The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Part 6: The Dream Carrier - p. 304-350)

Summary

Explore the emotional journey in Part 6 of Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief". This section, entitled "The Dream Carrier," delves into Liesel Meminger's life as she navigates the world of Nazi Germany while harboring Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man hiding in her basement. Through these tough times, Liesel gathers small gifts and offers them to Max as tokens of hope. As Death narrates these poignant moments, the reader is invited to reflect on the profound impact of war and human resilience.

Highlights

• Liesel's snowman creation brings a moment of joy amidst hardship ☃️
• Max's illness brings urgency and bonding within the Hubermann household 🛌
• Liesel's gift collection as she hopes for Max's recovery 🌸
• Death’s diary entries provide a chilling backdrop to humanity's suffering 📖
• The gripping desperation and fear during Nazi inspections 🔦

Key Takeaways

• Death narrates with a unique perspective, sharing personal thoughts and historical context 🕯️
• Liesel brings snow inside as a Christmas gift, creating warmth in a cold time 🎄
• Max falls into a deep illness, turning Liesel's gifts into symbols of hope and care 🌷
• Rosa Hubermann shows a softer side, deeply concerned for Max's health 💖
• Death's reflection on the chaos of war adds a somber tone to the narrative ☠️
• Liesel continues to steal books, this time acquiring "The Dream Carrier" 📚
• Resilience shines as Liesel and her family navigate the threat of Nazi inspections 🔍

Overview

In Part 6 of "The Book Thief," readers are taken through a chilling yet deeply moving journey as Death narrates the happenings of 1942. We glimpse through Liesel's world as she brings a touch of humanity and warmth to a frigid and dangerous existence. Her relationship with Max Vandenburg, a hidden Jewish man, becomes central, enveloped by fear and hope.

The Hubermann household faces anxiety as Max's health deteriorates, and each member's response highlights their character depth. Rosa Hubermann, known for her tough exterior, reveals care and concern, while Liesel's youthful innocence manifests in her tiny gifts to Max. Meanwhile, Death gives a broader context of war's brutality, making the reader ponder humanity's darkest hours.

Amid the threat of Nazi inspections, the resilience of Liesel stands out. She steals another book, "The Dream Carrier," symbolizing her quest for meaning and escapism through reading. Together, these elements weave a rich and harrowing tapestry of survival, love, and defiance against the backdrop of World War II.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 08:00: Death's Diary: 1942 The chapter from 'The Book Thief' narrates a segment titled 'Death's Diary: 1942'. It reflects on the theme of recurring nightmares, symbolized by 'The Nightmare of a Jewish Corpse'. The chapter is presented as a solemn reflection on a tumultuous year, comparable to historically significant years like 79 AD and 1346 AD. The abstraction suggests that 1942 was marked by events of great consequence, akin to a diary entry penned by Death itself.
• 08:00 - 22:00: The Snowman The chapter titled 'The Snowman' delves into the personal reflections of a character, who begins with a light-hearted note on needing a broom or a vacation. The character humorously dispels common stereotypes about their appearance, such as wearing a hooded black robe or having skull-like facial features. They invite the reader to look into the mirror for a more accurate depiction, suggesting a connection between the reader and the character. This introspective narrative centers on the character's self-perceptions and their experiences, hinting at a journey or story yet to be fully disclosed.
• 22:00 - 35:11: Thirteen Presents In the chapter titled 'Thirteen Presents', the narrator reflects on self-obsession and the importance of sharing their observations. The story brings the war closer to Himmel Street, impacting the characters' lives and drawing the narrator into the unfolding events. The narrative hints at a journey that spans multiple locations, including Poland, Russia, and Africa, illustrating the widespread impacts of the war.
• 35:11 - 46:41: The Visitor The chapter titled 'The Visitor' reflects on the human tendency to amplify conflict and destruction, often resulting in loss of life and homelessness. It alludes to historic and ongoing violence, mentioning bombs and gas chambers, that displace people and destroy their homes. The narrator, who appears to be an embodiment of death or a grim reaper, describes encounters with destitute individuals in war-torn cities. These individuals plead for the narrator to take them away, oblivious to the narrator's busy schedule and the inevitability of their eventual time. The tone is somber, highlighting the pervasive and cyclical nature of human suffering and mortality.
• 46:41 - 58:00: Death's Diary: Cologne The chapter, titled 'Death's Diary: Cologne,' features a reflection from Death, who is overwhelmed by the sheer number of souls and bodies he must collect as part of his grim work. He observes that, over the years, his burdens multiplied, especially during pivotal moments like 1942, a year marked by the catastrophe of the Holocaust. On one particular account, he remembers sitting with the souls of desperate Jewish people on a roof, with the setting including imagery of steaming ship chimneys, suggesting a scene tied to transportation or deportation during World War II.
• 58:00 - 69:00: The Schmunzeler The chapter "The Schmunzeler" reflects on the grim realities faced during a particular year, marked by vivid images of war and death. It describes scenes such as Russian soldiers relying on limited ammunition, French bodies washed ashore, and the emotional toll these events have had on the narrator's memory. The experiences are portrayed as haunting and define the narrator's existence, leaving a lingering sense of ash and color-induced memories that continue to haunt them.
• 69:00 - 57:00: Death's Diary: The Parisians The chapter 'Death's Diary: The Parisians' presents a vivid and surreal depiction of a scene filled with symbolic imagery: heaps piled on top of each other, air like plastic, a horizon akin to setting glue, and skies man-made and deteriorating, with clouds that beat like black hearts. Through this eerie landscape, Death navigates steadily on the outside but is described as disconcerted and disturbed internally. The narrative voice, presumably Death itself, mentions a sense of grievance, still processing the historical trauma of Stalin's era in Russia, notably the 'Second Revolution.'

