thebookthief

__** Group Rules **__

If someone doesn't complete their task, they aren't allowed to have any of the food that the other group members will be eating that week. They can have some of the food the next week if they actually complete their task. The punishment will last as long as the group member is uncooperative and if they continue to hand in incomplete work, they won't be allowed food access for the remainder of that marking period. Also, Mr. Morone will give the uncooperative group member two points off of their final book club grade for each day that they fail to do their work. It gives them all the more reason to actually do their work.

**__ Week 1 __**

 * // Pages 1 - 108 //**

__** Week 1 Role Assignments **__
 * A: Lili Feinberg
 * B: Roger Kim
 * C: Kyle Cottrell
 * D: Sarah Choi


 * __ Characters __**

The first character we're introduced to is Death. He narrates the book from a really unusual perspective, but that is what makes the book unique and catches your eye. At times, you forget Death is narrating everything and you feel like you're just reading it from the character's point of view in an outer body experience. He captures a few souls throughout the book, and that is how he met Liesel, who is affectionately called "The Book Thief." He views the capturing of souls as his job and rarely lets his emotions get in the way of things, but he loves observing things from afar, Liesel being his favorite subject.

Liesel Meminger is the book thief. She stole her first book at her brothers funeral since he died on the train ride to what would be their new foster family since her mother was always sick. She begins the book at the age of nine, but we have reason to believe that her age progresses greatly throughout the book. She doesn't speak much because she never learned, nor does she know how to read or write, but her desire to learn will eventually motivate her greatly once she is put in school. She is strong-willed, but very shy. Her best friend is Rudy Steiner.

Rudy Steiner is an eccentric little kid. He's famous for his "Jesse Owens incident." He covered himself in charcoal and ran around the track pretending to be the first black runner in the Olympics, someone who Hitler refused to shake the hand of. He may have a little crush on Liesel that may or may not grow into something more as the story progresses. He constantly defends her and stands by her side, just like a good friend should. He comes from a family of six kids, so even though malnutrition and general hygiene were lacking in those days, it was insanely worse for him. That never stopped him or bothered him though.

Hans "Papa" Hubermann is Liesel's foster father. He was taken out of school in the fourth grade, so he's not highly educated, but he makes it a routine to teach Liesel how to read and write from her first stolen book, "The Gravedigger's Handbook." He makes up for his intelligence with artistic ability since he is a painter. Also, he plays the accordion for pay at night. He fought in a war and evaded Death, and we have hints that he will evade him again. He doesn't hate Jews like most Nazi's do because the reason he evaded Death was from being saved by a Jew. He is very kind, caring, sensitive, and understanding - the complete opposite of his wife.

Rosa "Mama" Hubermann is married to Hans. She is loud and obnoxious and has one of the most foul mouth's in the book. She's her husband's complete opposite. She is constantly calling people names and complaining about her work which is washing the laundry of the richer folks in her town. She's rarely ever kind or compassionate, but she truly does love Liesel, she just has an odd way of showing it. She's like the head of the household and keeps order in the house through yelling. Even though we know she loves Liesel, she's probably our least favorite character because at times she can be really cruel.

//** Week 1 Part B: Quotations **// - Roger Kim
 * 1) //"When it came down to it, one of them called the shots. The other did what her was told. The question is, what if the other is a lot more than one?"//
 * 2) //"If you walked into her shop and didn't say 'heil Hitler,' you wouldn't be served."//
 * 3) //"The Star of David was painted on their doors. Those houses were almost like lepers. At the very least, they were infected sores on the injured German terrain."//
 * 4) //"Jesse Owens had just competed the 4 x 100m relay and won his fourth gold medal. Talk that her was subhuman because he was black and Hitler's refusal to shake his hand were touted around the world."//
 * 5) //"...because when the book thief stole her second book, not only were there many factors involved in her hunger to do so, but the act of stealing it triggered the crux of what was to come."//


