Parent reviews for The Book Thief

I thought that this book was great. I read it and my kids read it. The only thing that bothers me is the swearing and romance. There is a whole chapter called, “The thought of Rudy naked” let’s just say that chapter is a little inappropriate. There is also frequent cussing so if your kid haven't been exposed to that, i wouldn’t recommend this book. Overall, this is one of my favorite books and i definitely recommend it.

First off: I am very hard on books. Second off: I had heard some very good reviews from my friends about this book, and was expecting a well told story that had a brilliant plot line and lovable characters. :) *coughs* yeeeeeeaaaah, well, cut to the mother who slaps Liesel around ALL THE TIME, the dad who smokes and slaps his daughter, the kid next door who won’t stop hassling Liesel about kissing him, the weird mayor’s wife, and the constant, CONSTANT use of curse words, and I found myself utterly, bitterly, disappointedly disliking the book. Also: Where was the plot? Oh yeah, that’s right, buried deep, deep, DEEP underneath all of the weird trying-too-hard-to-sound-good metaphors and weird experiences, cursing, and depressing ending. I tried so so hard to like this book. I really did. But… after the the 11th (12th?) time of reading the Lord’s name paired with d**n, I found myself feeling icky. Now, this is coming from someone who can still like something even if that movie/book/person uses curse words. But it has to be worth it to read about all of those curse words, and still say, “wow, that was awesome!” The Book Thief was sadly not that, and while I will probably still reread the book to see if my first impression was off, I can heartily say that it’s not on my favorites shelf. Not at all. Also, it was supposed to be about the holocaust, and I was expecting a deep, emotional relationship between Max and Liesel to develop. Like all of the other parts of this disappointing book, nope! However, I did find the fact that it was narrated by Death to be unique and intriguing. That was all that I liked about this book, however. Also: Why did the author feel the need to foreshadow everything? I knew what was going to happen 200 pages before it did!

Some dark psychology-death, violence, dating, curse words…

An all time favorite of mine, this book is great. Could not put it down and read this five-hundred page book in about a week. And I loved it. The story of a girl, adopted by a family in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, who never learned to read, but steals books. Crazy, mind-bending story that will make your heart ache. Loved it, recommend it, fabulous. Be ready, the ending’s a kicker! (Also, there is some swearing in German, so know that going in. On that note, don’t read the dialogue aloud with somebody who knows German. Might get awkward.)

It is a good book, but so much swearing.

I have a few points to make about this book. Violence: There is violence in this book but it's World War 2 there was violence and people did die in real life and children/teenagers should know that. I know there is a lot of adults who won't like this book because there is, "Too much swearing". My kid (who is in middle school) tells me kids curse all the time, but I've taught him well enough to make sure that this vocabulary in the book will stay in the book and will not be mentioned out loud. This does briefly talk about how Hitler wrote his book in jail ( My Struggle ) and how people with blue eyes, white skin, and blond hair was the most respected race in Germany.

This book is poetry, start to finish. It is some of the most powerful, beautiful language ever produced by the human mind. I don't say that lightly. I am a voracious reader, and this book is one of the few novels that truly effected me for the better, and stayed with me long after reading it. It contains profanity, but it used (like every word in the book) to paint an effective picture. Start to finish, this book is filled with the most amazing descriptions. It brings you right into the story and fills you with a genuine love for the characters. I cant reccomend this book highly enough. It moved me to tears by the end. It only gets better each time I read it. You and yours will be edified for having read this.

This novel will take your breath away. It requires a certain level of maturity to enjoy, and I would only recommend it to an 11 year old with well above average reading skills. It truly is good for all ages because the underlying themes and precise wording and foreshadowing can keep any reader on edge.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is not at all my usual style of book...not the writing or the genre, but I still loved it. The style was very unconventional, which was hard to get used to at first. Stories of the Holocaust are always difficult, and while The Book Thief is written about a young girl and has a bit more of a playful feel, this book is really no exception. Perhaps the most interesting thing about The Book Thief is that it is narrated by Death. I did cry during this book. I cried at the end for Liesel and everyone in her town. Though I am not sure how much of my tears were actually for the story, or if it was mainly because I was returning to school... Language: There was quite a bit. No f-bomb, though, and the most common was an insult in German, which was used very often - usually in a playful manner. Sexual content: Rudy keeps asking Liesel for a kiss. [Something else I can't remember right now]