Arrival on Himmel Street

Arrival on Himmel Street

1. A flashback tells the reader some information about past events and a better understanding on what’s going on so far. The incident is that the main character, Liesel and her brother are going to foster parents where his brother didn’t make it.
2. Liesel is the main protagonist who was adopted and fostered by the Hubermanns after her father abandons his family, her brother dies and her mum is forced to leave her because she was a communist. Not much is known about Werner Meminger due to his early death on the train to the Hubermanns.
3. The setting is in the made up town of Molching which is near Munich, Germany. Liesel is nine years old when Death is narrating the story.
4. After Liesel wakes up from her dream with the Fuhrer, she catches glimpse of Death taking her dead brother, Werner.
5. Death tries to inform the reader that it is winter and that there are gravediggers and guards preparing for the burial of Werner.
6. The gravedigger accidently drops his handbook which has twelve steps to grave-digging success. Liesel picks the book up and takes it.
7. Liesel is on a train because her parents don’t want her to know that they were communists. Liesel’s final destination is Molching, outside of Munich.
8. Himmel translates to heaven.
9. Death describes Himmel Street as a compact street with buildings squashed together. Death then states that “Whoever named Himmel Street has a healthy sense of irony. Not that it was a living hell. It wasn't. But it sure wasn't heaven, either”.
10. Liesel’s adoptive mother, Rosa Hubermann is known as strict yet loving. She uses words such as Saumensch meaning pig for women, Saukerl meaning pig for men and arschloch meaning arsehole. Liesel’s adoptive father, Han Hubermann is the opposite of his wife. Unlike Rosa, who has rules to obey, Hans is laid back, supportive and caring who is passionate with his accordion.
11. The last sentence foretells the story and may make the reader infer that her life would be respectable and well known for.

Growing up a Saumensch

1. Her story was made up of ten books with six stolen, one found on the kitchen table, two given a Jew and one delivered one afternoon.
3. Liesel doesn’t know much about her father since he left when she was young but the only thing she knew about her father was that he was a communist.
4. Liesel refuses to bath but Hans help overcome her willingness by teaching her how to roll up cigarettes.
5. Death explains that although Rosa may be a prune, she stills loves Liesel inside which is why she wants Liesel to know her as her mother.
6. The Hubermanns want Liesel to call them ‘papa’ and ‘mama’ because they want Liesel to treat them as family as if they were her real parents.
7. Liesel seems to bond with Hans easier since he is more calm and friendly when approaching Liesel. They bond since Hans teaches Liesel how to speak and read German as well as giving her a gift, unlike Rosa.

The woman with the Iron Fists

1. Liesel experiences nightmares to her new adjustments with the Hubermanns so papa plays the accordion to help Liesel.
2. Liesel likes the Gravedigger’s Handbook because it reminds her of her mother and brother who are gone from her life.
3. Hans and Rosa’s children are Trudy and Hans Jr Hubermann.
4. Liesel finds school hard because she can’t read or speak German fluently so she is placed in a lower class with younger students.
5. She would be enrolled in the Hitler Youth on her tenth birthday.
6. Rosa walks around town and suggest that rich people are generally lazier since they can hire workers unlike the poor people who have to do their work for money.
7. Rose does not respect the Mayor and his wife the most calling his wife a crook and that “she sits and at home all day, too mean to light a fire—it’s always freezing in there”. She also calls them crazy.
8. Rosa tells Liesel that she has to do other people’s laundry because she wants to teach Liesel that they are poor and that Liesel should help her deliver her laundry to the Mayor’s house.
9. Frau Holtzapfel is a neighbor of the Hubermanns known for spitting on their door every time she walked past. This is because she and Rosa have spent decade long verbal wars. This effects Liesel since she is the person who has to clean the spit off the door after being forced by Rosa. Death says, "When a women with an iron fist tells you to get out there and clean spit off the door, you do it".
10. Frau Holtzapfel is known for being an enemy to Rosa and spits on their door every time she walks past them. This relationship has calmed when she heard Liesel read The Whistler and exchanges coffee and flour for Liesel to read for her.

The Kiss (A childhood decision maker)

1. Rudy Steiner – the boy next door who was obsessed with the black American athlete, Jesse Owens.

Frau Diller – the staunch Aryan corner shop owner.

Tommy Muller – a kid whose chronic ear infections had resulted in several operations, a pink river of skin painted across his face and a tendency to twitch.

Pfiffikus – a man only known as Pfiffikus, whose vulgarity made Rosa Hubermann look like a wordsmith and a saint.

1. Friendships on Himmel Street are formed regardless of weather. Children never visited each other’s house since they were too small so they instead play outside with a game of football.
2. Hitler is known for being responsible for the Jesse Owens Incident. This incident occurred in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Jesse Owens, a famous athlete, has won four gold medals but Hitler wouldn’t shake his hand. Even the most racist Germans were amazed with the efforts of Owens, and word of his feat slipped through the cracks. No one was more impressed than Rudy Steiner.
3. Rudy is the one who introduces Liesel to the secret of their neighbours. This is shown when he describes everyone he knows to Liesel including Tommy Muller, Frau Diller and Pfiffikus.
4. Schiller Strasse is ‘the road of yellow stars’. Schiller Strasse is the street of the Jews where the Star of David would be painted all over stores to discourage Germans to buy from there.
5. Liesel and Rudy both tease Pfiffikus which ends up with Pfiffikus calling Liesel a slut and them running away.

The Jesse Owens incident

1. Jesse Owens is a famous African American athlete.
2. No. Liesel had not arrived on Himmel Street yet but since Rudy keeps on talking about it, Liesel feels as if she was present for the event.
4. Rudy’s father is trying to explain that having blue eyes and blond hair would save his life since Jews don’t have blue eyes or blond hair. He is also trying to explain that being white is better than being black and if he was, the Nazis would take him away.
5. Death explains that Mr. Kaufman, a man who sells shoes, had his store trashed and destroyed because he was a Jew.

The other side of sandpaper

1. Death provides a number indicating 10% of Germans not supporting Hitler. This relates to Hans Hubermann since he is part of the 10%
2. Liesel bed wets because of the death of her brother, Werner and the nightmares that follow.
3. Papa notices that Liesel is having trouble at school since she has trouble read and writing German so he teaches her in her bedroom.
4. The sandpaper is useful because Hans uses the sandpaper to draw the letters of the alphabet while teaching Liesel.

The smell of friendship