The Book Thief - Introduction Overview

The narrator of the book is ______.

Death prefers a ______ brown sky when collecting souls.

The book thief's name is ______.

Liesel's brother, ______, dies on the train journey.

Liesel and her mother bury Werner in a town after getting off the train at the next ______.

Liesel's new foster parents live on ______ Street in Molching.

Liesel's foster mother calls her a ______ girl.

Liesel's stepfather, Hans, is a ______.

Liesel receives a ______ uniform.

Liesel is enrolled in the ______ Youth.

Liesel learns to ‘______ Hitler.’

Rudy Steiner is obsessed with the African-American track star ______ Owens.

Rudy is obsessed with the ______-American track star Jesse Owens.

The book Liesel stole from the gravedigger is called “The ______ Digger’s Handbook.”

Papa begins teaching Liesel the ______ by writing on sandpaper.

In September, Hitler invades ______.

Liesel tries to read in front of her class at school, but ends up reciting from “The ______ Digger’s Handbook.”

Liesel beats up her classmate ______ Schmeikl in the schoolyard.

Liesel is especially drawn to her foster father ______ Hubermann.

Liesel finds her foster mother ______ more difficult to embrace.

Liesel has nightmares about her dead ______.

The novel immediately establishes that the story will mix elements of ______ with historical fact.

Death has feelings for the ______ he collects.

Liesel begins stealing books from the Hermann library as a way of reclaiming her ______.

Books become a ______ for Liesel amidst the chaos of the Nazi regime.

Max's story, 'The Word Shaker,' uses ______ as a metaphor for the control exerted by Nazi ideology.

Liesel's ability to read to her neighbors represents a significant ______ in her character.

Hans’s ______ symbolizes his debt to Erik Vandenburg and his responsibility to live in Erik’s honor.

Giving bread symbolizes an act of ______ in the novel.

When Hans gives bread to a Jewish prisoner, it results in him being ______ as punishment.

Rudy's act of giving bread marks his transition from selfishness to ______.

Liesel's book ultimately saves her life when she is in the ______ during the bombing.

Liesel's relationship with ______ underscores the theme of friendship and support in adversity.

Hans's sympathy for the ______ in Molching foreshadows events to come.

Liesel begins to learn from Hans's example of ______ in a difficult political context.

By painting over the slurs on Jewish shops, Hans risks punishment due to his deviation from Nazi ______.

Liesel shows understanding of what it means to have two lives: a public one and a ______ one.

Hans slaps Liesel to ensure their ______ if anyone overhears her dissent.

Liesel learns to censor herself when she can be ______ by the wrong person.

Liesel establishes herself as willing to risk her personal ______ for books.

The book burning scene exemplifies Liesel’s growing ______ as a narrator.

Characters in Nazi Germany lead double lives, playing the role of patriotic citizens in ______ while following their own ethics in private.

Having lost her family, Liesel understands the pain of ______.

Liesel's moral system originates from her sense of guilt and a strong ideal of ______.

Hans acts strictly with Liesel not out of anger but to ______ her.

Hans is characterized as generous, kind, and ______, serving as Liesel's father figure.

The power of language is a major theme as Liesel learns it can be both a ______ weapon of control.

Hans is described as the opposite of the ______ leaders of the town.

Despite appearing passive, Hans challenges ______'s regime.

Liesel matures and realizes that nearly everyone in her life has experienced ______ and pain.

Rosa Hubermann is described as short, stern, and quick to ______.

Liesel initially finds Rosa to be ______, making it harder for her to love her.

When Max arrives, Rosa faces immense ______ due to his presence.

Death is the nearly ______ narrator for The Book Thief.

Death honors each human death by noting the color of the ______.

Rudy Steiner is described as the physical embodiment of the perfect Aryan ______.

Frau Diller portrays the ideal of the ‘good’ German, blindly following ______.

Words and stories are highlighted as powerful means of ______ in the novel.

Hans suffers greatly when he believes he has acted in ______.

Liesel takes longer to truly love Rosa because she hopes to see her ______ mother again.

Rosa's harsh demeanor serves as her armor against a cruel ______.

Hans feels he owes his life to ______ Vandenburg, who saved him during World War I.

Max has feelings of responsibility and guilt over having left his ______.

Michael Holtzapfel is overcome with guilt for having lived while his ______ died.

Liesel is plagued by nightmares of her dead ______.

Books and writing save the lives of several characters, notably Max, who receives a fake identity card in a copy of ______.

Liesel escapes death during the bombing of Himmel Street because she is ______ her life story.

Darkness symbolizes ignorance and despair and figures prominently throughout the book, especially in the Hubermanns' dark ______.

Liesel is first seen stealing a book dropped by the ______.

Rudy and Liesel join a band of boys who frequently take apples and ______ from a nearby orchard.

Liesel becomes known as the '______ thief' for her book-stealing escapades.

Max’s friendship with Liesel blossoms when he writes her a ______ on the pages of 'Mein Kampf.'

The motif of darkness in the novel often represents safety, as seen through Max's work painting over people's blinds for ______.

Writing helps Liesel move past the pain of her dead ______.

Liesel and Hans Hubermann develop a deep bond through learning the ______.

Liesel’s descriptions of the weather help establish a bond with ______.

Max gives Liesel the gift of words through 'The ______ Shaker.'

Hitler used ______ to conquer the world rather than guns or money.

Liesel used her words to create a ______ for herself amid Nazism.

Liesel calms her neighbors during air raids by ______ from her book.

Max and Liesel’s bond grows stronger through their shared ______.

The scenes show the stark contrast between kindness and ______.

Hans brings a piece of ______ to a Jewish man being marched through town.

The Hubermanns risk their safety by hiding and caring for ______.

Rudy tries to paint himself to emulate ______.

In public, Liesel must behave a certain ______ to avoid trouble.

Max poses as a non-Jewish German while secretly being a ______.

The act of book ______ symbolizes the Nazis' fear of spreading ideas.

In the novel, language is depicted as a powerful means of spreading ______.

Candy store owner Frau Diller enthusiastically embraces ______, demanding everyone in her store give the requisite 'heil Hitler' before they are able to shop there.

Rudy’s father, Alex Steiner, displays a more passive acceptance of the ______.

Hans Hubermann subtly ______ the new regime.

Zusak establishes a theme he will elaborate on throughout the book, as characters are forced to choose between openly resisting anti-Semitic policies and protecting their own ______.

Liesel begins the chapter unable to read, but by the end she is becoming a competent ______.

Liesel’s relationship with language is contrasted with Hitler’s ability to manipulate ______ to seize power.

During the upcoming celebration of Hitler's birthday, the residents of Molching will burn ______ by non-Aryan authors.

Liesel helps Rosa deliver the ______, but with war becoming more of a reality, many customers discontinue their patronage.

On the day of Hitler’s birthday, the town decorates the streets with German flags and Nazi ______.

Hans Jr. accuses his father of not caring about ______.

As a Nazi official rails against Jews and Communists, Liesel connects what happened to her parents to ______ and his policies.

Liesel sees her classmate, Ludwig Schmeikl, who is trapped with a hurt ______.

After a parade by the Hitler Youth, carts of ______, newspapers, and posters are wheeled into the town square and arranged in a pile.

The bonfire is lit, and Liesel informs Hans that she ______ Hitler.