 * // Week 1 Part C: Questions //** - Kyle Cottrell

1. What do you think life was like for Liesel and her family before being shipped to her foster family?
 * Life for Liesel before her foster family was pretty hard. She had no father and no memories of him besides her brown eyes that stuck out greatly among the blue-eyed children surrounding her. It was just her, her younger brother, and her mother, but her younger brother passed away on their train journey to their foster family. It's safe to say that this foster family would be a step up from her older lifestyle because her mother was constantly sick and never had any money to get better or support the household well enough. She wanted Liesel to have a good life and put her into foster care so that could happen because she loved her. **

2. Do you think that it is important that Liesel does not know what a Communist is?
 * We think that the fact that Liesel doesn't know what a Communist is will be more important later in the book, since Communism has already been briefly mentioned many times, but it doesn't hold much importance so far in the book because we're still getting to know the characters. We're not surprised that she is naive to such a term because she barely grew up with an education. **

3. Liesel hides a book under her pillow. What would you hide if you were in her situation?
 * Kyle says that he would hide something that had to do with her brother since he passed away on the journey. It would have to be personal to her, but it couldn't be the book since that's her last connection to him. Lili would hide a picture of her family before she was put into foster care since her brother already died and it seems as if her mother is well on her way. She wouldn't want to forget them. Sarah would hide a combination of Lili and Kyle's ideas. Roger agrees with Sarah.**

4. What do you think is going to happen between Rudy and Liesel?
 * I think that their friendship will never end, and as the years go by they'll eventually come closer, Liesel maybe even allowing him to steal some books with her. There are hints and signs of Rudy crushing on Liesel which leads us to believe that as they age into teenagers and young adults, there may be some romantic aspects thrown into the story. Whatever happens, we're curious to find out. **

5. How do you think that having Death as the narrator of the book be beneficial to the book?
 * First of all, it sets it apart from millions of other books these days because it's such a daring risk. It makes all of the death scenes more vivid and realistic since it's from the perspective of the only person who doesn't fear Death since Death can't fear himself. He's such a great observer that sometimes we forget he's narrating the story for us until he makes a dry humored pun about the Grim Reaper or something relating to the topic of death in general.**

6. How does the title of the book relate to the story?
 * Since the book is narrated by Death, he names every character for itself. It just so happens that the nickname he gave Liesel, the one that sets her apart from all of the other people he observes, is The Book Thief. She got this name because the first time he met her, he took the soul of her little brother and she stole her first book at his funeral. It would later become a habit for her when she was lonely.**

//** Week 1 Part D: Summary **// - Sarah Choi

The first meeting for our second marking period book club started as Lili took out bagels for the group. There was a slight commotion over one particular member who hadn't read a few pages, but all was settled down after the bagels. First we discussed and analyzed the main characters of the book. We weren't sure if Death should be considered one of the characters or not, since Death is the narrator of the story, but Death isn't really a person. We concluded that since Death is personified in the book, we should consider him as a character. We also discussed how when Death described Liesel, he/she made her seem very beautiful (with the colors analogy and all), when further into the book, Liesel turned out to be a little different from the initial description. After discussing about the characters and before the questions, there was a brief discussion about how Death seems to narrate what happens in the future in small bits, and adds detail to it as the book goes on. Next we discussed/answered the questions. There was a little confusion at the communist referral, since the book was set during the Holocaust. We concluded that since Death seems to enjoy foreshadowing a lot of future events without much detail, more information will be revealed further in the book. It was also mentioned how amusing it was that although the book takes place during the holocaust, the lives that Death takes away is not directly related to it. After that we reached the quotations. A few minutes later the bell rang, leading us to the end of our first meeting. (What comfort it was to read a book that is actually worth reading.)

