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For this book club, we will be using the book The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. You can purchase it in digital, paperback, hardcover, and audio formats. It is also available at many local libraries.

Additionally you will need The Norton Sampler: Seventh Edition edited by Thomas Cooley. The essays are different in each edition so you will need the 7th edition for this course.

To complete the grammar exercises you will need Barron's E-Z Grammar by Dan Mulvey.

You will also need a notebook or binder for your notes, vocabulary, and writing.

Note to the Parent:

This historical fiction is set during WWII and includes intense content—war violence, death of children and adults, oppression, bullying, and poverty. There is occasional strong language, some childhood romantic tension, and brief smoking. Themes such as grief, trauma, and genocide are central and emotionally powerful. Parents may wish to pre-read or discuss the novel's heavy material with their student.

We recommend this course for high school age. As with any children's resource, please refer to trusted sources for reviews before reading. For your reference, we have linked Common Sense Media's review.