. When I was growing up, I remember reading Diary of Anne Frank, and the feelings I had when I read it...and understanding the importance of everyone reading that book. Well, this book is that important, this book is a must read.

I am going to go back and read this author's other book, I don't know how it can measure up to this one, but if it is half as good, I am in for a treat.

Different, entertaining and heart breaking

By Lesley West on February 16, 2006

Format: Library Binding

This is a story told by Death. An interesting point of view perhaps, but as it is set in Germany during World War II, perhaps it is entirely appropriate. It is also a story of a young girl, who in spite of having a life that no one would wish on anyone, still manages to have glimpses of pleasure through many small things, including the few books that she manages to acquire (or shall we say, steal).

It is interesting to see that it appears to be targeted to young adult readers - please don't be put off by this - it is very much an adult story about children who are doing their best to live a normal life in times of unspeakable horror. It would also be a good way to introduce more mature readers to the history of the times. But be warned, it is quite confrontational at times, and considering who the narrator is, very sad.

To add extra punch to the story, it appears that it is the true story of the author's grandmother. When you consider this, you realise how truly resilient we humans are, and how occasionally, and with a bit of luck, we can hold off death for a time.

The Boy with the Striped Pajamas

The Boy with the Striped Pajamas

Summary:

Young boy name Bruno lives a wealthy lifestyle with his mother, older sister and his SS Commandant father, on a prewar in Germany. The family had to relocate home ones again, due to his father that has received a promotion where he would take command of a prison camp. Young Bruno had no one to play but he was a well good explorer on day he had gotten close to the prison camp, where he finds a young  boy, Bruno didn’t know what he was doing but Bruno being a kid he want to be friends with the young boy since Bruno was alone and had no friends, his friend name was Shmuel a Jew with his stripe pajamas but Bruno did not care because he didn’t really now that and he was too young to know, all he want it to do was play and have fun. Days pass and Bruno and Shmuel become best friends one day, Bruno and Shmuel made a plan to sneak in Bruno into the prison camp, so they can both play together. As the fallowing morning they get all the materials they need to dig a hold under the wire fence and Shmuel has brought Bruno the same pajamas so they can look like. But what Bruno didn’t know is the consequences and the danger that the other side hold and how they life would just end together being best friends.

Author:  John Boyne

Publisher: Oxford ; New York : David Fickling Books, 2006.

Edition/Format:   Print book : Fiction : Secondary (senior high) school : English : 1st American edView all editions and formats

Database: WorldCat

My impression of the book:

This book has a wonderful and sad tail the way the book is writing, I also love how the begging was being told by Bruno, the book will also keep you on the edge of the story and is highly recommend it I, just love the story because is taking place in a WW 2 and how is giving you information on how the pass was like The book theft.  The book is really enjoyable and the ending will be sad but it just give you a point of view on how things happen back in the days. 

Reviews:

This one stands apart, for many reasons, should be on anyone's "must read" list

By Kcorn TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on February 10, 2008

Format: Paperback

I've read many books that fall into the "Holocaust literature" category. This one may actually be a book that is written in a style that COULD be read by a child but should be read by adults. Whether it is suitable for children depends on how sensitive your child is- and how well you think he or she could handle some very graphic details. They aren't "graphic" in the sense of being spelled out in detail but the reader's imagination can fill in the blanks. At age 9, this book would have been far too intense for me - and the main character in this one, Bruno, is age 9.

The author used a technique which was brilliant, taking readers into the mind and thoughts of a child whose father work for the "Fury" (the Fuhrer) and who is sent to live in Out-With (Auschwitz), on the safe side of the fence, in an actual home.

The novel is labeled "a fable" and I think this was a wise choice by both author and publisher. After all, no one knows exactly how a 9 year old son of a German officer would think and young Bruno seems remarkably naive sometimes. But just as light sets off shadows more vividly, I think his exaggerated innocence allows readers to experience the horrors of Auschwitz that much more. For that reason, I don't think the accuracy of Bruno's character is all that important. The effect on the reader (THIS reader, anyway) is profound and deep.

After moving to Out-With (Auschitz) Bruno meets a boy "on the other side of the fence", one who is the same age, a lad named Schmuel. At first Bruno is envious of the boy who gets to wear striped pajamas all day and who seems to have lots of companions.

On Bruno's side there are few playmates and he doesn't realize that he has so much compared to Schmuel.Read more ›

A powerful story - not a history lesson

By A Reader on December 28, 2008

Format: Paperback

When I first started reading, I didn't find the simplistic writing style appealing and thought I would be glad to finish the book so I could move on to another more challenging. It wasn't long before I became engrossed in viewing the situation through the eyes and voice of the 9 yr old boy, Bruno. I did not critique what I was reading from the perspective of what a 'real' 9 yr old living in that era should or should not have known about Nazi Germany.

