The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Summer Reading Study Guide Questions and Activities
Name:_____________________________________
Class:_____________________________
Teacher:____________________________________
Date:______________________________________
Please answer the following questions and complete the following activities using your book and the
knowledge you acquired from reading this book over the summer. Please use complete sentences where
applicable. Conventions are important so ensure you are using proper spelling, word usage, punctuation,
and capitalization.
Comprehension Questions: You may answer these in short response while you read. You do not have to use
complete sentences.
Prologue and Part 1
1. When does Death say that “people observe the colors of a day”?
2. What does Himmel mean?
3. What is the title of the first book Liesel stole?
4. What was her father labeled as?
5. What was Hans Hubermann’s occupation?
6. What were Liesel’s nightmares about?
7. What instrument does Hans play for Liesel?
8. What does Liesel have to join at age 10?
9. What sport does Liesel play on the street?
10. Who does Rudy admire and why?
11. What 10% of Germans is Hans a part of?
12. What happens when Hans finds Liesel’s stolen book?
13. Why did Liesel beat up Ludwig Schmeikl?
Part 2
1. What does Death tell us that the Germans loved to do?
2. What is the second book Liesel stole and where did she steal it from?
3. Who does Liesel want to write a letter to?
4. Why did Liesel steal some of the laundry money?
5. Why does Hans Jr. turn against his father?
6. During the book burning speech, what does Liesel learn about the word communist and her
parents?
7. Why did Hans slap Liesel?
8. What book did Liesel steal from the book burning?
Part 3
1. Why does Liesel begin skipping the Mayor’s house on laundry day?
2. What does Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife, show Liesel?
3. Who is “the struggler”?
4. What book saves Max and helps him get to the Hubermanns?
Part 4
1. What did Erik Vandenburg teach Hans during World War I?
2. Why was Hans indebted to Erik Vandenburg?
3. Why wasn’t Hans admitted to the Nazi party?
4. What did Max do while he was growing up?
5. Where did Max stay in the Hubermann’s home?
6. What does Liesel compare Max’s hair to?
7. How are Liesel and Max similar?
8. What does Max dream of?
9. What did Liesel do that caused Max to want to give her a present? What did he give her?
Part 5
1. What new dream does Max begin having?
2. What does Ilsa Hermann offer Liesel before firing Rosa?
3. Who does Liesel “see” when she goes back to yell at Ilsa Hermann?
4. Who does Liesel begin stealing from? What does she steal?
5. What did Viktor Chemmel throw in the river?
6. What does Rudy ask for after he retrieves this item?
Part 6
1. What does Death compare war to?
2. Why does Liesel bring snow to the basement?
3. Why did Max have to start sleeping in Liesel’s bed?
4. During this time, what two things does Liesel do for Max?
5. What was risky about Liesel’s second trip to steal from the Mayor’s Library?
6. What excuse does Rosa use to tell Liesel that Max is awake?
7. Why did the Nazi party start inspecting basements?
8. How did Liesel help to warn Hans without drawing suspicion?
Part 7
1. What was the first gift left for Liesel on the windowsill in the Mayor’s house?
2. What was inside the gift?
3. What does Max do during the first air raid?
4. What does Liesel do during the second (real) air raid?
5. What does Frau Holtzapfel want when she comes to Liesel’s door? What does she give them in return?
6. What did Hans do when the Jews were marched down their street?
7. What happened when the guards saw him?
Part 8
1. What do the “coat men” want with Rudy?
2. What is Hans Hubermann’s punishment?
3. Why is Alex Steiner drafted?
4. What do Rudy and Liesel do the next time the Nazis march the Jews through Molching?
5. What gift does Rosa give Liesel from Max?
6. What does Liesel give Rudy for Christmas?
Part 9
1. What happens to allow Hans Hubermann to come home?
2. After the air raid, what do Rudy and Liesel see?
Part 10
1. What happened when Liesel saw Max with the Jews going to the concentration camp?
2. What did Rudy do for Liesel when she saw Max?
3. What does Ilsa Hermann give Liesel?
4. How does Liesel survive the bombing of Himmel Street?
5. What does Liesel do when she sees Rudy’s body?
6. What does Liesel keep after the bombing?
Epilogue
1. Where did Liesel die?
2. Where did she live after the bombing of Himmel Street?
3. After the war, where did Liesel work?
4. Who came looking for her there?
Analytical Questions: Please answer the following question using page numbers and complete sentences.
