Q3 Post 2:Book Thief

Liesel Mueller's foster mother is not described as being very nice or as being the best parent for Liesel. Mrs. Hubberman is verbally abusive to Lisel. She tells Liesel "'You filthy pig! Why won't you get undressed?' She was good at being furious. In fact, you could say that Rosa Hubermann had a face decorated with constant fury" (32-33). Calling someone, let alone your new foster daughter, is never a good way to start a solid relationship. I'm guessing that the two of them will not get along throughout the book.
On the complete other side of the spectrum is Liesel's foster father Hans. Many people think he is quiet, but Liesel notices even more about him "Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver, melting. Liesel, upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth a lot" (34). Hans doesn't push Liesel around like Rosa does. Although he won't necessarily tell his wife to back off, Hans does seem to be there for Liesel. I see their relationship growing throughout the book, and I see Liesel leaning into him for support.

Q3: The Book Thief

This quarter, I chose to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It takes place just before WWII in Germany, and follows the character Liesel Meminger's life of stealing books after her brother dies. Liesel is not the one who narrates, though. The narrator is someone who has been watching her at different points in her life "I saw the book thief (Liesel) three times" (5). The reader is not supposed to know who the narrator is yet, but they say that they will reveal themselves later in the novel. I don't know why Zusak would choose to have such a mysterious narrator, but I'm sure it will make for a good view point on Liesel's life.
We do know a few things about the narrator. Although we don't know if it is male or female, he/she does talk about some of their character traits. They seem to have a negative view on most things, such as death, but they also claim that "I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's" (3). These separate ideas about the character makes me wonder which part of him/her will dominate throughout the book: the negative or cheerful part. Seeing that the novel takes place during a sad and depressing time, my prediction is that it will most likely be the negative side of the narrator that comes through most strongly.