I decided to write this because I was disappointed by the comments of a couple of the other reviewers who were upset that the book did not include historical accuracy. I never thought I was purchasing a history book, and therefore did not expect to receive a history lesson. To me the message of the story is broader than the era it is set in. This is the tale of an unlikely friendship between two 9 yr old boys. That friendship is allowed to grow because of their innocence, and because they do not judge one another by their stations in life. It's a very powerful, moving fable. I loved it for exactly what it is.

Where She Went

Where She Went

Summary:

It had been three years since Mia Hall walking out of Adam Wilde life, and he still had no idea why. Mia was the lone survivor of the car crash that killed both of her parents -her younger brother. She had to get cosmetic surgery and leg surgery. Although she survived, as soon as she got relist from the hospital, she made the decision to leave Oregon. Her future was change one she got accepted to Julliard her dream school. Adam is now living in LA; also he has become a rising rock star and has move on with his new celebrity girlfriend. As Mia lives her life in New York, when Adam gets stuck in New York he has decided to go visit Mia, destiny has broth them together one more time. As they go out into the city they reoccur they past and have open they hearts for the future, for one another as well.

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (April 17, 2012)

Edition/Format:  Print book : Fiction : Secondary (senior high) school : English : 1st edView all editions and formats

Database: WorldCat

My impression of the book:

I dislike this book because everything was told on one point of view, when the first book was told on two points of view. I like how is structure but I don’t think is well writing because, everything was just drag to the plot of the main point of the story. They just should of maid either die or stay alone but they just kill the hold story in my opinion, iI just don’t find the book enjoyable and is strongly dislike it.

Reviews:

Not as thought-provoking, but better than If I Stay in many ways

By thehydrogenpoptart on June 16, 2012

Format: Paperback

First Sentence: Every morning I wake up and tell myself this: It's just one day, another twenty-four hour period to get yourself through.
How I Acquired the Book: Borrowed from my town's library.
The Review (with MINOR SPOILERS): I suppose I should start off this review by saying that Where She Went is very different from its predecessor, If I Stay. For the first half, Where She Went was very slow, dragged in the plot, and felt as if it were some new trashy teen lit. While I was reading the first half, I kept thinking, "Wow, If I Stay would be better if it had stayed alone." Where She Went certainly was not the book If I Stay was. In my opinion, although it didn't change mine, If I Stay had the potential to change people's lives. However, I can't say the same for Where She Went.
While I thought the ending of If I Stay was a very nice and sweet ending, obviously, some others did not, and that is, I suppose, what prompted Ms. Forman to write this book. Where She Went picks up three years after Mia's tragic car accident that killed her family, but not her. But this time, the story's told from Adam's point of view. In the three years that have passed, he has become a rock star. Mia, meanwhile, has reportedly become "the next Yo-Yo Ma."
That was one major complaint I had with Where She Went: the whole unrealisticness of it all. (Hey, is that even a word?) Seriously, how, after three years, are they both supposed to be ridiculously famous? The improbability of that really staggers me, and detracted a lot from my reading experience. Even Adam describes it perfectly on page 228: "It's just: Kim. You. Me. We all came from this nowhere town in Oregon, and look at us. All three of us have gone to, well, extremes. You gotta admit, it's kind of weird.Read more ›

Where She Went reviewed by The Book Vixen

By Brianna (The Book Vixen) on April 5, 2011

Format: Kindle Edition

Why I Read this Book: This book is a must read for anyone who's read If I Stay. In fact, if you've already read If I Stay, chances are you been anxiously awaiting the release for the sequel. There was a pretty big cliffhanger at the end of If I Stay and if you're like me, you need to know what happens next. And you get that closure in Where She Went.
What I Liked: If I Stay was a great emotional and thought-provoking read. And because I was late jumping on the reading bandwagon (I didn't read that book until late last year), lucky for me I didn't have too long to wait for the answers that are found in Where She Went. If I Stay was first published in January of 2009, so some people have been waiting over 2 years for closure. Well wait no more, the time has finally come! Today is release day for Where She Went.
I really liked that this book was told from Adam's POV (1st person narrative). If I Stay was completely Mia's story; her traumatic experience, her story, her flashbacks. In Where She Went, we finally get Adam's side of the story; from back when Mia was in a coma from the accident until now, 3 years later. It was good to see where and how Adam and Mia each ended up 3 years after her tragic accident.
Adam pours his heart and emotions into his lyrics and shares them with the world. Every other chapter leads with a sampling of Adam's lyrics. Angst, torment and bitter emotions drip from his words.
One of my favorite lines (that accurately describes Mia's present journey) is Gran's theory on why Mia was afraid of butterflies when she was younger:
"She said it was because one day I was going to have to go through a metamorphosis like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly and that scared me, so butterflies scared me.Read more ›