__ Week 2 __

 * // Pages 109 - 222 //**

__** Week 2 Role Assignments **__
 * A: Sarah Choi
 * B: Lili Feinberg
 * C: Roger Kim
 * D: Kyle Cottrell


 * __ Language __**

This book was intended on being for young adults so we find reading the book very easy. Along with it being easy, we also agree that the book is very conversational for many reasons. One being the point-of-view the authors takes it. Last week, we talked for the whole period how Death narrates the story. We thought this was a very unique way of taking the book. Thus far, the book could be considered a "classic" in the near future. Its centers around a very sensitive subject, the Holocaust, and it has a different way of narrating the story. The book introduces us to new words that we do not know, but by reading the story, the word meaning can be easily picked out. This book has a very different grade level. It was intended for a young adult reader but we agree it is for an young adult who enjoys reading and understands what the story is about. Readers at this level who do not understand the historical point of view and who did not appreciate reading could find this book very different and hard to understand. We agree that honors classes should definitely read this book, and even some regular college prep classes could too!

//** Week 2, Part B: Quotations **// - Lili Feinberg

//1. "Perhaps it was one of those times when a person appears to be looking directly at you when, in fact, they're contentedly watching something else or simply daydreaming."// //2. "Steadily, the room shrank, till the book thief could touch the shelves within a few small steps."// //3. "She ran the back of her hand along the first shelf, listening to the shuffle of her fingernails gliding across the spine cord of each book."// //4. "He had eaten only the foul taste of his own hungry breath for what felt like weeks, and still, nothing."// //5. "There was sleep, starving sleep, and the irritation of half awakeness, and the punishment of the floor."//


 * // Week 2, Part C: Questions //** - Roger Kim

1. By now, you see that a book was Hans' idea to join the Nazi party, that books were Liesel's addiction, and that a book held the key and map for Max's trip. What do you think books represent in this story?
 * For Liesel, the book is away to keep her calm; and object that keeps her connected to her family. When Max, her brother, died on the way to their foster family, Liesel quickly found comfort in books. Roger believes that the books means more to her not because of her family, but because of something else. He thinks that we will find out what that something is later in the book. As for the rest of the group, they thought that the book represents here family. That every time she reads the book she is brought to a comfort zone.**

2. Hans wants to get into the Nazi party for financial reasons despite his initial resolve to not join because of his convictions. What do you think about his change of decisions?
 * The group thinks that the only reason Hans joins the Nazi party to keep his family safe. Although he is joining to keep them safe, we feel as if he will always not like the decision he has made since a Jew saved his life. If it was not for this Jewish person, he would be dead right now, so he does not view people who are Jewish as disgusting like most of Germany. He is indebted to the Jews, but in the end, his safety and the safety of his family is more important than a personal opinion that could endanger them all.**

3. Liesel has stolen and fought. Is she still the good guy?
 * When Liesel steals, she does not mean any harm. Only the mayor's wife knows that she is stealing the books and she has not told anyone yet. She was the one who recommended the idea to Liesel, so she can't be penalized since it is not technically stealing. Like we said for the first question, she reads to still be connected to her family. She doesn't do it with evil intent, it's her way to stay sane.**

4. Max used to be a fighting man, going around horsing around. Now, he's just a quiet man, trying to survive, no longer the person who would punch death in the face. Do you think his youthful vigor will ever return?
 * Lili and Kyle think that if he was vigor when he was younger, that he will be vigor when he grows up. This characteristic will never go away. It may not show as much, but it will still be there. As for Roger, he thinks that this characteristic will go way as each person grows up since they tire and get old. This question sparked an interesting debate among the group members.**

5. Do you think Liesel will have the same fate as her family, a.k.a death?
 * Although it is believed that when Death follows you around, it means that you are going to die. Not in Liesel's case. The group came to a conclusion that Death is following her because he is fascinated with her, so much so that he gave her a nickname and seems to love her as if she was his pet, in a way. He will not kill her until it is her time since death is a part of life, but she won't die young like her family. She is healthy and she is determined, therefore we think she will not meet the same fate as her birth family.**

//** Week 2, Part D: Summary - **// Kyle Cottrell

This weeks book club started off like any other book club we had in the past, wondering who was supposed to bring the food in. Although its only been 2 weeks, it is becoming evident that the group is liking this book more than the previous book. After figuring out who forgot the food this week, we started working on figuring out the language of the book. We pretty much agreed at everything except for the question about this book being a classic. We felt like this book has the ability to be a classic but because it does talk about very serious matters (the Holocaust) not everyone could enjoy it. Only people that enjoy reading could enjoy the books. Next up, we had Roger's questions. We read through each question, changing one of them because it made no sense, and answer that accordingly. We ended our discussion with the quotes and comparing it to The Postcard Killers (our previous book). In all, this was a very productive discussion.

