Liesel is a small girl, and at the age of ten, is quite illiterate. Her new foster father, Hans, takes her under his wing and begins to teacher her how to read and write. She has difficulties, but doesn't let it discourage her for long.
Besides education, she begins to make friends with some of the neighborhood children, including Rudy Steiner, a blonde haired, blue eyed boy with an obsession with Jesse Owens. But Rudy seems to have more on his mind lately.
Leisel- otherwise known as the book thief- has horrible nightmares over the death of her little brother, and questions about the one thing she has to remember him and her mother by, The Gravedigger's Handbook. Her and her foster father attempt to read it together, despite the difficulty of the text.
Rudy
Rudy Steiner is a mischievous boy with a lot on his mind. He's always found ways to get into trouble, including something known to the neighborhood as the Jesse Owens Incident, when he admired the Olympic champion so much that he covered himself in charcoal and acted out Jesse's victories.
Something other than the Olympics has caught his attention. One young book thief by the name of Leisel. Does he want more than a friendship? "But Rudy had an idea. It was the lover boy coming out of him. "If I beat you, I get to kiss you."(53)"
The Kiss
This kiss didn't actually occur. They challenged each other to a race, and if Rudy was victorious, he got a kiss. The slippery winter conditions outside caused the race to be a draw, but it doesn't seem that Rudy has given up. "One day Leisel," he said, "you'll be dying to kiss me."(55)
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