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Part 6: The Dream Carrier - p. 304-350) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 The Book Thief by Marcus zuzak part six the dream carrier featuring death's diary the Snowman 13 presents the next book The Nightmare of a Jewish corpse and that newspaper Sky a visitor or swoonsler and a final kiss on poison cheeks death's diary 1942. it was a year for the ages like 79 like 1346 to name just a few forget the scythe
• 00:30 - 01:00 damn it I needed a broom or a mop and I needed a vacation a small piece of truth I do not carry a sickle or scythe I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold and I don't have those skull-like facial features he seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance you want to know what I truly look like I'll help you out find yourself a mirror while I continue I actually feel quite self-indulgent as at the moment telling you all about me me me my tram my travels what I saw on
• 01:00 - 01:30 42 on the other hand you're a human you should understand self-obsession the point is there's a reason for me explaining what I saw in that time much of it would have repercussions for lethal manager it brought the war closer to himmel Street and it dragged me along for the ride there were certainly some rounds to be made that year from Poland to Russia to Africa and Back Again you might argue that I make the rounds
• 01:30 - 02:00 no matter what year it is but sometimes the human race likes to crank things up a little they increased the production of bodies and their escaping Souls a few bombs usually do the trick or some gas chambers of the Chit Chat of far away guns if none of that finishes proceedings it at least strips people of their living arrangements and I witnessed the homeless everywhere they often come after me as I wander through the streets of molested cities they beg me to take them with me not realizing I'm too busy as it is your time will come I convince them and
• 02:00 - 02:30 I try not to look back at times I wish I could say something like don't you see I've already got enough on my plate but I never do I complain internally as I go about my work and some years the souls and bodies don't add up they multiply in Abridged roll call for 1942 one the desperate Jews their Spirits in my lap as we sat on the roof next to the steaming ship chimneys
• 02:30 - 03:00 two the Russian soldiers taking only small amounts of ammunition relying on the Fallen for the rest of it three the soaked bodies of a French Coast beached on the shingle and sand I could go on but I've decided for now that three examples will suffice three examples if nothing else will give you the Ash and taste in your mouth that Define my existence during that year so many humans So Many Colors they keep triggering inside me they harass my memory I see them tall in
• 03:00 - 03:30 their heaps all mounted on top of each other there is air like plastic a horizon like setting glue there are Skies manufactured by people punctured and leaking in their soft cool colored clouds beating like black hearts and then there's death making his way through all of it on the surface unflappable unwavering below unnerved untied and undone in all honesty and I know I'm complaining excessively now I was still getting over Stalin in Russia the so-called Second Revolution the
• 03:30 - 04:00 murderer of his own people then came Hitler they say that war is death's best friend but I must offer you a different point of view on that one to me war is like the new boss who expects the impossible he stands over your shoulder repeating one thing incessantly get it done get it done so you work harder you get the job done the boss however does not thank you he asks for more often I try to remember the strewn pieces of beauty I saw in that time as well I plow through my memory my library
• 04:00 - 04:30 of stories in fact I reach for one now I believe you know half of it already and if you come with me I'll allow you the rest I'll show you the second half of a book thief unknowingly she awaits a great many things that I alluded to just a minute ago but she also Waits For You she's carrying some snow down to a basement of all places handfuls of Frosty water can make almost anyone smile but it cannot make them forget here she comes
• 04:30 - 05:00 the Snowman for Lisa meminger the early stages of 1942 could be summed up like this she became 13 years of age her chest was still flat she had not yet bled the young man from her basement was now in her bed question and answer how did Max Vandenberg end up in liesel's bed he fell opinions varied but Rosa huberman claimed that the seeds were sown at Christmas for the previous year December
• 05:00 - 05:30 24th have been hungry and cooled but there was a major bonus no lengthy visitations Hans Jr was simultaneously shooting at Russians and maintaining his strike on family interaction Trudy could only stop by on the weekend before Christmas for a few hours she was going away with her family of employment a holiday for a very different class of Germany on Christmas Eve Lisa brought down a double handful of snow as a present for Max close your eyes she'd said hold out
• 05:30 - 06:00 your hands as soon as the snow was transferred Max shivered and laughed but he still didn't open his eyes he only gave the snow a quick taste allowing it to sink into his lips is this today's weather report Lisa stood next to him gently she touched his arm he raised again to his mouth thanks Liesel it was the beginning of the greatest Christmas ever little food no presence but there was a Snowman in their basement after delivering the first handfuls of
• 06:00 - 06:30 snow Elise will check that no one else was outside then proceeded to take as many buckets and pots out as she could she filled them with the Mounds of snow and ice that blanketed the small strip of world that was himmel Street once they were full she brought them in and carried them down to the basement all things being fair she first threw a snowball at Max and collected a reply in the stomach Max even threw one at Hans he were men as he made his way down the basement steps our schlock Papi yelled Lisa give me some of that snow a whole bucket for a few minutes they all forgot
• 06:30 - 07:00 there was no more yelling or calling out but they could not contain the small snatches of laughter they were only humans playing in the snow in a house Papa looked at the snow filled pots what do we do with the rest of it a snowman Lisa replied we have to make a snowman Papa called out to Rosa the usual distant voice was hurled back what is it now Sakura come down here will you when his wife appeared Hans huberman risked his life by throwing a most
• 07:00 - 07:30 excellent snowball ladder just missing it disintegrated when it hit the wall and Mama had an excuse to swear for a long time without taking a breath once she recovered she came down and helped them she even brought the buttons for the eyes and nose and some string for a snowman smile even a scarf and hat were provided for what was really only a two foot man of snow a Max it said well what do we do when it melts Lisa last Rosa had the answer you mop it up Salman in a hurry Papa disagreed it
• 07:30 - 08:00 won't melt he rubbed his hands and blew into them it's freezing down here melted did though but somewhere in each of them that snowman was still upright it must have been the last thing they saw that Christmas Eve when they finally fell asleep there was an accordion in their ears a Snowman in their eyes and for Liesel there was the thought of Max's last words before she left him by the fire Christmas greetings for Max Vandenberg often I wish this would all be overly so but then somehow you do something like
