High School ELA 1/27

Study your vocabulary! Read the summaries and make notes if you need to, to help you remember. THE BOOK THIEF: PART 1 & Prologue KEY POINTS

● Journey to Munich: In January 1939, 9-year-old Liesel and her brother Werner travel

by train to Munich with their mother to meet foster parents. Liesel witnesses

Werner's death during the trip.

● New Home: Liesel arrives at Himmel Street, where she meets her strict foster

mother, Rosa, and kind father, Hans. Liesel begins to call them "Mama" and "Papa."

● Struggles and Secrets: Haunted by nightmares, Liesel secretly keeps The Grave

Digger’s Handbook, the book she stole from the cemetery, and struggles in school,

starting in a younger class as she cannot read well.

● Friendship with Rudy: Liesel befriends neighbor Rudy Steiner, who admires Jesse

Owens and challenges her to a race. A close friendship begins, with Rudy developing

a crush on Liesel.

● Hans's Support: Hans Hubermann, noticing Liesel's struggles and her secret book, begins teaching her to read at night, using the stolen book as their first text. This helps them form a deep bond and nurtures Liesel's love for books.

● Defying Bullies: With the war beginning, Liesel faces bullying at school but stands up for herself, gaining strength and support from Rudy in the process.

THE BOOK THIEF: PART 2 SUMMARY

Death, the narrator, reveals that Liesel will steal her second book, The Shoulder Shrug, from a Nazi book burning on Hitler's birthday. Liesel is gradually settling into life with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, and her friend Rudy Steiner. She finds comfort in books, despite continuing nightmares about her brother's death. Hans continues to teach her to read using The Grave Digger’s Handbook. Hans buys her two books for Christmas, trading cigarettes to pay for them. Liesel starts to deliver the laundry for Rosa so that customers may take pity on her and not cancel their service.

During the book burning, Liesel becomes disturbed, realizing that the Nazis may be responsible for her mother's disappearance. After an argument between Hans and his Nazi-supporting son, Hans Junior, Liesel’s hatred for Hitler deepens, but Hans warns her to keep her feelings hidden to stay safe. As the ashes cool, Liesel seizes the opportunity to steal The Shoulder Shrug, aware that Ilsa Hermann has witnessed her act but does not report her.

THE BOOK THIEF: PART 2 KEY POINTS

● Life in Molching: By late 1939, Liesel has adjusted to life with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans trades his cigarette rations to buy her two books for Christmas, deepening their bond.

● Letters and Loss: Liesel writes letters to her missing mother but receives no

replies. She uses stolen money to mail them, slowly realizing she will never see her mother again.

● Hitler’s Birthday Conflict: The day’s events increase tension between Hans, who privately opposes Nazi ideology, and his son, Hans Junior, a fervent Nazi supporter. Liesel begins to see a connection between her family’s suffering and Nazi policies.

● Liesel's Second Theft: During a book burning on Hitler's birthday, Liesel steals The Shoulder Shrug from the ashes, a small act of defiance against the Nazi regime. Death, the narrator, reflects on the widespread destruction in Nazi Germany.

● The Book Theft: After the book burning, Liesel realizes that Ilsa Hermann, the

mayor's wife, witnessed her stealing The Shoulder Shrug. Ilsa does not report

Liesel, which hints at a future connection between them.

THE BOOK THIEF: PART 3 SUMMARY

Hans discovers that Liesel has stolen another book, "The Shoulder Shrug," from the Nazi book burning. Concerned about the book's dangerous content, he makes Liesel promise to keep it a secret and later buys a copy of "Mein Kampf" to appear loyal to the Nazi Party and protect his family. Meanwhile, Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man hiding in Stuttgart, begins a dangerous journey to the Hubermanns' house, carrying a copy of "Mein Kampf" to disguise his escape, symbolizing how even an object of hatred can provide a means of

survival. Liesel's visits to the mayor’s library deepen her love of reading, even as she faces fears that Ilsa Hermann saw her steal the book. As the war intensifies, Liesel and Rudy start stealing food with a local gang, driven by hunger and the scarcity around them. Their petty thefts and shared adventures strengthen their bond, providing brief moments of

joy and defiance amid the growing oppression and danger of Nazi Germany.

THE BOOK THIEF: PART 3 KEY POINTS

● The Secret Book: Liesel shows Hans her stolen book, The Shoulder Shrug.

Concerned about its content, Hans asks her to keep it hidden and if she can keep asecret. He later buys Mein Kampf to appear loyal to the Nazi Party.

● The Mayor’s Library: Liesel worries that Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife, saw her steal the book. But when Liesel delivers laundry, Ilsa invites her into the library,which becomes a place of solace and sparks Liesel's love for reading.