=**__ Week 3 __**=
 * // Pages 223 - 335 //**

__** Week 3 Role Assignments **__
 * A: Kyle Cottrell
 * B: Sarah Choi
 * C: Lili Feinberg
 * D: Roger Kim


 * __ Mood and Tone __**

The overriding emotion in our book is probably hope. There are rough times and there are bad times, but everything is fueled by hope and that is what seems to keep the characters sane and the plot line steady. There is hope that they will survive the Holocaust. Liesel is hopeful in school, a place where people often look down on her, but she manages to excel immensely when it comes to reading because of her father. Her father has hope for Liesel's future because she is doing better in school than he ever did since he was taken out in the third grade. The last can honestly go on, but the emotion of hope is what keeps the characters going and what helps move the story along. You simply cannot get through life without having hope.

//** Week 3, Part B: Quotations **// - Sarah Choi

//1. "In sloppy lettering, the words JEWISH FILTH were spilling over at their edges. The movement inside tapered from hurried to morose, then stopped altogether."// //2. "They're strange, those wars. Full of blood and violence--but also full of stories that are equally difficult to fathom."// //3. "'You hungry?' Rudy asked. Liesel replied. 'Starving' for a book."// //4. "During that week, Max had cut out a collection of pages from Mein Kampf and painted over them in white. He then hung them up with pegs on some string, from on e end of the basement to the other." (223)// //5. "The surrounding air was a lovely, gorgeous, nauseating cold, not to mention the concrete ache of the water, thickening from his toes to his hips. How about a kiss? How about a kiss? Poor Rudy....He didn't deserve to die the way he did."//


 * // Week 3, Part C: Questions //** - Lili Feinberg

1. What are your opinions on //The Standover Man//?
 * We think that this book is a look into the mind of Max and his self-image. This book portrays him as a bird that has depended on many people in the past to get by emotionally and physically. However, he writes that his latest "standover man" is not a man, but a girl and has been the best one so far, which makes us believe that it may be Liesel.**

2. Have your opinions of any of the characters changed throughout the book so far?
 * Liesel has become more bold and less shy. She is expressing her anger and frustration more and more, though it does get her in a bit of trouble at school at times. At first, she was very conserved and quiet, but now she speaks more openly and freely and is very close with her foster family. She has also gotten more into reading, though that is a given since a huge aspect of the book is her love of reading books and her desire to learn new words since she does steal books because she loves them so much.**

3. What do you think of Lisa's confrontation with the Mayor's wife?
 * We believe that this is an example of how much Liesel has changed over time. She is much more self-possessed and she acted in anger and frustration in a way that she would not have done before. It was a bit of a tantrum, but something like that is rare for Liesel and it is a part of growing up.**

4. Do you think that Liesel has matured throughout the book? In what ways?
 * We think that she is more self-possessed, less afraid, and much more open. Had she not changed, this story would have been much more boring. She's gained more knowledge of the world and is sure that it's not an entirely good place. She knows her place in the world and doesn't overstep it, though she'll challenge anyone who challenges her and she's finally starting to stand up for herself.**

5. On page 303, it explains about Rudy's //want// to kiss Liesel, but how he feels he cannot. Do you think he's going to hold true to this decision or not? Explain.
 * We think that he will not kiss Liesel until after his death. Liesel just doesn't like him that way even though it's becoming obvious that he really likes her. On her side it is just a friendship even though he wants nothing more. We feel like Rudy wanting to kiss Liesel thickens the plot line by adding a romantic aspect in the story, but that's all it is there for. Young love is always an attention grabber.**

