The Book Thief

Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.

Prologue and Part 1

Reading Check

1. Who is introduced as the Narrator of the story?

2. The narrator recalls the three times that he encounters the Book Thief, as well as the three corresponding colors from his memory. What are these colors? Why is the combination of these three colors significant?

3. List three major events that happen in Liesel’s life during the first chapter.

Multiple Choice

1. Based on her reaction to her arrival on Himmel Street, what can be inferred about Liesel’s feelings toward her new residence in Molching?

A) She is reluctant to meet the Hubermanns.

B) She is very excited to start a new life.

C) She is nervous about pleasing the Hubermanns.

D) She is angry because she does not like this family.

2. What is one of the first facts the narrator shares about Rudy Steiner?

A) his unfailing love for Liesel

B) his passion for the Hitler Youth meetings

C) his desire to join the Nazi Party and fight in the German army

D) his lemon-yellow-colored hair

3. Based on the description of Frau Diller and her corner shop, what can we infer about her political affiliation?

A) She does not support the Nazi party because they put her out of business based on her religious beliefs.

B) She does not support the Nazi Party because they sent her husband away for his communist affiliation.

C) She supports the Nazi Party and requires all customers to say “Heil Hitler” when they enter her shop.

D) She supports the Nazi Party because she is a distant relative of Adolf Hitler himself.

4. What is the best way to describe the use of the terms “Saumensch/Saukerl” between Liesel and Mama, as well as Liesel and Rudy?

A) affectionate and loving

B) spiteful and unkind

C) snarky and rude

D) scolding and reprimanding

5. Which of the following descriptions best summarize how Liesel feels after she reads out loud in class?

A) proud and determined

B) embarrassed and vengeful

C) distraught and weak

D) fearful and timid

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the name of the first book Liesel steals? What type of events might this title foreshadow in Liesel’s future?

2. What is one of the benefits that Liesel shares about Papa discovering her bed-wetting? What does this discovery lead to?

3. Which professional athlete does Rudy Steiner wish he could be like? Why does he wish this? What did he do to show his admiration for this athlete?

Parts 2 and 3

Reading Check

1. How does Papa pay for the books that he gives to Liesel?

2. During what event does Liesel steal her second book? Why is the day itself a significant day for Germany?

3. Which book does Hans Jr. believe that Liesel should be reading when he visits his father’s home?

4. What is Frau Hermann’s reaction to Liesel’s theft of the second book?

5. Who is Arthur Berg and what do he and his “troupe” do?

6. What do Rudy and Liesel steal from the boy on the bicycle? What do they do with the stolen goods?

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following terms best describes the relationship between Hans Hubermann and his son Hans Jr.?

A) dichotomous

B) harmonious

C) personified

D) parallel

2. What is Papa’s tone when he discovers Liesel’s thievery?

A) He is stern, since he scolds her actions and makes her give back the book.

B) He is worried, since he tells Mama and they speak to her together.

C) He is supportive, since he encourages her to continue stealing books when she can.

D) He is gentle, since he promises not to tell Mama.

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Both Papa and Frau Hermann support the development of Liesel’s reading in very different ways. Compare and contrast their role in her development, as well as her thievery of books.

2. The book Mein Kampf is mentioned several times throughout the story, especially for the character Max. List two moments in which Mein Kampf plays an important role in Max’s development in the story. What is the irony of this book specifically supporting Max?

Parts 4, 5 and 6

Reading Check

1. When was the first time that Hans Hubermann escapes death? Who helped him and what significant item was taken from this encounter?

2. Who is Max Vandenburg? How is he related to the Hubermanns’ past?

3. What is the name of Max’s first book? What is it about?

4. Who is “the new Arthur Berg?” How does he differ from Arthur?

5. Why does Liesel want to seek revenge on the Hermanns? How does she choose to do this?

6. What does Liesel begin to do in order to help Max feel better?

7. Why does a Nazi soldier visit the Hubermann home in the summer of 1942? How does the Hubermann family react?

Multiple Choice

1. What is significant about the book that Max uses on his travels to Molching?

A) It is the first book that Liesel stole, The Gravedigger’s Handbook.

B) It is his favorite book, The Word Shaker.

C) It is the second book that Liesel stole, The Shoulder Shrug.

D) It is the book that Hans gave him, Mein Kampf.

