The Book Thief

Summer Reading Packet

This packet is for students taking Regular or Honors Survey Literature in the 2014-15 school year
Our brains are complex, but simply put they are divided into two hemispheres: the left hemisphere
and the right hemisphere. he left hemisphere is where we develop our reasoning, speech, writing,
and number skills. he right hemisphere is our creative side where we develop our appreciation for
talent in art, music, and other creative outlets. !t is important to nurture both sides of our brains so
we can grow and develop in many ways. SO, this summer in your Summer Reading Packet, you
will exercise BOTH parts of your brain.
Pick ONE pro"ect for the left side of the brain and ONE for the right side of the brain. #ou will
turn in a TOTAL of TWO assignments on $onday September %, &'(). *ll written material is
sub"ect to being submitted to turnitin.com. Please make sure you have an electronic copy available
for submission to this website. +urther instructions for this will come from your ,nglish teacher.
RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN -.hoose one from this section/
(. *rt 0ournal: *rt "ournaling combines the written language and visual language to give a
greater breadth of expression and understanding. !n essence art "ournaling is the
combination of art making and "ournaling with the intention of creating greater insight and
understanding of the self and others. !n this case you will be art "ournaling on The !ook
Thief. here are a lot of ideas and techni1ues at www.artists"ournals.com. #ou are
encouraged to view examples. !n considering The !ook Thief, you might want to use
2iesel3s books as your anchors for the art "ournal3s pages: The "ravedigger#s Hand$ook,
%ien &a'pf, The Shoulder Shrug, The (ord Shaker, The Last Hu'an Stranger or The
(histler to name a few. #ou may also chose to consider the (4 presents she gives $ax as a
place to start. hese are only ideas5.be creative. #ou should have 6 completed pages of
an art "ournal to submit as your pro"ect. he "ournals should be no larger than %.6 x (( and
no smaller than 67 x 87. +or each page you need a one paragraph typed summary of what
is being represented on the page. Pages should represent plot, theme, characters, symbols,
conflict, or motifs in the story.
&. hink of other protagonists who might be 2iesel and Rudy3s age. Some authors to
consider, but not limited to, are Su9anne .ollins, Ranson Riggs, Rick Riordan, *nne +rank,
:arper 2ee, or 0.;. Rowling, <sing =oogle$aps, research either 2iesel3s hometown or
your other character3s hometown. Pretend one is hosting the other in their hometown in
&'(&. .reate a weekend itinerary visiting the sites -museums or other notable sightseeing
destinations/ and sampling regional food fare. .reate a scrapbook of the weekend
complete with maps, pictures, menus, and any other notable items. he scrapbook should
be at least 6 pages with a typed paragraph included in the design of the page or on a
separate page that describes the relevance of the site, a conversation between the two
protagonists, or other pertinent information that ties in the characters, plot, setting, or
themes in the represented books.
4. Pick three important people in the book with whom 2iesel has a relationship. .reate three
separate illustrations that depict the relationships. Please be thoughtful in picking the
scenarios. he drawings should be 1uite detailed and give insights into the nature of the
relationships. he three original illustrations should each be no larger than %.6 x ((.
*dditionally for every illustration, there should be one typed paragraph summary of the
significance of the relationship and within the paragraph you should have at least three
1uotes embedded that help prove the importance of it.
LEFT SIDE OF THE BRAIN -.hoose one from this section./ hese are essays and should be
typed, (& font, imes >ew Roman. ?hen you 1uote The Book Thief, please use parenthetical
references. :ere are three examples that show how to do this:
?riting Option (: .ontinue the Story
>ear the end of The Book Thief there is a big gap in time between 2iesel and $ax3s reuniting and
2iesel3s death in Sydney.
?rite a narrative scene -(@& pages/ from the point of view of any survivor -2iesel, $ax,
or Aeath etc./ of the events of the novel. he scene should illustrate an event in their
lives after the war. <se at least one flashback or reference from the novel to reflect your
knowledge of it.
his could be:
0ust after she and $ax reunite
*n event that can make them stay or leave =ermany
?ho heBshe married and how they met
*nything else of your choice
?riting Option &: Personal >arrative ,ssay
hink about the relationships between 2iesel and one of the other characters in the novel. !n a
narrative essay -(@& pages/ write how one of these relationships is similar to relationship you have
with a significant person in your life. <se evidence from the novel and anecdotes from your
relationship to create a narrative that expresses both your knowledge of the novel as well as
reflects your connection to it.

?riting Option 4: Aiary ,ntry
!magine that 2iesel did return to =ermany for a visit as an adult. ?rite either one diary entry -(@&
pages/ or a series of diary entries from the time that 2iesel made the decision to return to her
homeland, the trip itself, and her return to her home in *ustralia. <se at least one flashback or
reference from the novel to reflect your knowledge of it.
#ou may like to consider:
?hat events and decisions lead her to return to =ermanyC
Aid she travel alone or with her familyC
?ho and where did she visitC
?hat feelings, emotions and memories were evoked before, during and after
her visitC
Common Core Standards: Reading for Literature: 1,2,3,! Writing: 1,2,",#,,$! Language
Standards: 1,2,3,",%