Reading Response: The Book Thief

Fransheksa Sermeno                                                               2/12/15                          812                                                                                 ELA                                                               
                                 Reading Response                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                           As we grow up we experience many issues and problems and learn to deal with them. In the story The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak the character Liesel manages to face and deal with her dilemmas in school and at home. Liesel goes through some complicated issues in her childhood like poverty and education.

                           Liesel is a young girl who has been living in a small town where her parents do the jobs that nobody wants to do like iron/ washing clothes and playing the accordion for a few coins. Because of this they are tight with money. The book mentions a short scene on Christmas... "I just wanted to know how you found the money to buy my books." “You really want to know?" Papa said... "That saukerl," Mama said “You know what he did? He rolled up all of his filthy cigarettes, went to the market, and traded them with some gypsies." (89) Papa tried his very best to get Liesel what she really wanted. He went out of his way to get her something even though they were short on money. Liesel knew that this was a lot for her parents who didn't always have the money. 

                          All throughout your childhood education is very important and you must attend school. For Liesel school wasn't easy, it was a 'terrific failure'. She couldn't read or write so she was forced to go down with the younger kids at the age of 4 or 5. The book states "Even though she was thin-boned and pale, she felt gigantic among the midget children in her class…"(39) Liesel seemed to have to deal with this complication. Over time she and Papa would practice reading and would learn to write complicated words together. Soon school resumed and Liesel moved up to her rightful reading level. However, she still had trouble reading by herself. “Her blood loudened. The sentences blurred. The white page was suddenly written in another tongue…"(77) Liesel then decided to repeat what she learned from reading with Papa. Based on this readers can conclude she had a hard time in class an couldn't read from a book. 

                         Although Liesel had a few struggles in her childhood like not having money to buy whatever she wanted/ needed and struggling in her class because of her reading and writing level. Many people have been shaped and defined by how the deal with issues and it can turn out great or terrible. Liesel has been defined by how she manages her problems and has learned from them.