• 08:00 - 08:30 walk down the basement steps with the Snowman in your hands unfortunately that night signaled a severe downslide in Max's health the early signs were innocent enough and typical constant coldness swimming hands increased visions of boxing with the fear it was only when he couldn't warm up after his push-ups and sit-ups that had truly began to worry him as close to the fire as he sat he could not raise himself to any degree of approximately health day by day his weight began to stumble off him his exercise regime regimen
• 08:30 - 09:00 faltered and fell apart with his cheek against the Surly basement floor all through January he managed to hold himself together but by early February Max was in worrisome shape he would struggle to wake up next to the fire sleeping well into the morning instead his mouth distorted and his cheekbones starting to swell when asked he said he was fine in mid-February a few days before Lisa was 13 he came to the fireplace on the verge of collapse he nearly fell into
• 09:00 - 09:30 the fire Hans he whispered and his face seemed to cramp his legs gave way and his head hit the accordion case at once a wooden spoon fell into some soup and Rosa huberman was at his side she held Max's head and barked across the room at least so don't just stand there get the extra blankets take them to your bed and you Papa was next help me pick him up and carry him to Lisa's room Schnell Papa's face was stretched with concern as gray eyes clinged and he picked up on his own
• 09:30 - 10:00 he picked him up on his own Max was light as a child can't we put him in here in our bed Rose had already considered that no we have to keep these curtains open in the day or else it looks suspicious good point Hans carried him out blankets in hand Lisa watched limp feet and hanging your hair in the hallway one shoe had fallen off him more move Mama marched marched in behind them in her waddlesome way once Max was in the bed blankets were heaped on top and
• 10:00 - 10:30 fastened around his body Mama Lisa couldn't bring herself to say anything else what the bun of Rosa huberman's hair was wound tight enough to frighten from behind it seemed to tighten further when she repeated the question what Liesel he stepped closer afraid of the answer is he alive the bun nodded Rosa turned then and set something up with great Assurance now listen to me Liesel I didn't take this man into my house to watch him die you understand
• 10:30 - 11:00 lacel nodded now go in the hall Papa hugged her she desperately needed it later on she heard Hans and Rosa speaking in the night Rosa made her sleep in the room her sleep in their room and she lay next to their bed on the floor on the mattress they dragged up from the basement there was concern as to whether it was infected but they came to conclusion that such thoughts were unfounded this was no virus Max was suffering from so they carried it up and replaced the sheet Imagining the girl to be asleep Mama voiced her opinion
• 11:00 - 11:30 that damn snowman she whispered I bet it started with the Snowman fooling around with ice and snow in the cold down there Papa was more philosophical Rosa it started with Adolf he lifted himself we should check on him in the course of the night Max was visited seven times Max vandenberg's visitor scoresheet Hans huberman II Rosa huberman II Lisa meminger III in the morning Lisa brought him the Sketchbook from the basement and placed it on the bedside table
• 11:30 - 12:00 she felt awful for having looked at it the previous year and this time she kept it firmly close closed out of respect When papa came in she did not return to face him but talked across Max Vandenberg at the wall why did I have to bring all that snow down she said it started all of this didn't it Papa she clenched her hands as if to pray why did I have to build that Snowman Papa to his enduring credit was Adam at lethal he said you had to
• 12:00 - 12:30 for hours she sat with him as she shivered and slept don't die she whispered please Max just don't die he was the second snowman to be melting away before her eyes only this one was different it was a paradox the colder he became the more he melted 13 presents it was Max's arrival Revisited feathers turned to twigs again smooth face turned to rough the proof she needed was there he was alive the first few days she sat and talked to
• 12:30 - 13:00 him on her birthday she told him there was an enormous cake waiting in the kitchen if only he'd wake up there was no waking there was no cake a late night excerpt I realized much later that I actually visited 33 himmel Street in that period of time it must have been one of the few moments when the girl was not there with him for all I saw was a man in bed I knelt I readyed myself to insert my hands through the blankets then there was a Resurgence and immense struggle
• 13:00 - 13:30 against my weight I withdrew and with so much work ahead of me it was nice to be fought off in that dark little room I even managed a short closed out closed-eyed PODS of Serenity before I made my way out on the fifth day there was much excitement when Max opened his eyes if only for a few moments would he predominantly saw and what a frightening version it must have been close up was Rosa huberman practically slinging an armful of soup into his mouth swallow
• 13:30 - 14:00 she advised him don't think just swallow as soon as Mama handed back the bull lies will tried to see his face again but there was a soup feeder's backside in the way is he still awake when she turned Rosa did not have to answer after close to a week Max woke up a second time on this occasion with Liesel and papa in the room they were both watching the body in the bed when there was a small groan if it's possible Papa fell upward out of out of the out of the chair luckily so gasp stay awake Max stay awake he looked at her briefly but there
• 14:00 - 14:30 was no recognition the eye studied her as if she were a riddle then gone again Papa what happened Hans dropped back to the chair later he suggested that perhaps she should read to him come on Lisa you're such a good reader these days even if it's a mystery to all of us where that book came from I told you papa one of the nuns at school gave it to me Papa held up his hands in mock protest I know I know he sighed for my height just
• 14:30 - 15:00 he chose his words gradually don't get caught this was from a man who'd stolen a Jew from that day on Lisa read The Whistler allowed to Max as he occupied her bed the one frustration was that she kept having to skip whole chapters on account of many of the pages being stuck together it had not dried well still she struggled on to the point where she was nearly three quarters of the way through it the book was 396 pages foreign Lisa rushed home from school each day in
• 15:00 - 15:30 the hope that Max is feeling better has he woken up has he eaten go back out Mama begged her you're chewing a hole in my stomach with all this talking go on get out there and play soccer for God's sake yes Mama she was about to open the door but you'll come and get me if he wakes up won't you just make something up scream out like I've done something wrong start swearing at me everyone will believe it don't worry even Rosa had to smile at that she placed her Knuckles on her hips and explained that Lisa wasn't too old yet to avoid auction for talking
• 15:30 - 16:00 in such a way and score a goals she threatened or don't come home at all sure mama make that two goals salmence yes Mama and stop answering back Lisa considered but she ran under the street to oppose Rudy on the mud slippery Road about time I asked scratcher he welcomed her in the customary way as they fought for the ball where have you been half an hour later when the ball was squashed by the rare passage of a car on
• 16:00 - 16:30 himmel Street Lisa had found her first present for Max Vandenberg after judging it irreparable all of the kids walked home and discussed leaving the ball twitching on the cold blistered Road Lisa and Rudy remained stooped over the carcass there was a gaping hole on the side like a mouth you want it Lisa last Rudy Shrugged what do I want with this squash heap of a bowl there's no chance of getting air into it now is there do you want it or not no thanks fruity Prodigy cautiously with this foot as if it were a dead animal or an animal