//** Week 3, Part D: Summary - **// Roger Kim

Today was another successful book club meeting. There was food, which was always a great extra. Cinamon buns and hot chocolate from Kyle. They were great. Anyway, we all are enjoying this book much more than we did last time. We all started off with the questions Mr. Morone had asked, then moved on to what we brought to the meeting. We thought that this book generally is a very negatively-oriented in terms of emotions in this book. We were generally single-minded in our opinion of the book and questions. The book was pretty clear to us and we did not have much to debate on. By the looks of things, I think we'll stay single-minded. This book has metaphor and room for interpretation, but not much mystery in them. Well, I, personally, am enjoying this book and I am sure everyone else is too so I can say, this book club thing is really working.

=__** Week 4 **__=
 * // Pages 336 - 451 //**

__** Week 4 Role Assignments **__
 * A: Roger Kim
 * B: Kyle Cottrell
 * C: Sarah Choi
 * D: Lili Feinberg


 * __ Themes and Images __**

Without a doubt, the most important image in the book is Liesel's little black book, also called The Gravedigger's Manual. The book is found in the beginning of the story and it represents the connection between Liesel and her now deceased brother. It also represents her love of learning and willpower to overcome odds since she did learn how to read using this very unusual book. We also believe that the Jesse Owns incident with Rudy is important because it represents the young characters going against the norm and rebelling in their own, unique, childish ways. Another example that has the same meaning as the Jesse Owens incident would be when Liesel and Rudy went against the gang leader which represented a great rebellious attitude against Hitler and everything he stood for.

//** Week 4, Part B: Quotes **// - Kyle Cottrell

//1. "Possibly the only time that Max’s illness didn’t hurt was at dinner" (Page 330).// //2. "They listened to Nazi footsteps in the basement. There was the sound of measuring time" (Page 344).// //3. "The words were not spoken, but they were definitely there, somewhere between Rudy’s blue eyes and Deutscher’s advisory hands" (Page 360).//

//4. "Even from the cellar, they could vaguely hear the tune of bombs" (Page 380).//

//5. "They watched the Jews come down the road like a catalog of color" (Page 391).//

//6. "They should have come by now and swept through the house, looking for an evidence of Jew loving or treason, but it appeared that Max had left for no reason at all."//

//** Week 4, Part C: Questions **// - Sarah Choi

1. What do you think is the meaning of Death struggling whether to take Max's soul or not?
 * We think that Max is not ready to die and so fought death off when he came near. Lily said that Death took pity on Max because of how he is so interested in Liesel.**

2. What do you think is the difference between Liesel and Hans/Rosa looking at how they face the fact that Max might die?
 * Liesel has hope in the fact that Max is still alive and is not willing to accept another death in her life. Hans and Rosa, on the other hand, do not want Max to die, but understands his chances of death.**

3. Death mentioned that the sky was yellow, "like burning newspaper" durning the first major bombing raid against a Germany city. Do you think for death it didn't make any difference whether who died or not?
 * Death does not want people to die. It does not make a difference at who dies, but if people die at all and how many.**

4. Why does Ilsa help Liesel, does the letter tell more than what Ilsa directly says to Liesel?
 * Because Ilsa does not talk much to Liesel, but indirectly lets her steal her books, she does give messages, but the letter clearly expressed how she what she wanted to tell Liesel.**

5. Did you think that in anyway Death was leaning towards one side as he narrated through the book?
 * Yes, Death wants people to live. He cares for them. In fact, not only is deaths sadden Death, but deaths overwork Death. Also, Death rejoices when somebody escapes him. Always, Death is not a malevolent entity, but a caring figure stuck with an unpleasant job.**

//** Week 4, Part D: Summary **// - Lili Feinberg

We started off the meeting with our snack. We were lucky to have Kyle bring in some delicious chocolate chip cookies and Sarah brought in some Snapple iced tea. We quickly engaged in the discussion led by Roger, our group leader of the week. We discussed the themes and images of the book, something that we'll have to re-type above since it apparently didn't save or something of the sort. After that, we quickly moved to discussing Sarah's questions, something that had us thinking a lot since there were a few disagreements and different opinions. The debates that the questions inspired just made the book even more thought provoking and we had the opportunity to see the messages that the writer was trying to convey from different view points. It was a very interesting experience. Lastly, we discussed Kyle's quotes. We noted that he seemed to focus on imagery this week since the imagery in the book is absolutely divine and we haven't focused on it that much. Imagery is without a doubt one of the author's stronger points.