Divergent

Divergent

Summary:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society has been divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year; all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family to help out or finding out what her purpose is in this world —as she can’t have both. As she next in line she has made a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice (Tris) renames herself but scared since it was the first time she has been away from home. Tris struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are and where, exactly also if sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it being her death closer to her. As she discovers the truth of what the Divergent’s want it to do to their society. She now has to find a way to unravel her seemingly perfect society, but along the process she learns that her secret might; help her save those she loves; or it might destroy her.

Author: Veronica Roth

Publish: New York, NY : Katherine Tegen Books/an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2011] ©2011

Edition/ Format:

Print book : Fiction : Secondary (senior high) school : English : First editionView all editions and formats

Database: WorldCat

My impression of the book: I love this book is the most trills story and it will keep you wanting to read more I couldn’t get enough so I when to go buy the second part. This book is well structure and has a way to make you feel like you’re part of the action it also gives you parts of the story that you didn’t expect, I really enjoy this book and is like the Hunger Games it keeps you on the edge of the story and is just well writing and the detail it hold is just amazing mind blowing if you ask me.

Reviews:

Enthralling, Riveting Must Buy Novel!

By Odessa VINE VOICE on April 3, 2011

Format: Hardcover Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )

Divergent was definitely a new riveting tale that had me rapidly flipping the pages in a reading frenzy! It starts off with the reader getting to know the lifestyle of Beatrice, a sixteen year old girl, in a dystopian or controlled world, where there are five factions of people: Abnegation who put others before their own needs and where Beatrice is currently from, the Dauntless who are brave and fearless, the Erudite who are studious, the Amity who are peaceful, and the Candor who are honest. Before Choosing Day, where each sixteen year old will decide which faction they wish to devote their life to, is a simulated aptitude test that will tell Beatrice which faction she would fit in most with...but for her life will never be simple. Instead of having just one of these traits as is normal, Beatrice possesses at least three, which makes her a dangerous person for reasons she doesn't understand, and answers are not forthcoming as she has to keep this information to herself or risk being killed.

From there Beatrice has to make her own mark in the world, and ultimately makes a decision that will change the rest of her life. No more does she portray the meek, silent girl with no spirit, but instead forces herself to rise up to the challenges she faces in both the initiation and in her life. For if she lets her guard down, she faces becoming factionless, without friends or family, but what she doesn't expect to find along her new path is what she yearned for all along. To understand who she really is.

Divergent is one novel that had me jumping out of my seat, biting my nails to the quick as I was drawn into Beatrice's world, cheering her on one minute, and wanting to cry with her the next. Read more ›

It's Like "The Hunger Games", But More Complicated!

By Alex Falcone on October 9, 2013

If you liked Hunger Games but thought it needed more rules, you're going to love Divergent!

The debut novel from Veronica Roth, Divergent imagines a future after a great war. The only way to restore peace is to divide humanity up into 5 Death Frats named after SAT words. People join them by having only one personality trait: brave people join Dauntless where they jump off trains and punch each other. Smart people join Erudite where they wear glasses. Amish people join Abnegation where they don't eat hamburgers. And the other two are both Hufflepuff.

In the EXTREMELY RARE situation where somebody has two personality traits ("I have glasses AND don't eat hamburgers!" -or- "I play baseball AND football") they are "divergent" (a Latin word meaning "too cool for school").

"But wait," you say. "How do they figure out which frat to join?" I'm glad you asked. Pledge week in Dystopian Chicago consists of a hallucination where you have to choose between a knife and cheese with no other instructions. Then a dog attacks you. If you choose the knife, you are Dauntless. If you choose the cheese, you're not. Isn't that cool? That's all it takes. You either want a knife or you want cheese, and that decision confines you to a single Death Frat for the rest of your life. That's their NEARLY FOOLPROOF system. Knife or cheese. Maybe I'm not Divergent, I'm just lactose intolerant!

Eventually the smart people use the brave people to kill the Amish people and only a teenage girl with two different interests can save them all. With her boyfriend. And something about a hard drive that controls humanity (presumably connecting via USB 27.0).

Anyway, it doesn't make much sense but expect a million more books about dystopian futures where kids kill each other, because Hunger Games sold faster than a grey tunic in an Abnegation camp.