1. What is the effect of having Death serve as the narrator?
2. What is the significance of colors in the book?
3. Rosa is described as “her face was decorated with constant fury.” (pg. 33) What made Rosa so angry?
4. How was Hans “worth a lot.”? (pg. 34)
5. How would the story have been different if Liesel didn’t keep having nightmares about her brother?
6. Why was Rosa a good woman for a crisis?
7. In the book there are many, many instances of courage. Choose one act of courage from the book that you
think best illustrates courage. Explain.
8. In the novel, words have the power to both destroy and save lives. Explain this statement.
9. Death says that Liesel was a girl “with a mountain to climb.” (p. 86) What is her mountain?
10. How does Zusak use the literary device of foreshadowing to pull the reader into the story?
Vocabulary Questions
Match the following vocabulary words with their definitions
1. levity
___
A. dangerous or harmful
2. benign
___
B. favorable or pleasant
3. malignant ___
C. producing in large quantity
4. disdain
___
D. lack of seriousness
5. prolific
___
E. lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
Write the definition for each of the following words
6. aptitude
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7. misogynistic
__________________________________________________________________________________________
8. crux
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9. flippant
__________________________________________________________________________________________
10. ostracism
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Match the following vocabulary words with their synonyms
1. trepidation ____
a. wicked
2. innocuously ____
b. wrong-doer
3. transgressor ____
c. hostility
4. ostracism ____
d. anxiety
5. capitulate ____
e. exclusion
6. morose
____
f. mixture
7. nefarious ____
g. talent
8. conglomerate ____
h. miserable
9. aptitude
____
i. surrender
10. animosity ____
j. inoffensively
Write a sentence for each of the following words
1. malignant
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. disdain
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. levity
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4. irrefutable
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5. flippant
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Multiple Choice: Answer the following multiple choice questions. Choose the best answer that best completes
or answers the statement.
1. How does the reader know Liesel's brother is sick?
a) He is sneezing.
b) He is moaning.
c) He is coughing.
d) He is sweating.
2. Which of the following adjectives best describes Rosa Hubermann?
a) Warm.
b) Shy.
c) Vulgar.
d) Cruel.
3. Why does Liesel struggle in school?
a) Because she cannot read.
b) Because she has no friends.
c) Because she cannot spell.
d) Because she cannot do math.
4. What does Rosa do for a living?
a) She is a midwife.
b) She is a seamstress.
c) She is a factory worker.
d) She is a laundress.
5. Which of the following sports is Rudy most interested in?
a) Track and Field.
b) Gymnastics.
c) Swimming.
d) Rugby.
6. Which of the following characters teaches Liesel how to read?
a) Rosa.
b) Max.
c) Rudy.
d) Hans.
7. What does Hans sell in order to buy Liesel two new books?
a) Hand-rolled cigarettes.
b) His paintings.
c) Homemade candles.
d) Locks of his hair.
8. Why does Liesel steal money from Rosa?
a) To pay for a train ticket.
b) To pay for new shoes.
c) To pay for books.
d) To pay for postage stamps.
9. To which of the following institutions is the Fuehrer most closely tied?
a) Politics.
b) Religion.
c) Entertainment.
d) Education.
10. Which of the following political parties does Liesel think her mother belonged to?
a) Democrats.
b) Socialists.
c) Communists.
d) Republicans.