• 16:30 - 17:00 that might be dead as he walked home Lisa picked up the ball and placed under her arm she could hear him call out hey salmage she waited salmench she relented what I've got a bike without wheels here too if you want it stick your bike from a position on the street the last thing she heard was the laughter of that sock roll Rudy Steiner inside she made her way to the bedroom she took the ball into Max and placed it at the end of the bed I'm sorry she said it's not much but
• 17:00 - 17:30 when you wake up I'll tell you all about it I'll tell you it was the greatest afternoon you can imagine and this car without its lights on ran straight over the bowl then the man got out and yelled at us and then he asked for directions the nerve of him wake up she wanted to scream or Shake him she didn't all Lisa could do was watch the ball and it's trampled flaking skin it was the first gift of many presence number two through five one ribbon one pine cone one button one
• 17:30 - 18:00 stone the soccer ball had given her an idea whenever she walked to and from school now Lisa was on the lookout for discarded items that might be valuable to a dying man she wondered at first why it mattered so much how could something so seemingly insignificant give Comfort to someone a ribbon in a gutter a pine cone on the street a button leaning casually against a classroom wall a flat round Stone from the river if nothing else it showed that she cared and it might give them something to talk about when Max woke up when she was alone she would conduct
• 18:00 - 18:30 these conversations so what's all this Max would say what's all this junk junk in her mind she was sitting on the side of the bed this isn't junk Max these are what made you wake up presence number six through nine one feather two newspapers a candy wrapper a cloud the feather was lovely and trapped in the door hinges of the church on Munich Street it poked itself crookedly out and Liesel hurried over to rescue it the fibers were combed flat on the left but the right side was made of delicate
• 18:30 - 19:00 edges and sections of jagged triangles there was no other way of describing it the newspapers came from the cold deaths of a garbage can enough said and the candy wrapper was flat and Faded she found it near the school and held it up to the light it contained a collage of shoe prints then the cloud how do you give someone a piece of sky late in February she stood on Munich street and watched a single giant Cloud come over the hills like a white monster
• 19:00 - 19:30 it climbed the mountains the sun was eclipsed and in its place a white Beast with a gray heart watched the town would you look at that she said to Papa Hans cocked his head and stated what he felt was the obvious you should give it to Max Liesel see if you can leave it on the bedside table like all the other things Lisa watched him as if he'd gone insane how though lightly tapped her skull with his knuckles memorize it then write it down for him it was like a great white Beast she said at her next bedside vigil and it came
• 19:30 - 20:00 from all from over the mountains when the sentence was completed with several different adjustments and additions Lisa felt like she'd done it she imagined the vision of it passing from her hand to his through the blanket since you wrote it down on a scrap of paper placing the stone on top of it presence number 10-13 one toy soldier one miraculous Leaf a finished Whistler a slab of grief the soldier was buried in the dirt not far from Tommy Mueller's place it was
• 20:00 - 20:30 scratched and trodden which to Lisa was the whole point even with injury it could still stand up the leaf was a maple and she found it in the school broom closet among the buckets and feather dusters the door was slightly ajar the leaf was dry and hard like toasted bread and there were Hills and Valleys all over its skin somehow the leaf had made its way into this school hallway and into that closet like half a star with the stem Lisa reached in and twirled it in her fingers unlike the other items she did
• 20:30 - 21:00 not place the leaf on the bedside table she pinned it to the closed curtain just before reading the final 34 pages of the Whistler she did not have dinner that afternoon or go to the toilet she didn't drink all day at school she had promised herself that she would finish reading the book today and Max Vandenberg was going to listen he was going to wake up Papa sat on the floor in the corner worthless as usual luckily he would soon be leaving for the nolar and with the
• 21:00 - 21:30 accordion his chin resting on his knees he listened to the girl he'd struggled to teach the alphabet reading proudly she unloaded the final frightening words of the book to Max Vandenberg the last remnants of the Whistler the Viennese air was fogging up the windows of the tree in that morning and as the people traveled obliviously to work a murderer whistled his Happy tune he bought his ticket there were polite greetings with fellow passengers in the
• 21:30 - 22:00 conductor he even gave up a seat for an elderly lady and made polite conversation with the Gambler who spoke of American horses after all the Whistler loved talking he talked to people and fooled them into liking him trusting him he talked to them while he was killing them torturing and turning the knife it was only when there was no one to talk to that he whistled which is why he did so after a murder do you think the track will suit number seven do you of course the Gambler grin trust was already there he'll come from
• 22:00 - 22:30 behind and kill the whole lot of them he shouted above the noise of the train if you insist The Whistler smirked and he wandered at length when they would find the inspector's body in that brand new BMW Jesus Mary and Joseph Hans couldn't resist an incredulous Stone a nun gave you that he stood up and made his way over kissing her forehead bye lies so the nolar awaits bye Papa Liesel she ignored it come in and eat something
• 22:30 - 23:00 she answered now I'm coming mama she actually spoke those words to Max as she came closer and placed the finished book on the bedside table with everything else as she hovered above him she couldn't help herself come on Max she whispered and even the sound of Mama's arrival at her back did not stop her from silently crying it didn't stop her from pulling a lump of salt water from her eye and feeding it onto Max of andenberg's face Mama took her her arm swallowed her I know she said she knew
• 23:00 - 23:30 fresh air an old nightmare and what to do with the Jewish corpse they were by the Amber River and Lisa just told Rudy that she was interested in attaining another book from the mayor's house in place of the Whistler she'd read the standover man several times at Max's bedside that was only a few minutes for reading she'd also tried the shoulders drug even the gravedigger's handbook but none of it seemed quite right I want something new she thought did you even read the last one of course
• 23:30 - 24:00 I did Rudy threw a stone into the water was it any good of course it was of course I did of course it was he tried to dig another rock out of the ground but cut his finger that'll teach you Sal Mitch when a person's last response was Salamence or Sakura or archloch you knew you had them beaten in terms of stealing conditions were perfect it was a gloomy afternoon early in March and only a few degrees above freezing always more uncomfortable than 10 degrees below very few people were out on the streets rain like gray pencil