● Max’s Journey: Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man hiding from the Nazis, receives a copy of Mein Kampf with instructions to reach the Hubermanns. The book serves as a disguise to help him avoid detection on his dangerous journey.

● Summer Struggles: Liesel frequently visits Ilsa’s library and learns about Ilsa's grief over her deceased son. Facing food shortages, Liesel and Rudy join local thieves, taking risks to find food for their families.

● Max's Arrival: Max reaches the Hubermanns' home after a treacherous journey, using Mein Kampf for cover.

THE BOOK THIEF: PART 4 SUMMARY

We learn about Hans Hubermann's past and a promise he made during World War I. The chapter begins with a young man arriving at the Hubermann home, asking if Hans still plays the accordion, prompting a flashback to Hans' time in the war. There, he befriends a Jewish soldier named Erik Vandenburg, who teaches him to play the accordion and ultimately saves his life by volunteering Hans for letter-writing duty, sparing him from a

deadly battle. After the war, Hans keeps Erik's accordion and offers to help Erik’s widow, who is too grief-stricken to accept much beyond letting him keep the instrument. The story shifts back to the present, revealing that the young man is Max Vandenburg, Erik's son, seeking refuge from the Nazis in Hans' home. Despite the immense risk, Hans agrees to hide Max, honoring the promise he made to Erik years before. This decision brings great danger to his family and highlights themes of friendship, loyalty, and moral complexity in a time of great peril, marking a significant turning point in the story.

THE BOOK THIEF: PART 4 KEY POINTS

● Hans' Backstory: In World War I, Hans is saved by a Jewish soldier, Erik Vandenburg, who nominates him for a safer assignment, keeping him out of battle. After Erik’s death, Hans feels obligated to help Erik's family, including his son, Max.

● Max's Escape: Max, a Jewish fistfighter, hides from the Nazis with help from his friend Walter Kugler, who learns about Hans from Max's family. Max makes a perilous journey to Molching, where Hans honors his promise by hiding him.

● Living in Hiding: Max hides in the Hubermanns' basement, feeling guilty for the danger he brings to them. Liesel, sworn to secrecy, brings him food and forms a bond through shared nightmares and small acts of kindness.

● Life in the Basement: Max’s health deteriorates in the cold basement, so he

occasionally warms up by the fire. He opens up to Liesel about his past, and they connect over mutual fears and losses.

● The Standover Man: For Liesel's birthday, Max makes The Standover Man, a

handmade book created from painted-over pages of Mein Kampf. Liesel reads it repeatedly, strengthening their bond.

THE BOOK THIEF: PART 5 SUMMARY

The story foreshadows Rudy’s eventual death, and his antics and struggles are

highlighted as he continues to challenge authority and endure hardships. Rudy's defiant behavior escalates in the Hitler Youth, where he faces punishments from his leader, Franz Deutscher. Despite these challenges, Rudy shows his rebellious spirit by rescuing the book, "The Whistler," from the river after it is thrown in by Viktor Chemmel, a cruel new leader of the local gang. Rudy's efforts to retrieve the book, in icy water, reflect his loyalty to Liesel and his determination, but also hint at his longing for her affection. Meanwhile, Liesel continues to visit the mayor's library, grappling with her feelings

toward the mayor's wife, who had fired her mother from her washing job. She wrestles with guilt and anger over their situation but is drawn back to the library by her love of books. Liesel and Rudy's friendship grows deeper as they continue their small acts of rebellion, from stealing apples to breaking into the mayor's house to retrieve books. The chapter paints a vivid picture of their lives under the strain of Nazi Germany, highlighting both their defiance and the emotional toll of their circumstances.

THE BOOK THIEF: PART 5 KEY POINTS

● Rudy's Fate Foreshadowed: Death hints at Rudy’s future, describing a vision of him in icy water, holding Liesel's book, The Whistler, and asking for a kiss, but clarifies this is not the day he dies.

● Max's Struggle and Art: Max, hiding in the Hubermanns' basement, imagines

boxing against Hitler to cope with fear and creates drawings on the painted pages of Mein Kampf to express resistance.

● Liesel's Outburst and Theft: After Ilsa Hermann cancels Rosa's laundry service, Liesel angrily confronts her and later sneaks back to steal The Whistler from Ilsa's library.

● Rudy’s Defiance: Rudy defies Franz Deutscher, his Hitler Youth leader, faces

punishments, and eventually joins a different division to avoid further conflict.

● The Frozen River: Viktor Chemmel throws Liesel's book into the freezing river; Rudy retrieves it and again asks Liesel for a kiss, which she denies.