11. Who sees Liesel steal the book from the bonfire?
a) Rudy.
b) The mayor's wife.
c) Adolf Hitler.
d) Hans. Jr.
12. Which of Frau Hermann's relatives dies, leaving her deeply depressed?
a) Her grandfather.
b) Her son.
c) Her mother.
d) Her sister.
13. Which of the following activities do Rudy and Liesel spend the summer doing?
a) Swimming.
b) Shopping.
c) Stealing.
d) Sewing.
14. Who did Hans credit with saving his life during WWI?
a) Adolf Hitler.
b) Max Vandenberg.
c) Rosa.
d) Erik Vandenberg.
15. In which room of the Hubermann household does Max hide while he is living with them?
a) In the cellar.
b) In the attic.
c) In the basement.
d) In the library.
16. What inanimate object does Max credit with saving his life?
a) A book.
b) A tennis shoe.
c) A pocket watch.
d) A wooden spoon.
17. What does Max give to Liesel for her birthday?
a) A doll.
b) A bouquet of flowers.
c) A book.
d) A new dress.
18. What object does Liesel regularly fish out of the trash bins to bring home to Max?
a) Discarded clothing.
b) Food scraps.
c) Metal cans.
d) Newspapers.
19. Which of the following things does Liesel describe for Max using the most colorful language she can think
of?
a) The ocean.
b) The weather.
c) The night sky.
d) The rain forests.
20. Which sport does Max regularly dream he is participating in with Adolf Hitler?
a) Rowing.
b) Boxing.
c) Swimming.
d) Fencing.
21. What question does the Hitler Youth leader ask Rudy on the street before beating him in front of his
friends?
a) Where did Hitler go to college?
b) Where was Hitler born?
c) What is Hitler's middle name?
d) What is Hitler's favorite food?
22. What does Liesel bring into Max's room on Christmas Eve?
a) Presents.
b) Candles.
c) A feast.
d) Snow.
23. How many gifts does Liesel bring to Max in total during his time of sickness?
a) Eight.
b) Thirteen.
c) Seventeen.
d) Eleven.
24. What does Hans offer to the starving Jewish soldier he sees being marched through the streets?
a) Milk.
b) Eggs.
c) Bread.
d) An apple.
25. To which concentration camp is the starving prisoner being relocated?
a) Treblinka.
b) Dachau.
c) Majdanek.
d) Auschwitz.
26. How do Rudy's parents feel when the Nazi party offers Rudy a full scholarship to one of their training
schools?
a) They don't want him to go.
b) They are confused.
c) They are unsure about whether or not the school is a good fit for Rudy.
d) They are honored.
27. What punishment does Hans receive for helping the starving Jew from the parade?
a) He is beaten.
b) He is not punished.
c) He is sent to jail for six weeks.
d) He is fined.
28. What title does Max give to his journal before skipping town?
a) The Dream Carrier.
b) The Word Shaker.
c) The Standover Man.
d) The Book Thief.
29. According to Frau Hermann, who owns the library in her house?
a) Hitler does.
b) She does.
c) Her husband does.
d) God does.
30. What does Rudy give to the dying pilot in the hopes of comforting him during death?
a) A Bible.
b) A hug.
c) A teddy bear.
d) A blanket.
31. What is the name of the book Liesel writes after seeing Max in the parade?
a) The Standover Man.
b) The Last Color.
c) The Dream Collector.
d) The Book Thief.
32. What does Liesel give to Rudy when she sees his dead body in the rubble?
a) A notebook.
b) A teddy bear.
c) A kiss.
d) A single rose.
33. What does Death have in his pocket when he comes to claim Liesel?
a) The Book Thief.
b) The Gravedigger's Handbook.
c) The Final Color.
d) The Whistler.
34. What happens to Max at the end of the novel?
a) Liesel does not know what happened to him.
b) He is killed in the concentration camps.
c) He takes his own life in the concentration camps.
d) He escapes the concentration camps.