2. What activity “unites” Max and Liesel?

A) reading their own books in the basement silently

B) reading the same book together in the Mayor’s library

C) playing football on Himmel Street

D) helping Papa with the painting business

3. What does Max’s vision of the boxing match’s “winner” say about his faith in Hitler’s Germany?

A) He is confident in the future, since Hitler “wins” the match.

B) He is determined that the future will improve, since Hitler resigns from the match.

C) He is horrified for the future, since Hitler and the onlookers win the match together.

D) He is ashamed for the future, since Hitler wins the match.

4. When does Liesel officially become “the book thief?”

A) when she steals her first book at the graveyard

B) when Papa discovers that she stole her second book

C) when she steals from the library and Rudy calls her “the book thief”

D) when she steals from the library for Max

5. Max’s illness is described with this sentence: “The colder he became, the more he melted.” What literary device is most clearly exemplified here?

A) denotation

B) personification

C) simile

D) paradox

Short-Answer Response

Answer the following question in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Compare and contrast Liesel’s and Max’s characters, including their interests, personalities and backgrounds.

Parts 7 and 8

Reading Check

1. In what unexpected way does Hans Hubermann make money during the summer of 1942?

2. How does Rudy’s final race end at the Hitler Youth carnival?

3. What type of book is leaning against the window of the Hermanns’ library? What does Liesel decide to do with it?

4. Whom do Papa and Liesel see on Munich Street? What are they doing?

5. Why does Max leave the Hubermanns’ house?

6. What type of job is Hans given in battle?

7. What secret activity do Liesel and Rudy engage in when they see the “parade of Jews” on Munich Street?

8. What does Papa tell Liesel to do during the air raids?

Multiple Choice

1. Based on Frau Hermann’s letter in the dictionary, which of these reactions and rationales regarding her attitude toward Liesel’s prior thefts can be inferred?

A) She is shocked; she was not previously aware of the thefts.

B) She approves; she hopes Liesel will continue to visit her library.

C) She feels sadness; she is disappointed Liesel would resort to theft.

D) She feels fear; she is frightened and has reported the incidents to the police.

2. What does Max steal while Liesel steals books?

A) the sky

B) Hans’s paint

C) some apples

D) more books

3. What does Max mean when he says “You’ve done enough”?

A) Liesel has done enough for him to learn how to read.

B) Rosa has done enough for him to recover from his illness.

C) Hans has done enough for him by teaching him the accordion.

D) The Hubermanns have done enough by letting him stay in their home.

4. What emotion in Mama is exemplified by her choice to hide Max’s book from Liesel for several months?

A) dislike for Liesel

B) respect for Max

C) uncertainty for Papa’s future

D) ineptitude in the gravity of the situation

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Briefly summarize the plot of The Word Shaker. What happens in the story?

Part 9 and Epilogue

Reading Check

1. Who answers Frau Holtzapfel’s door in January 1943? Why is Liesel surprised?

2. What happened to Robert Holtzapfel?

3. What activity does Liesel begin to do in the basement every night after her encounter with Max on Munich Street?

4. What item does the Narrator find and take on Himmel Street after the air raid?

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following emotions describes how Hans Hubermann felt about “the accident” with Reinhold Zucker?

A) He felt ashamed, because he accidentally injured his dear friend.

B) He felt furious, because Reinhold almost shot him during battle.

C) He felt guilty, because Reinhold died instead of him in a last-minute seat switch.

D) He felt delighted, because Reinhold narrowly survived a surprise bomb.

2. Which of the following is NOT related to the confession of Liesel to Rudy?

A) It is the moment in which Liesel shares the secret of Max with Rudy.

B) It is the moment in which she realized she felt love for him.

C) It is the moment in which she unknowingly says goodbye to him.

D) It is the moment in which they share their first and only kiss.

3. Which statement best describes the feelings of Alex Steiner at the end of the Epilogue?

A) He feels regret, since he did not let Rudy go to school.

B) He feels joy, since he made it home from the war and could be reunited with his family.

C) He feels hatred, since he blames Liesel for what happened on Himmel Street.

D) He feels fear, since he believes he will be sent to prison for his actions.

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In two to three sentences, describe the encounter between Liesel and Max during the “parade” in August 1943.

2. Summarize the events of the chapter entitled “The End of the World (Part II).”

3. In the last two chapters of the book, Liesel is reunited with two “friends.” What/Who are these friends? Describe the circumstances of these encounters, as well as her reaction in both scenarios.