• 24:00 - 24:30 shavings are we going bike said Rudy you can use one of ours on this occasion Rudy was considerably more enthusiastic about being the enter today it's my attorney said as their fingers froze to the bike handles Liesel thought fast maybe you shouldn't Rudy there's stuff all over the place in there and it's dark an idiot like you is bound to trip over or run into something thanks very much in this mood Rudy was hard to contain there's the drop too
• 24:30 - 25:00 it's deeper than you think are you saying you don't think I can do it Liesel stood up on the pedals not at all they crossed the bridge and Serpentine up the hill to Grand strassa the window was open like last time they surveyed the house vaguely they could see inside to where light was on downstairs and which was probably the kitchen a shadow moved back and forth we'll just ride around the block a few times Rudy said lucky we brought the bikes huh just make sure you remember to take yours home very funny salmage it's a bit bigger than your
• 25:00 - 25:30 filthy shoes they rode for perhaps 15 minutes and still the mayor's wife was downstairs a little too close for comfort how dare she occupy the kitchen with such vigilance for Rudy the kitchen was undoubtedly the actual goal he'd have gone in robbed as much food as was physically possible then if and only if he had a last moment to spare he could stuff a book down his pants on the way out any book would do Rudy's weakness though however was
• 25:30 - 26:00 impatience it's getting late he said and begin to write off you coming Liesel didn't come there was no decision to be made she'd lugged that rusty bike all the way up there and she wasn't leaving without a book she placed the handlebars in the gutter looked out for any neighbors and walked to the window there was good speed but no hurry she took her shoes off using her feet treading on her heels with her toes her fingers tightened on the wood and she made her way inside this time if only slightly she felt more at ease in a few precious moments she
• 26:00 - 26:30 circled the room looking for a title that grabbed her on three or four occasions she nearly reached out she even considered taking more than one but again she didn't want to abuse what kind she didn't want to abuse what was the kind of system for now only one book was necessary she studied the shelves and waited and extra Darkness climbed through the window behind her the smell of dust and theft loitered in the background and she saw it the book was read with black writing on the spine the dream carrier she thought of Max
• 26:30 - 27:00 Vandenberg in his dreams of guilt surviving leaving his family fighting the fuhrer she also thought of her own dream her brother dead on this train and his appearance on the steps just around the corner from this very room The Book Thief watched his bloodied knee from the shove of her own hand she slid the book from the Shelf tucked it under her arm climbed to the window ledge and jumped out all in one motion Rudy had her shoes he had her bike ready once the shoes were on they rode
• 27:00 - 27:30 Jesus Mary and Joseph meminger he'd never called her meminger before you're an absolute lunatic do you know that Liesel agreed as the as she peddled like hell I know it as the Brit at the bridge Rudy summed up the afternoon's proceedings those people are either completely crazy he said or they just like their fresh air a small suggestion or maybe there was a woman on Grand strassa who now kept her Library window open for another reason but that's just me being cynical or hopeful or both Lisa plays the dream carrier beneath her
• 27:30 - 28:00 jacket and began reading it the minute she returned home in the wooden chair next to her bed she opened the book and whispered it's a new One Max just for you she started reading chapter one it was quite fitting that the entire town was sleeping when the dream carrier was born every day they at least I've read two chapters of the book one in the morning before school and one as soon as she
• 28:00 - 28:30 came home on certain nights when she was not able to sleep she read half of a third chapter as well sometimes she would fall asleep summed forward onto the side of the bed it became remission she gave the dream carrier to Max as if the words alone could nourish him on a Tuesday she thought there was movement she could have sworn his eyes had opened if they had it was only momentarily and it was more likely just her imagination and wishful thinking by mid-march the cracks began to appear Rosa huberman the good woman for a
• 28:30 - 29:00 crisis was at breaking point one afternoon in the kitchen she raised her voice then brought it quickly down Liesel stopped reading and made her way quietly to the hall as close as she stood she could still barely make out her mama's words when she was able to hear them she wished she hadn't for what she heard was horrific it was reality the contents of Mama's voice what if he doesn't wake up Hans what if he dies here hansy tell me what in God's name will we do with the body
• 29:00 - 29:30 we can't leave him here the smell will kill us and we can't carry him out the door and drag him up the street either we can't just say you'll never guess what we found in our basement this morning they'll put us away for good she was absolutely right a Jewish corpse was a major problem the huberman's not needed to revive Max Phantom the hubermans needed to revive Max Vandenberg not only for his sake but for their own even Papa who was always the ultimate calming influence is feeling
• 29:30 - 30:00 the pressure look his voice was quiet but heavy if it happens if he dies we'll simply need to find a way Lisa could have sworn she heard him swallow a gulp like a blow to the windpipe my paint cart my drop sheets at least across the lies will enter the kitchen not now Lisa it was Papa who spoke though he did not look at her he was watching his warped face in a turned over spoon
• 30:00 - 30:30 his elbows were buried in the table The Book Thief did not Retreat took a few extra steps and sat down her cold hands fell for her sleeves and a sentence dropped from her mouth he's not dead yet the words landed on the table and positioned themselves in the middle all three people looked at them half hopes didn't dare rise any higher he isn't dead yet he isn't dead yet it was Rosa who spoke next who's hungry possibly the only time that Max's illness didn't hurt was that dinner
• 30:30 - 31:00 there is no denying it as the three of them sat at the kitchen table with their extra bread and extra soup or potatoes they all thought it but no one spoke hmm in the night just a few hours later awoke and wandered at the height of her heart she had learned that expression from the dream carrier which was essentially the complete antithesis of the Whistler a book about an abandoned child who wanted to be a priest she sat up and sucked deeply at the nighttime air Lee
• 31:00 - 31:30 soap opera rolled over what is it nothing pop everything's good but the very moment she'd finished the sentence she saw exactly what had happened in her dream one small image for the most part all is identical the train moves at the same speed copiously her brother coughs this time however Liesel cannot see his face watching the floor slowly she leans over her hand lifts him gently from his chin and there in front of her is the wide-eyed face of Max Vandenberg he stares at her a feather drops to the floor the body is bigger
• 31:30 - 32:00 now matching the size of the face the train screams Liesel I said everything is good shivering she climbed from the mattress stupid with fear she walked through the hallway to Max after many minutes at his side when everything slowed she attempted to interpret the dream was it a premonition of Max's death or was it merely a reaction to the afternoon conversation in the kitchen had Max now replaced her brother and if so how could she discard her own flesh and blood in such a way