After we finished the quotes, we didn't have much time left in class, so we quickly discussed how this book was way better than our first one and we're sad it's so quickly coming to an end. We cleaned up our cookie crumbs, recycled our cans, and waved goodbye to our group as the period ended. The last thing that was said was Sarah and Roger wishing Kyle and I luck on our history test that we had next period. Let's hope that since we had such a good book club that we both did good on that test. Nothing should bring down a good day.

I believe it's safe to say that we have all been enjoying this book and we like the way it is written. It's both a serious and entertaining book that allows us to view things through Death's perspective. I'm sad that it's so quickly coming to an end, but I'm happy with our book club choice this quarter. I'm interested to see how the book ends.

**__ Week 5 __**

 * // Pages 452 - 552 //**

__** Week 5 Role Assignments **__
 * A: Lili Feinberg
 * B: Roger Kim
 * C: Kyle Cottrell
 * D: Sarah Choi

__** Overall Opinions **__

The moral of the text seems to be something along the lines of "live life to the fullest" and "don't dwell on the past." Dwelling on the past only hinders your ability to live your life to fullest, experiencing things you never thought would happen. An example would be that Liesel was illiterate in the beginning of the book, but was so determined to learn how to read that she did. She got her father to teach her even though he was only at a third grade reading level. Another message from the text is that words can be powerful because that is how Hitler rose to power and got so many on his side and how Liesel could easily calm everyone down by reading some excerpts from a book.

We would most definitely recommend this book to peers because it was incredibly well written and flowed effortlessly. However, even though we would recommend this book to our peers, it is not for everyone. To read this book, you have to have at least a general gist of what happened during the Holocaust, though you don't need to have extensive knowledge of it. Also, you can't be expecting a sappy love story because this is not what the book will give you, though it does tell a great story and doesn't focus on the Holocaust. The way that it is narrated exposes you to a new way of writing as well, which is always a plus. Death's perspective is truly one of eye opening wonder.

Personally, none of our group members today have read a book that focused on the Holocaust unless it was a history text book. Back in middle school, Kyle and Lili read a book called //Number the Stars//, but we're choosing not to count that since it was required school reading. None of us are truly opposed to reading another book about the Holocaust, but we'd rather read a good book over a history book any day. Plus, it can mean more to other members of the group than it would some since we do have a Jewish person among us who had trouble simply getting through //Number the Stars// back in the sixth grade.

//The Book Thief// would be an amazing book for the school curriculum for many reasons. As we have mentioned above, it's written amazingly well and it is highly understandable, but it still manages to introduce your average high school student to some new vocabulary. It also gives you a new point of view because of the narrator, which will open your eyes to a new form of writing that any English student could utilize in the future. Also, it does teach you a bit more about a historical event, without focusing on the book. The Holocaust is a big part of the book and we can't forget that, but by no means is it a main focus. Also, because it's not a sappy romance novel or a novel full of gore, it's obviously a book that can be shared for all ages and genders without falling prey to the stereotypical gender divisions in reading. This book was so well thought out that it never hesitates to create deep discussions, therefore it truly would be perfect for a school curriculum. Markus Zusak truly managed to create a masterpiece.

The group is unsure as to weather it will go down in history as an "all-time classic" novel, but it won't be forgetting for quite a long time, therefore we have come to the conclusion that this book is a "modern day classic." Ever since it first came out, it has received nothing but positive reviews and people are constantly raving about it, something that, in our opinion, this book truly deserves. Markus Zusack is an author to watch out for and he'll probably weave other tales that deserve to be modern-day classics as well. He combines the art of storytelling with historical events with precision and depth, giving the texts underlying morals and messages as well. This book most definitely will not be forgotten anytime soon.

