Reading Log #8 (pg. 256-291)
Strategy: Make a prediction
The narrator Death says, “Deep down, you know that this small piece of changing fortune is a signal of things to come. You hide a Jew. You pay. Somehow or other, you must” (258). This leads me to believe that the Hubermanns might get discovered for hiding Max and there might be some dangerous consequences. Nazi Party members might come to search Himmel Street, and there’s the possibility that they will find Max’s basement hiding spot. Liesel could be separated from her family and might have to be sent to a new home. Liesel goes to steal a book from the mayor’s house after Ilsa discontinues her usage of Rosa’s washing services: “Liesel heaved herself onto the ledge and tussled
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In this section, some officials visit Rudy’s house to try to recruit him for a special Nazi school: “Our school is one of the finest ever established. It’s better than world-class. We’re creating an elite group of German citizens in the name of the Fuhrer” (409). Rudy has a medical examination at school, which he doesn’t tell anyone about. His excellent performance in both academics and athletics made them consider him a good example of German ideal. However, his family turns down the offer in an attempt to keep the family together, which backfires when Alex Steiner is sent away to help with the war effort along with Hans Hubermann. “Rosa Hubermann was sitting on the edge of the bed with her husband’s accordion tied to her chest. Her fingers hovered above the keys. She did not move. She didn’t even appear to be breathing” (429). Even though Rosa Hubermann usually yells at Hans all the time and calls him a saukerl (pig boy), this scene shows how much she really loves and misses her husband. She does the same with Liesel, which proves that despite her harsh demeanor towards them, she truly loves her family. Both Rudy and Liesel have temporarily lost their father figures, and this is very hard on the Steiners and