• 32:00 - 32:30 perhaps it was even a deep-seated wish for Max to die after all it was good enough for Warner her brother it was good enough for this Jew is that what she thinks she whispered standing above the bed no she could not believe it her answer was sustained as the numbness of the dark waned and outlined the various shapes big and small on the bedside table the presence wake up she said max did not wake up for eight more days at school there was a wrapping of Knuckles on the door come in called
• 32:30 - 33:00 fraudrick the door opened and the entire classroom with Children looked on and surprised as Rosa huberman stood in the doorway one or two gasped at the site a small wardrobe of a woman with a lipstick sneer and chlorine eyes this was the legend she was wearing her best clothes but her hair was a mess and it was a towel of elastic gray strands the teacher was obviously afraid Frau huberman her movements were cluttered she searched through the class Liesel
• 33:00 - 33:30 Lisa looked at Rudy stood and walked quickly toward the door to end the embarrassment as fast as possible it shut behind her and now she was alone in the corridor with Rosa Rosa faced the other way what mama she turned don't you what Mama me you little salmensch Lisa was igored by the speed of it my hairbrush a trickle of laughter rolled from under the door but it was drawn instantly back mama her face was severe but it was smiling
• 33:30 - 34:00 what the hell did you do with my hair brush you stupid Salman you little thief I've told you a hundred times to leave that thing alone but do you listen of course not the thyroid went on for Pat perhaps another minute with Lisa making a desperate suggestion or two about the possible location of the said brush it ended up abruptly with Rosa pulling Lisa close just for a few seconds her whisper was almost impossible to hear even at such close proximity you told me to yell at you he said they'd all believe it she
• 34:00 - 34:30 looked left and right her voice like a needle and thread he woke up Liesel he's awake from her pocket she pulled out the toy soldier with the scratched exterior he said to give you this it was his favorite she handed it over held her arms tightly and smiled before Lisa led a chance to answer she finished it off well answer me do you have any other idea where you might have left it he's a live lethal thought no mama I'm sorry Mama I well what good are you then she let go nodded and walked away
• 34:30 - 35:00 for a few moments Liesel stood the corridor was huge she examined the soldier in her poem instinct told her to run home immediately but Common Sense did not allow it instead she placed the Ragged soldier in her pocket and returned to the classroom everyone waited stupid cow she whispered under her breath again kids laugh Frau ulnric did not what was that Lisa was on such a high that she felt indestructible I said she beamed stupid cow and she didn't
• 35:00 - 35:30 have to wait a single moment for the teacher's hand to slap her don't speak about your mother like that she said but it had little effect the girl really stood there and attempted to hold off the grin after all she could take advatch and with the best of them now get to your seat yes for our olindric next to her Rudy dared to speak Jesus Mary and Joseph he whispered I can see your hand on your face a big red hand five fingers good said Lisa because Max was alive when she made it home that afternoon he
• 35:30 - 36:00 was sitting up in bed with the deflated soccer ball on his lap his beard itched him and his swampy eyes fought to stay open an empty bowl of soup was next to the gifts they did not say hello it was more like edges the door creaked the girl came in and she stood before him looking at the bull is Mama forcing it down your throat he nodded content fatigued it was very good though Mama's soup really it was not a smile he gave her thank you for the presents more just a slight Terror of the mouth thank you for the
• 36:00 - 36:30 cloud your page explained that one a little further after an hour Liesel also made an attempt on the truth we didn't know what we'd do if he died Max we didn't take him long you mean how to get rid of me I'm sorry no he was not offended you were right he played weakly with the ball you were right to think that way in your situation a dead Jew is just as dangerous as a live one if not worse I also dreamed in detail she explained it with the soldier in her grip she was
• 36:30 - 37:00 on the verge of apologizing again when Max intervened Liesel he made her look at him don't ever apologize to me it should be me who apologizes to you he looked at everything she'd brought him look at all this these gifts he held the button in his hand and Rosa said you read to me twice every day sometimes three times now he looked at the curtains as if he could see out of them he set up a little higher and paused for a dozen silent sentences trepidation found its way onto his face and he made
• 37:00 - 37:30 a confession to the girl Liesel he moved slightly to the right I'm afraid he said of falling asleep again Lisa was Resolute then I'll read to you and I'll slap your face if you start dozing off I'll close the book and Shake you till you wake up that afternoon and well into the night Lisa read to Max Vandenberg he sat in bed and absorbed the words awake this time until just after 10 o'clock when Lee Liesel took a quiz quick rest from
• 37:30 - 38:00 the dream carrier she looked over the book and Max was asleep nervously she nudged him with it he awoke another three times he fell asleep twice more she woke him for the next four days he woke up every morning in liesel's bed then next to the fireplace and eventually by mid-april in the basement his health had improved the beard was gone and small scraps of weight had returned in liesel's inside World there was great relief in that time outside things were starting to look
• 38:00 - 38:30 shaky late in March a place called lubic was hailed with bombs next in line would be cologne and soon enough many more German cities including Munich yes the boss was at my shoulder get it done get it done the bombs were coming and so was I death's diary cologne the following hours of May 30th I'm sure Lisa meminger was fast asleep when more than a thousand bomber planes flew towards a place known as known as colon
• 38:30 - 39:00 for me the result was 500 people or thereabouts 50 000 ambled homelessly around the ghostly piles of rubble trying to work out which way was which and which slabs a broken home belong to whom 500 Souls I carried them in my fingers like suitcases or I'd throw them over my shoulder it was only the children that carried in my arms by the time I finished the sky was yellow like burning newspaper if I look closely I could see the words reporting
• 39:00 - 39:30 headlines commentating on the progress of the war and so forth reporting how I'd have loved to pull it all down to screw up the newspaper sky and toss it away my arms ached and I couldn't afford to burn my fingers there was still much work to be done foreign as you might expect many people died instantly others took a
• 39:30 - 40:00 while longer there were several more places to go skies to meet and souls to collect and when I came back to Cologne later on not long after the final planes I managed to notice the most unique thing I was carrying the charred soul of a teenager when I looked Gravely up at what was now a sulfuric suck guy a group of 10 year old girls was close by one of them called out what's that oh her arm extended and her finger pointed out the black slow object falling from
• 40:00 - 40:30 above it began as a black feather lilting floating or a piece of Ash then it grew larger the same girl of redhead with Superior freckles spoke once again this time more emphatically what is that it's a body and other girls suggested black hair pigtails and a crooked part down the center it's another bomb it was too slow to be a bomb with the Adolescent Spirit still burning lightly in my arms I walked a few hundred meters with the rest of them like the girls I
