The Book Thief

By ron.schrag
  • 79

    Mt. Vesuvius erupts and destroys Pompeii, killing an estimated 16,000 people (307).

  • 1346

    The Bubonic plague kills an estimated 50 million Europeans over the course of seven years (307).

  • World War I begins

  • WWI - Erik Vandenburg saves Hans' life, dies in battle, and leaves him his accordion (178).

  • World War I ends with a death toll of approximately 20 million.

  • Hitler rises to absolute power in Germany as 90% of Germans support him (63).

  • The anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws are enacted, severely limiting the ability of German Jews to remain a part of society (192).

  • The Jesse Owens Incident: Jesse Owens sets a world record in the 100m dash at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and Rudy Steiner, covered in charcoal, reenacts the feat (56-61).

  • Hans applies to join the Nazi Party, witnesses a Jewish shop being vandalized, punches the windows of the Nazi party office, and takes back his application (181-182).

  • Kristallnacht (51)

  • Max goes into hiding with the help of his childhood friend, Walter Kugler (192).

  • Liesel's brother, Werner, dies on the train (20).

  • Liesel steals The Gravedigger's Handbook from the snow (24).

  • Liesel arrives at 33 Himmel Street and meets the Hubermanns (27).

  • Liesel turns ten and receives a used doll as a gift (40).

  • Liesel starts reading The Grave Digger's Handbook with Hans (54).

  • After Walter Kugler approaches him, Hans agrees to hide Max (184).

  • Nazi Germany invades Poland and World War II begins (73).

  • Liesel moves up to the fifth grade (74).

  • Liesel beats up Ludwig Schmeikl after he makes fun of her reading abilities (78).

  • Liesel and Hans finish reading The Gravedigger's Handbook (86).

  • Liesel is given two books for Christmas (88).

  • Liesel writes a letter to her mother (94-95).

  • Liesel turns 11 but receives no gift because the Hubermanns have no money (98).

  • Liesel steals The Shoulder Shrug from the book burning (120).

  • Hans and Hans Junior argue and Hans Junior storms out of the house (105-106).

  • Liesel first steps into the mayor's library (134).

  • Hans sends Max a copy of Mein Kampf, with a key to his house taped to the book's inside cover (195).

  • Rudy and Liesel steal apples (152-153).

  • Rudy and Liesel steal food from Otto Sturm and later from a potato farmer (162-166).

  • Max arrives at 33 Himmel Street seeking shelter (173).

  • Liesel turns 12 and receives a used book from the Hubermanns; Max is uncomfortable because he didn't know it was her birthday (221).

  • Max gives Liesel a belated birthday gift, The Standover Man (223).

  • Liesel gives Max a haircut (244).

  • Liesel first turns down Ilsa Hermann when she offers Liesel The Whistler (246).

  • Max asks Liesel for a weather report and paints it on the wall of the basement (249).

  • Germany breaks its secret alliance with Russia and invades the Communist superpower (257).

  • The Hermanns let Rosa go, Ilsa offers Liesel The Whistler again, Liesel refuses, and she berates Ilsa for being rich and pathetic (259-263).

  • Britain and Russia join forces against Nazi Germany (257).

  • Viktor Chemmel beats Rudy after their failed apple-stealing exploits (276).

  • Rudy is "all out of laughter and lies" after being forced to roll around in the mud during Hitler Youth training (282).

  • Rudy and Liesel steal The Whistler from the Hermanns' library and Liesel is officially "branded with her title" of book thief (292).

  • Rudy's first act of stupidity: he tries to steal the biggest potato from the grocer and is caught (293).

  • Rudy's second act of stupidity: he throws a rock at Franz Deutscher on Munich Street, starting a fight which he loses (298).

  • Rudy's third act of stupidity: "skipping the Hitler Youth meetings" (299).

  • After Viktor Chemmel throws The Whistler into the Amper River, Rudy jumps in after it and rescues it for Liesel (241, 303).

  • Liesel brings buckets full of snow into the basement to cheer up Max. Together with Hans and Rosa, they have a snowball fight and build a snowman (313).

  • Max's health deteriorates and he collapses into a coma (314).

  • Liesel turns 13 but there are no gifts and there is no cake; Max lies comatose in her bed (317).

  • Desperate for Max to wake up, Liesel spends the second half of February gathering presents for him. She comes up with 13 (323).

  • Liesel wants to steal another book from the Hermanns' library so she can read to Max. Rudy comes along and they steal The Dream Carrier (327).

  • Liesel has the nightmare about her brother's death on the train, except that this time, Max takes the place of her brother (331).

  • Max wakes up and Rosa comes to school to tell Liesel (332).

  • Max's health improves and he moves back to the basement (335).

  • Allied forces bomb the German city of Koln, killing about 500 people and increasing Death's workload (336).

  • The Hubermanns and Max survive a basement inspection by the Nazis (346).

  • Rudy dies (242).

  • World War II ends with a death toll of approximately 85 million.