1. THE BOOK THIEF
This semester we will read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Each student will be assigned to a
Literature Circle. The group will have various roles in which one person will be responsible for
the individual assignments that pertain to the role.
What is a Literature Circle?
It is a structured book discussion group. The class will be divided up into groups. At each
meeting the group members will have a new “role” (described below).
How do we prepare for the meetings? You will read the specified selection of the book for
homework. Everyone in the class is assigned the same reading selection. You will also
complete an assignment created just for your “role.” By the time the literature circle meets,
students must have completed their reading and written part of the role.
What will we do during the meetings? Each member will be given 3-4 minutes to share and
discuss his/her part. Afterwards the Questioner will lead a general discussion based on the
prepared discussion questions. At the end of the session, each person rotates to the next role
and records the next reading assignment.
How will we be graded? Points will be given for assignments. Students will also complete selfevaluations along with group evaluations. It is important that each member offer appropriate
critiques. Please note: the Literature Circle is worth 10% of your class grade; therefore,
attendance and participation in these Circles are important.
THE ROLES
1. Vocabulary Enricher. In this role, you will look up that week’s vocabulary words.
2. Questioner. Your job is to develop a list of four questions from the reading that your
literature circle might discuss. Your task is to help your group members discuss the big ideas
from the reading and share their reactions.
3. Summarizer. Your job is to prepare a brief summary of this week’s reading. The other
members of your group will be counting on you to give a quick (one or two minute) statement
that conveys the gist, the key points, the main highlights, the essence of this week’s reading
assignment.
4. Essayist. A list of essay questions will be posted on the Essay page. Depending on the week
that you are the essayist, you will answer the essay question and share this with the group.
5. Literary Luminary. Your job is to locate 5 special sections of the text that your group may
like to hear read aloud.
1 | Name: ______________________________________ Circle #: _______ Date: __________________

2. THE BOOK THIEF
Literature Circle Assignment Sheet
In the table below, write down what your assignments will be each week. You will repeat each
role twice.
Circle #
Role Assignment
Part/Pages to Read
1
Part 1: 18-82
2
Part 2: 83-124
3
Part 3: 125-171
4
Part 4: 172-240
5
Part 5: 241-306
6
Part 6: 307-351
7
Part 7: 352-405
8
Part 8: 406-457
9
Part 9: 458-495
10
Part 10: & Epilogue
496 to end

Each week your group will turn in a folder with each member’s written assignment and
notes from the discussions. Each assignment is worth 5 points (for each member’s
assignment)

If you are absent, your written assignment will be absent as well (therefore you lose 5
points that week).
2 | Name: ______________________________________ Circle #: _______ Date: __________________

3. THE BOOK THIEF
Vocabulary Enricher
In this role, you will look up that week’s vocabulary words. You will do the following:
1. Write out the definition of the word.
2. Paraphrase the definition by rewriting it into your own words OR write the word
in a sentence using connect clues.
When your group meets, you will read-out the information to your group. Do not simply pass
the vocabulary list around to your group.
Word
1.
Definition
Paraphrase
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
3 | Name: ______________________________________ Circle #: _______ Date: __________________

4. THE BOOK THIEF
Questioner
Your job is to develop a list of four questions from the reading that your literature circle might
discuss. Your task is to help your group members discuss the big ideas from the reading and
share their reactions. Center your questions on the 5 Ws + How: who, what, when, where, why,
and how. Be prepared to read aloud key passages that present the answers. Be sure to list
page numbers. The questions must be complex enough that they require more than just a one
or two word answer.
Page
#
1. Question:
1. Answer:
2. Question:
2. Answer:
3. Question:
3. Answer
4. Question:
4. Answer:
4 | Name: ______________________________________ Circle #: _______ Date: __________________

5. THE BOOK THIEF
Summarizer
Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s readings. The other members of your group
will be counting on you to give a quick (one or two minute) statement that conveys the main
idea, supporting details, and the essence of today’s reading assignment.
Main Idea:
Summary:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Major Supporting Details:
1. _______________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________
4.________________________________________________________________________
Essayist
5 | Name: ______________________________________ Circle #: _______ Date: __________________

6. THE BOOK THIEF
Answer the essay question according to the Literature Circle # that you have been assigned this role.
This must be typed in MLA format and should be at least 1 paragraphs (minimum 5 sentences):

Name, Literature Circle #, Date: put in top right hand corner, Question #
Share the question and answer with your group. The group should take notes because some or all of
these questions will be on an exam.
Circle
#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Question
Discuss in detail Hans and Liesel’s relationship. How does Hans gain Leisel’s love
and trust? Is she a substitute for his children that no longer live in the home or
even close by?
In this part of the book we discover more about Hans and how he feels about the
Nazi party. Discuss this along with the conflict he has with his son.
Both Rudy and Liesel are members of Hitler Youth. Research and compose one or
two paragraphs on what the Hitler Youth was, how it was run, who was required
to participate, and what being a member of the Hitler Youth entailed. (DO NOT
copy information from the internet. Of course you may use the internet, but make
sure you quote anything taken directly from the source, and be sure paraphrase.)
By this point in the story we have the impression that Rosa is a … well not the
easiest person to get along with. Describe her attitude towards Max. Were you
surprised by her attitude? What does this tell you about Rosa?
Like his clothes that had faded to gray, Max feels that when he is alone, he is
disappearing. Describe how he feels when left alone. How do the Hubermans, and
in particular, Liesel, bring him “back” to life?
Discuss Max’s illness. One of the chapter’s subtitles is “What to do with a Jewish
Corpse.” When you read this, did you get the impression that Max was going to
die? What actually did happen? Discuss “Death’s Diary: The Parisans.” “Death”
does not actually tell us how they died. Did his description give you enough
information on how they died? Or are you familiar with how the Jews where often
killed during WWII? If not, google it.
What did Max do during the first raid? What did the Hubermans think of this?
Discuss this along with what Liesel did to bring calm to the neighbors in the
basement during the raid.
Discuss the reasons why Hans and Mr. Steiner were drafted into the German
army. (Why does drafted mean?) Where did they go? How did the feel about this?
Discuss Rudy’s inner conflict about stealing. Talk about his preparations for
stealing and how the commitment disappeared.
On p. 521, Liesel rips up the pages of a book in the Mayor's wife's library. Why is
this action important? How has Liesel's relationship with words changed over the
course of the book? Whose death gave you the biggest emotional reaction? Why
6 | Name: ______________________________________ Circle #: _______ Date: __________________

7. THE BOOK THIEF
LITERARY LUMINARY
Your job is to locate 5 special sections of the text that your group may like to hear read aloud.
The idea is to help people remember some interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, or important
sections of the text. You decide which passages or paragraphs are worth hearing. You can read
the passages aloud yourself, ask someone else to read them, or have people read them silently
and then discuss.
Location: Page # and Paragraph #
Reason for Choosing this Selection
7 | Name: ______________________________________ Circle #: _______ Date: __________________