CRITICISMS
Many critics appreciated The Book Thief. They comment that even though it is abrupt and brutal, they think it is memorable and enjoyable. The critics saw it as dark and gloomy but overall they realized it was "exquisite" (The Horn Book Magazine). Some others commented on the book by saying:
"The Book Thief is unsettling and unsentimental, yet ultimately poetic. Its grimness and tragedy run through the reader's mind like a black-and-white movie, bereft of the colors of life. Zusak may not have lived under Nazi domination, but The Book Thief deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel's Night. It seems poised to become a classic." (USA Today)
I believe that the critics are spot on with their opinions. Before I started The Book Thief, I thought it would be hard to get through and slow reading, but I found it was hard to put down, and it held my attention throughout the book. This is now my favorite book, and I'm interested in reading other books by Zusak.
AWARDS
The awards that The Book Thief was rewarded include: 2009 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
2008 Ena Noel Award - the IBBY Australia Ena Noël Encouragement Award for Children's Literature
2007 Michael L. Printz Honor book by the Young Adult Library Services Association
2006 Kathleen Mitchell Award 2006 (literature)
Many critics appreciated The Book Thief. They comment that even though it is abrupt and brutal, they think it is memorable and enjoyable. The critics saw it as dark and gloomy but overall they realized it was "exquisite" (The Horn Book Magazine). Some others commented on the book by saying:
"The Book Thief is unsettling and unsentimental, yet ultimately poetic. Its grimness and tragedy run through the reader's mind like a black-and-white movie, bereft of the colors of life. Zusak may not have lived under Nazi domination, but The Book Thief deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel's Night. It seems poised to become a classic." (USA Today)
- It's "unsettling and unsentimental" mostly because of the way Death narrates the story. For example, he starts out by saying "You are going to die." (pg.3)
I believe that the critics are spot on with their opinions. Before I started The Book Thief, I thought it would be hard to get through and slow reading, but I found it was hard to put down, and it held my attention throughout the book. This is now my favorite book, and I'm interested in reading other books by Zusak.
AWARDS
The awards that The Book Thief was rewarded include: 2009 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
2008 Ena Noel Award - the IBBY Australia Ena Noël Encouragement Award for Children's Literature
2007 Michael L. Printz Honor book by the Young Adult Library Services Association
2006 Kathleen Mitchell Award 2006 (literature)