//** Week 5, Part B: Quotes ** - Roger Kim//

//1. "It was a nation of farmed thoughts" (Page 445).// //2. "'No thank you,' she said, for she knew that it was only herself who was holding the tree upright" (Page 448).//

//3. "But her story lasts for six" (Page 492).//

//4. "There were no answers to Rudy’s questions" (Page 515).//

//5. "I love this place and hate it, because it is full of words" (Page 522).//

//6. "Perhaps I was trying to avoid her face, for the book thief was truly an irretrievable mess" (Page 537).//

//** Week 5, Part C: Questions **// - Kyle Cottrell

1. Having finished the book, who do you feel you most relate to?
 * Everyone in the group can relate to Liesel in some way, shape, or form, whether it is her determination to get things done - like Kyle. Also, Roger seems to relate incredibly well to her stubbornness. Once they both make up their mind, they'll argue with you until you just give up or you miraculously somehow manage to sway them. Sarah undoubtedly relates to Lisel's love of the arts, whether it's actual drawings or the art of writing. Writing is just as big of a part as Liesel's life that art is of Sarah's. They both love music too. Lili relates to Liesel's struggle since she has had great-grandparents who have gone through similar things**.

2. Do you think having Death as the narrator made the story better?
 * It is a unanimous group decision that Death as the narrator enhanced the story. When we first read the back, we were all a bit uneasy when we noticed the term, "narrated by Death." However, once we started reading, we understood that what we were led to believe was false and we ended up enjoying the story greatly. Now that we are all done with the book, we have all decided that we truly can't understand who else could have narrated the book since Death fit in perfectly, giving us a perfect new perspective.**

3. What were you shocked to read about in the epilogue?
 * The epilogue shocked us because Death ended up leaving Liesel alone. He had such an intense fascination with her that we were surprised that he just left her alone, even though he could have taken her life easily. After all, she did manage to survive the Holocaust, which is a miracle within itself for many Jewish people at the time. We guess that Liesel is just important to Death like that since she is his little toy.**

4. If you could re-write a characters ending (death) who would it be and why?
 * If we could re-write a characters ending, we would choose Max because we don't feel like he lived his life to the fullest. We feel as if he did everything he needed to do to get by, but it wasn't what he wanted to do or deserved to have gotten stuck with. We feel as if Max was such a great person that he deserved a happy ending, but he got stuck with a horribly sad one instead. His character was full of life and it was all ruined.**

5. What will you take away from this book?
 * This book left us with a lot of things to think about, but the thing that we'll all probably take away from it is the true fact that everyone was created equal and we should all be treated equally. We shouldn't discriminate because of a religion, what someone looks like, the color of their skin, their sexuality, or anything of the sort. We are all human beings with a beating heart and that's all that matters.**

//** Week 5 Part D: Summary **// - Sarah Choi

The final book club for our second marking period proved to be very insightful. Unlike our first marking period, we were generally upset that the book was over instead of being happy to have it over and done with. Lili brought in Ssips iced tea and fruit punch juice boxes while I brought in some plain bagels for the group. Roger surprised us by bringing in some oranges for everyone as well. Lili quickly led the group in our discussion, getting right to business and asking us about all of our opinions on the book. We all decided that we loved this one and it would probably be perfect for a school curriculum. Next, we moved onto Kyle's questions which helped sum up the entire book as well. We had a bit of trouble getting Roger's quotes onto the wikispace since his laptop was having some technical difficulties, but we were able to get them on just in time to talk about each one and have seconds to spare in the period. Unlike our other final meeting, we are living this one with smiles on our faces and excitement for our next book club. If the book is even half as good as this one, we are bound to have another successful book club, but I think it's safe to say that I am speaking for everyone when I say we will not be able to handle another book club like our first one. Then again, we're much more careful when we pick out our books now, just as this book selection has proved.

We can't wait for our third marking period book club and we hope it's just as exciting as this one!