'The Book Thief' Timeline
Category: Other
Updated: 20 Sep 2018
A chronology of the events in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. [Note: times are not accurate, but just approximate and based on Liesel's ages that are mentioned and the real life events that occurred]
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Created byemma
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Events
1939
Werner, Liesel’s brother dies on the train on the way to Munich
Liesel steals her first book:The Gravedigger’s Handbook after her brother is buried
Liesel leaves her mother to live in Himmel street, Molching with the Hubermanns.
Liesel is 9 years old.1939
Hans Hubermann teaches Liesel to roll cigarettes.
Liesel is instructed to call Hans, papa and Rosa, mama.
Liesel begins to have nightmares and Hans comforts her.
Liesel begins to learn to read.1939
While playing soccer on Himmel Street, Liesel meets Rudy Steiner.World War 2 begins, Poland invaded by Germany.World War 2 endsLiesel finishes reading the Gravedigger's Handbook.Max wakes up after three months and makes a full recovery by mid April.Liesel fights Ludwig Schmeikl for bullying her and calling her stupid.Hitler's Birthday
Books are burned in a bonfire.
Liesel steals the book The Shoulder Shrug and is seen by Ilsa Herman.
Ilsa invites her into her library.Liesel's 10th birthday.
She is given a used doll with a missing leg and hair, as this was the best the Hubermanns could afford.Hans Hubermann discovers the Gravediggers handbook and begins to read it with Liesel.
They begin midnight sessions when Liesel wakes from her nightmares.Liesel begins school again.
She is put in a kindergarten class.
Rudy and Liesel walk to school together.Liesel volunteers to read a book in front of the class, even though her teacher skipped her knowing she couldn't read.
She humiliates herself by not being able to read it and reciting a passage from the Gravedigger's Handbook.Liesel and Hans finish the Gravedigger's Handbook.
Liesel tells Hans that her brother's name was Werner.Liesel receives 2 books for Christmas.
They were the Lighthouse and Faust the Dog.
They cost 16 cigarettes from a gypsy.First customer of Rosa Hubermann fires them.
Liesel has to collect the washing from now onwards.Liesel begins to write a letter to her real mama at school.More customers decide not to send their washing to mama.Liesel gets no birthday present as the Hubermanns cannot afford it.Liesel uses some of the washing money to send her letter to her real mama.Hans Junior and Trudy visit the Hubermanns.
Hans Junior gets frustrated and runs away and does not return.Rudy and Liesel join Arthur Berg's gang after seeing him with an apple.
They go on a thieving trip to steal apples potatoes and onions.Rudy and Liesel steal from Otto who bikes to the church consistently with a basket of food.Arthur gives Rudy and Liesel chestnuts.
They eat one each and sell the rest.
They buy candy with the money.Max boards a train to seek help from Hans Hubermann.Max arrives at Himmel Street feeling selfish for wanting them to risk their lives for him.
He eats too much pea soup when he arrives and falls sick.Max moves into the basement.Liesel receives the book The Mud Men from mama and papa for her birthday.
Max does not get her anything as he did not know it was her birthday.Max makes a book, The Standover Man for Liesel for her birthday.
It is about his own life.Max tells Liesel about his 'day mares' of fighting against Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer.Liesel and Ilsa Herman fall out as the mayors wife can no longer employ Rosa Hubermann.
Ilsa encourages Liesel to take The Whistler, the book she has been reading.
Liesel becomes angry on her way home.
Liesel returns The Whistler.Liesel craves thievery and takes Rudy with her to steal the Whistler back.Liesel was carrying The Whistler when Viktor and the gang saw them.
Viktor snatched the book and threw it into the river.
Rudy and Liesel chase it also the river, then Rudy jumps in and finally reaches it.Liesel brings snow into the basement for Max on Christmas Eve.
It eventually turns into a snowman in the basement.
Max falls sick.Liesel visits Max often while he is sick and brings him presents.
She gives a total of 13 presents.Liesel steals The Dream Carrier from the mayor's library.While Liesel is at school, Rosa Hubermann comes to 'give her trouble' but simply tells her that Max has woken up.The Hubermann's basement is checked to see if it is a suitable air raid shelter.
They do not notice Max.Liesel and Hans go around houses painting the blinds black in case of an air raid or bombing.There is a track and field event for Hitler Youth.
Rudy wins multiple medals.
Liesel wins nothing.
Rudy leaves his medals for Liesel to keep.Liesel steals yet another book from the mayors library.
The book is A Song In The Dark.Liesel steals another book.
This one is The Complete Dunden Dictionary and Thesaurus.
The book has a letter addressed to Liesel in it.Sirens warning for a possible attack make everyone hide in the shelters over night.A real air raid attack occurs.
Liesel reads to everyone in her shelter to keep them calm.Holtzapfel asks Liesel to read to her in exchange for not spitting on the Hubermann's door and for coffee.The 'Coat men' ask to take Rudy away to school because he is a 'perfect Aryan', intelligent, athletic and German.
Alex Steiner receives a beating for refusing.Hans gives bread to a Jew.
He is whipped as a result of his actions.
There is a chance that the Hubermann's house might be searched so Max has to leave for hi own safety.Hans is required to join the NSDAP as consequence for his actions.Hans goes off to war.Rudy's papa also leaves.
Rudy and Liesel go on an adventure to kill the Fuhrer.
They turn around when it gets too dark.Rudy and Liesel bike ahead of a parade of Jews and drop bread for them.Liesel gives Rudy a suit that he likes for Christmas.
Liesel is given Max's journal The Word Shaker.
Max had asked that she get it when she was ready for it.Liesel steals cookies and another book The Last Human Stranger from the library.Liesel feels guilty for stealing the plate and cookies from the library so she takes it to the door and runs away.
Never again does she have nightmares.Hans suffers a broken leg when his troop's truck rolls on the way to camp.
Papa is coming home alive after the incident.Munich is bombed so Liesel stays in the air raid shelter and reads 54 pages of her books.Rudy and Liesel find a crashed plane and pilot by the river after the air raids.
They place a teddy bear on the mans shoulder ad he takes his last breath and dies.Papa arrives home one day late with a broken leg.Michael Holzapfel commits suicide.
At the funeral, Liesel reads to the people.Liesel tells Rudy about Max.
She shows him The Word Shaker.Liesel spots Max in a parade of Jews who are going to a concentration camp.
They exchange a few words.
Liesel is whipped by a solider for speaking to a Jew.Liesel accidentally ruins one of the library books.
She apologises with a letter and promises never to visit the library again.
Ilsa Herman visits Liesel and gives her a black book encouraging her to write her own story.Liesel is writing in the basement during a bombing of Himmel Street.
She is the sole survivor.
She kisses dead Rudy goodbye.
Next she tells mama of some of her memories.
Finally, she thanks her dead papa and gives him his accordion.
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