• 40:30 - 41:00 remain focused on the sky the last thing I wanted was to look down at the stranded face of my teenager a pretty girl her whole death was now ahead of her like the rest of them I was taken aback when a voice lunged out it was a disgruntled father ordering his kids inside the redhead reacted her freckles lengthened into commas but Papa look the man takes several small steps and soon figured out what it was it's the fuel he said what do you mean the fuel he repeated the tank he was a
• 41:00 - 41:30 bald man and disrupted bed clothes they used up all their fuel in that one and got rid of their empty container look there's another one over there and there kids being kids they all search frantically at that point trying to find an empty fuel container floating to the ground the first one landed with the hollow thud can we keep it Papa no he was bombed and shocked this pop and clearly not in the mood we cannot keep it why not I'm gonna ask my papa if I can have it said another of the girls me too
• 41:30 - 42:00 just past the rubble of cologne a group of kids collected empty fuel containers dropped by their enemies as usual I collected humans I was tired and the year wasn't even half over yet The Visitor a new ball had been found for himmel street soccer that was the good news the somewhat unsettling news was that a division of the nsdap was heading toward them they'd progressed all the way through mulking Street by Street house by house and now they stood at fraud dealer's shop having a quick smoke before they
• 42:00 - 42:30 continued with their business there was already a smattering of air raid shelters in mulking but it was decided soon after the bombing of cologne that a few more certainly wouldn't hurt the nsdap was inspecting each and every house in order to see if its basement was a good enough candidate from afar the children watched they could see the smoke rising out of the pack Lisa had only just come out and she'd walked over to Rudy and Tommy Harold mullenhauer was retrieving the ball what's going on up there Rudy put
• 42:30 - 43:00 his hands in his pockets the party he inspected his friend's progress with the ball and for all holsophils were front hedge they're checking all the houses and apartment blocks instant dryness seized the interior of Lisa's mouth for what don't you know anything tell her Tommy Tommy was perplexed well I don't know you're hopeless the peer review the Needmore air raid shelters what basements no attics of course basements Jesus Lisa you really are thick aren't you the ball was back Rudy he played on
• 43:00 - 43:30 to it and Lisa was still standing how could she get back inside without looking too suspicious the smoke up at fraud dealers was disappearing when the small crowd of men was starting to disperse Panic generated in that awful way throat and mouth air became sand thinks she thought come on Liesel think think Rudy scored far away voices congratulated him think Liesel she had it that's it she decided but I have to make it real
• 43:30 - 44:00 as the Nazis progressed down the street painting the letters LSR on some of the doors the ball was passed through the air to one of the bigger kids Klaus Berry LSR Loof shoots Rome air raid shelter the boy turned with the ball just as Liesel arrived and they collided with such force that the game stopped automatically as the ball rolled off players ran Liesel held her Gray's knee with one hand in her head with the other Klaus berrick was only it held his who
• 44:00 - 44:30 only held his right head right shin grimacing and cursing where is she spent I'm going to kill her there would be no killing it was worse a kindly party member had seen the incident and jogged dutifully down to the group what happened here well she is a maniac Klaus pointed at least so prompting the man to help her up his tobacco breath formed a smoky Sandhill in front of her face I don't think you're in any state to keep playing my girl he said where do you live I'm fine she answered really I can make it myself just get off me get off me that was when Rudy stepped in the
• 44:30 - 45:00 Eternal stepper in her I'll help you home he said why couldn't he just mind his own business for a change really Liesel said just keep playing Rudy I can make it no no he wouldn't be shifted the stubbornness of him it'll only take a minute or two again she had to think and again she was able with Rudy holding her up she made herself drop once more to the ground on her back my papa she said the sky she noticed was utterly blue not even the suggestion of a cloud could you
• 45:00 - 45:30 get him Rudy stay there to his right he called out Tommy Watcher will you don't let her move Tommy snapped into action I'll watch her Rudy he stood above her twitching and trying not to smile as Lisa kept an eye on the party man a minute later Hans huberman was standing calmly above her hey papa a disappointed smile mingled with his lips I was wondering when this would happen he picked her up and helped her home the game went on and the Nazi was already at the door of a lodging a few doors up no
• 45:30 - 46:00 one answered Rudy was calling out again do you need help here huberman no no no you keep playing here Steiner air Steiner you had to love liesel's Papa once inside Lisa gave him the information she attempted to find the middle ground between silence and despair Papa don't talk the party she whispered Papa stopped he fought off the urge to open the door and look up the street they're checking basements to make shelters he set her down smart girl he said then called for Rosa they had to me they had a minute to
• 46:00 - 46:30 come up with the plan a Sherman of thoughts we'll just put him in Lisa's room under the bed was Mama's suggestion that's it what if they decide to research our rooms as well do you have a better plan correction they did not have a minute a seven punch knock was hammered into the door of 33 himmel Street and it was too late to move anyone anywhere The Voice open up their heartbeats fought each other a massive rhythm police will turn tried to eat hers down the taste of
• 46:30 - 47:00 heart was not too cheerful Rosa whispered Jesus Marion on this day it was Papa Who Rose to the occasion he rushed to the basement door and threw a warning down the steps when he returned he spoke fast and fluent look there is no time for tricks we could distract him a hundred different ways but if there's only one solution he eyed the door and summed up nothing that was not the answer Rosa wanted her eyes widened nothing are you crazy the knocking resumed Papa was strict nothing we don't even go down there not a care
• 47:00 - 47:30 in the world everything slowed Rosa accepted it clenched with distress she shook her head and proceeded to answer the door Liesel Papa's voice sliced her up just stay calm yes papa she tried to concentrate on her bleeding leg aha at the door Rosa was still asking the meaning of this Interruption when the kindly party man noticed Liesel the maniacal soccer player he grinned how's the knee you don't usually imagine the Nazis being too chirpy but this man certainly
• 47:30 - 48:00 was he came in and made as if to crouch and view the injury does he know Lisa thought can he smell we're hiding a Jew Papa came from the sink with a wet cloth and soaked it into liesel's knee does it sting the silver eyes were caring and calm the scare in them could easily be a mistaken his concern for the injury Rosa called across the kitchen can't sting enough maybe we'll teach her a lesson the party man stood and laughed I don't think the girl is learning any lessons
