The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Lesson plans and teaching resources

Lesson plans on Holocaust History are available here.

Markus Zusak
Biography at Wikipedia.

The Book Thief
Approaches to the novel organized by reading strategy, including guided imagery and vocabulary.

Book Club: The Book Thief
Six discussion questions.

The Book Thief
This site supports the movie. Video introduction and trailer.

The Book Thief vocabulary
Words are presented in context and with definitions. Use the links at the top to find words from throughout the book. Click on an individual word for pronunciation, synonyms, examples of other use, more.

The Book Thief
This study guide is designed to support a theatrical production and includes activities that will work in any classroom. Synopsis of the play, characters, practice recognizing and using persuasive language, writing and discussion about representing death.

The Book Thief and "Auschwitz Shifts From Memorializing to Teaching"
This lesson pairs a passage from the book with a 2011 New York Times article on how those in charge of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum are considering both practical and philosophical issues in thinking about how the story of the camp needs to be "retold, in a different way for a different age."

Death, Personified
After comparing and contrasting the message and tone of the novel and Donne's "Death Be Not Proud," students will choose their own object or idea that needs something important said to it and write a poem full of voice and strong ideas.

Nazi Book Burning
On May 10, 1933, German students under the Nazi regime burned tens of thousands of books nationwide. In this captioned video (9:42), a Holocaust survivor, an Iranian author, an American literary critic, and two historians from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum discuss the Nazi book burnings and why totalitarian regimes often target culture, particularly literature. A great nonfiction piece. Downloadable at YouTube.