THE BOOK THIEF SUMMARY OF THE BEGINNING

The book starts in January 1939, and Liesel, who is about ten years old, is traveling by train with her mother and her little brother Werner. Liesel and Werner are being taken to the small town of Molching, Germany, to live with foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Werner dies on the train of mysterious causes having to do with poverty, hunger, cold, and lack of medicine. Before Liesel arrives in Molching, she attends her brother's burial in a snowy graveyard. She steals The Grave Digger's Handbook from the cemetery after it falls from a grave digger's coat. Liesel can't read. She meets her foster parents and immediatly likes Hans because he is sweet and nice. Hans even plays the accordian for Liesel which makes her happy because no one has ever played music to her. Rosa is a bit more strict to Liesel. Liesel has a nightmare often and the nightmare is her brother dying on the train. Hans tries to calm her down and he finds the handbook Liesel took. Because she couldnt read, but still took the book is what inspired Hans to helping her reach the goal of reading. After learning to write, Liesel writes letters to her mother, but not one was answered. The mother had disappeared. Later Liesel hears a Nazi spokesperson speaking, he states that death will come to all communist and jews. Liesel remembers that her father was accused of being a communist, so she thinks that Hitler is behind the death of her father and brother and the disappearing of her mother.