• 48:00 - 48:30 out there for our huberman the cardboard contorted Franz huberman I think she teaches lessons he handed Lisa a smile to all those boys am I right young girl Papa shoved the cloth into the Grays and Lisa winced rather than answered it was Hans who spoke a quiet sorry to the girl there was the discomfort of silence and the party man remembered his purpose if you don't mind he explained I need to inspect your basement just for a minute or two to see if it's suitable for a shelter papa gave liesel's knee a final dab
• 48:30 - 49:00 you'll have a nice bruise there too Liesel casually acknowledge the man above them certainly first door on the right please excuse the mess I wouldn't worry it can't be worse than some of the other ones I've seen today this one that's it the longest three minutes in huberman history Papa sat at the table Rose to parade in the corner mouthing the words Lisa was cooked her knee her chest the muscles in her arms I doubt any of them had the audacity to consider what they do if the basement was appointed as a
• 49:00 - 49:30 shelter they had to survive the inspection first they listened to Nazi Footsteps in the basement there was the sound of measuring tape Lisa could not ward off the thought of Max sitting beneath the steps huddled around a Sketchbook hugging it to his chest Papa stood another idea he walked to the hall and called out everything good down there the answer scented the steps on top of Max Vandenberg another minute perhaps would you like some coffee some tea no thank
• 49:30 - 50:00 you When papa returned he ordered Lisa to fetch a hook a book and for Rosa to stir cooking he decided the last thing they should do was sit around looking worried well come on he said loudly move it Liesel I don't care if your knee hurts you have to finish that book like you said at least he'll try not to break yes papa what are you waiting for took great effort to wink at her she could tell in the corridor she nearly collided with the party man in trouble with your papa huh never mind I'm the same with my own children they walk their separate ways and when
• 50:00 - 50:30 Lisa made it to her room she closed the door and fell to her knees despite the added pain she listened first to the Judgment that the basement was too shallow then the goodbyes one of it which was sent down the corridor goodbye Mane kill soccer player goodbye the dream carrier simmered in her hands according to Papa Rosa melted next to the stove the moment the party man was gone they collected Liesel and made their way to the basement removing the well-placed drop sheets and paint cans
• 50:30 - 51:00 Max Vandenberg sat beneath the steps holding his rusty scissors Like a Knife his armpits were soggy and the words felt like felt like injuries from his mouth I wouldn't have used them he quietly said them he held the rusty arms flat against his forehead I'm so sorry I put you through that pop a little cigarette Rosa took the scissors you're alive she said we all are it was too late now for apologies the schmoozingler minutes later a second knocker was at
• 51:00 - 51:30 the door good luck another one worry resumed immediately Max was covered up Rosa trudged up the basement steps but when she opened the door this time it was not the Nazis it was none other than Rudy Steiner he stood there yellow haired in good intentioned I just came to see how Lisa lives when she heard his voice Liesel started making her way up the steps I can deal with this one her boyfriend Papa mentioned to the paint cans he blew another mouthful of smoke he is not my boyfriend Lisa countered
• 51:30 - 52:00 but she was not irritated it was impossible after such a close call I'm only going up because mama will be yelling at any second late so she was on the fifth step see when she reached the door Rudy moved from foot to foot I came to see he stopped what's that smell he sniffed have you been smoking in there oh I was sitting with Papa do you have any cigarettes maybe we can sell some Lisa wasn't in the mood for this she spoke quietly enough so that Mama
• 52:00 - 52:30 couldn't hear I don't steal from my papa but she steal from certain other places talk a bit louder why don't you Rudy schmunzel see what stealing does you're all worried like you've never stolen anything yes but you reek of it Rudy was really warming up now maybe that's not cigarette smoke after all he leaned closer and smiled it's a criminal I can smell you should have a bath he shouted back to Tommy Mueller hey Tommy you should come and have a smell of this what did you say
• 52:30 - 53:00 trust Tommy I can't hear you Rudy shook his head in lethal's Direction useless she started shutting the door get lost sacral you're the last thing I need right now very pleased with himself Rudy made his way back to the street at the mailbox he seemed to remember what he'd wanted to verify all along he came back a few steps all is good samage the injury I mean it was June it was Germany things were on the verge of Decay Lisa was unaware
• 53:00 - 53:30 of this for her the Jew in her basement had not been revealed her foster parents were not taken away and she herself contributed greatly to both of these accomplishments everything's good she said and she was not talking about a soccer injury of any description she was fine death's diary the parisians summer came for the book Thief everything was going nicely for me the sky was the color of Jews when their bodies had finished scouring for gaps in the door their
• 53:30 - 54:00 souls rose up when their fingernails had scratched at the wood and in some cases were nailed into it by sheer force of desperation their Spirits came toward me into my arms and we climbed out of those shower facilities onto the roof and up into eternity's certain breadth they just kept feeding me minute after minute shower after shower I'll never forget the first day in Auschwitz the first time in math housing at that second place as time wore on I also picked them up from the bottom of the great Cliff when their escapes fell
• 54:00 - 54:30 offly awry there were broken bodies and dead sweethearts still it was better than the gas some of them I caught when they were only halfway down saved you I think holding their souls in midair as the rest of their being their physical shells plummeted to the Earth all of them were light like the cases of empty walnuts Smoky sky in those places the smell like a stove but still so cold I shiver when I remember as I try to derealize it I blow warm air into my hands to heat
• 54:30 - 55:00 them up but it's hard to keep them warm when the stove the soles still shiver God I always say that name when I think of it God twice I speak it I say his name in a feudal attempt to understand but it's not your job to understand that's me who answers God never says anything you think you're the only one he never answers your job is to and I stop listening to me because to put it bluntly I Tire me when I start think thinking like that I become so exhausted and I don't have the luxury of indulging
• 55:00 - 55:30 fatigue I'm I'm compelled to continue on because although it's not true for every person on Earth it's true for the vast majority that death waits for no man and if he does he doesn't usually wait very long on June 23 1942 there was a group of French Jews in a German prison on polish soil the first person I took was close to the door his mind racing then reduced to pacing then slowing down slowing down
• 55:30 - 56:00 please believe me when I tell you that I picked up each soul that day as if it were newly born I even kissed a few weary poison cheeks I listened to their last gasping cries they're Vanishing words I watched their love visions and freed them from their fear I took them all away and if ever there was a time I needed distraction this was it in complete desolation I looked at the world above I watched the sky as a turn from Silver to gray to the color of rain even the clouds were trying to get away sometimes I imagined how everything
• 56:00 - 56:30 looked above those clouds knowing without question that the sun was blonde and the endless atmosphere was a giant blue sky they were French they were Jews and they were you