The Book Thief

The Book Thief is a beautifully written story by Markus Zusak. 

A story narrated by Death.

Reading it was like watching a painting being created: 26 letters of the alphabet put together like paint on a canvas, varying combinations forming words, words forming pictures, sentences creating scenes, all forming a work of art. 

Zusak definitely shows that art comes in many forms. 

This is a story of contradictions showing both the beauty and viciousness of what happens to a war-torn area during WWII. Zusak really brings the characters to life and even though Death keeps telling us (the readers) what is coming at the end, he doesn't reveal everything.  I finished the story with tears in my eyes and though it was heartbreaking, there was a glimmer of light at the end.

As for Death, he witnessed much during WWII. His work was unending - for those who didn't deserve his services at all and for those who were much more worthy of them.  By the end, he made his darkest revelation, "I am haunted by humans."  Who would have actually thought it was possible to feel a bit sorry for Death?

I read the Kindle version of The Book Thief and I wanted to thank Markus Zusak 

for the book extras at the end.  It was very interesting to read how his story came about, the hard work that went into the novel, the length of time he took to write it, and the insight into his writing process.  For me, it added another layer of appeal to the story line.

Bluefish

By Pat Schmatz

After being a teacher for over 25 years, Bluefish has a ring of truth to it.  Here are some of those truths:

• When teachers put students into groups, no matter how creatively teachers name those groups, it doesn't take students long to know what those groups really mean.
• Moving and going to a new school is sometimes scary, sometimes awkward, and sometimes just plain weird.
• No one likes change.
• Sometimes you find friends when you least expect it.
• Not all knowledge comes from books.
• Everyone has his or her own set of "strengths".
• The grass may seem greener on the other side of the fence, but it may not be.
• Being a teenager come with its own set of challenges.
• Finding someone you can trust in life is important.

Travis is a very likeable character.  He's in a new town at a new school and learning doesn't come easy for him.  It's not because he's not smart, but somewhere along the way reading became challenging for him.  Luckily for Travis, he now has Mr. McQueen as a teacher.  Mr. McQueen epitomizes what we'd all love in a teacher - a teacher that doesn't give up on a student even when the student has given up on himself.  This was my favorite passage in the story, "The lines of ink on the page were a secret code. For the first time Travis wanted to crack it."  What an "aha" moment for Travis and what a thrill for his teacher.  

  

When Travis meets Valveeta it doesn't seem like a quick friendship would blossom, but Valveeta's wit and sarcastic humor helps this friendship along.  It took awhile, but they come to realize they have much more in common than they first thought. 

Finally, there's Bradley.  When Travis helps him on the first day of school without even knowing who he is and without making a scene, it tells us a lot about Travis as a person. Travis also learns that even though Bradley lives with both of his parents, he's very smart, has computer games, a great house, and a seemingly perfect life, Bradley faces challenges of his own. 

Their world is definitely not perfect, but they teach us that hardships and challenges can be overcome.

 Is it easy? Not always. 

Is it worth it?  Most definitely Yes! 

On a personal note, I love the way the author, Pat Schmatz, incorporates parts of another book in her story.  She tied it together so well that I started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak as soon as I finished Bluefish.

Find Her

 

By Lisa Gardner

Kidnapped and put in a coffin-sized box is beyond cruel, but what is more cruel is to have to depend on your kidnapper for your very survival.  How long can one person endure?   A few days, a week, a month? 

 

Flora Dane survived 472 days of abuse, torture, and the weirdest type of imprisonment that went beyond the coffin-sized box.  

Five years have passed and though Flora feels much more prepared and has great survival skills, she is still having a hard time finding herself.  She seems to be on the quest to save other young women but soon finds herself in trouble once again.  Is Flora still a victim or has she herself become a criminal now?  With one man dead and Flora's disappearance, it's up to DD Warren to figure it all out.  At every turn, there are more questions than answers and the frustration of DD and her team is palpable.  At this point, there is only one thing that is clear  - They will know nothing for sure until they FIND HER.

Lisa Gardner did it again!  Find Her is a roller coaster of a ride with twists and turns and a storyline that kept me on the edge of my seat.  Luckily, stories like this don't happen very often in the "real world", but unfortunately, even something like this happening to one or two people is too much.  This story shows that a survivor's story does not end when their terror does.