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The Book Thief Chapter 51 Summary

The Schmunzeler

  • Now there's another knock on the door.
  • Luckily, it's only Rudy, coming to see if Liesel is okay.
  • Hans says Rudy is her boyfriend; Liesel denies this and goes up the stairs.
  • She opens the door to Rudy, and he says she smells funny.
  • She says it's the smell of Hans' cigarettes.
  • This gives Rudy the idea of selling cigarettes.
  • Well, Liesel informs him that she doesn't steal things from Hans.
  • He teases her about the things she does steal. She tells him to be quiet before somebody hears him.
  • Rudy says Liesel has a "criminal" reek and should bathe.
  • He calls Tommy over for a whiff.
  • Liesel tells him to get lost.
  • He asks if everything is okay, meaning her knee.
  • It's a June day in Germany, 1942 and Germany is rotting, though Liesel doesn't know it.
  • She's just happy that Max was not discovered, and that they are all still here.
  • So, she says that everything's okay.