The Book Thief Chapter 84 Summary

The End of the World (Part 2)

  • Death says the Liesel's book has been with him so long, it's almost disintegrated.
  • That's part of the reason he's telling us about it—so he'll remember it even when the book is gone.
  • Death also wants to tell us what happens the night Himmel Street is bombed and what happens to Liesel afterwards.
  • The first house bombed is Tommy Müller's. The Müllers die sleeping.
  • And then the sirens sound the alert, too late.
  • Ten planes are here, bombing Molching.
  • Death takes Frau Holtzapfel, then Frau Diller, then the Fielders, all in their sleep.
  • Now, Death goes to the Steiners, to Rudy.
  • Death says, "He does something to me every time, that boy. […] He steps on my heart. He makes me cry" (84.18).
  • Now, finally, Death comes for the Hubermanns.
  • Death feels Hans trying to go to Liesel as Death takes him.
  • He takes Rosa "midsnore" (84.25).
  • Death says, "Make no mistake. That woman had a heart. She had a bigger one than people would think" (84.25).
  • As Death is on to the next Himmel Street victim, he hears the bomb squad men laughing and turns to see at what.
  • It's Liesel.
  • After screaming for Hans, she learns that Himmel Street has been bombed.
  • In shock, she's babbling about saving Hans and Rosa, and helping Max get out of the basement.
  • She sees she's holding a book, her book.
  • Liesel sees someone with Hans' accordion. She asks for it and is given it.
  • She drops it when she sees Frau Holtzapfel's dead body on the ground.
  • Now, she sees Rudy's body.
  • She tells him she loves him and begs him to wake up.
  • She holds him and kisses him.
  • When she moves on, she sees the bodies of Hans and Rosa.
  • She talks to Rosa, but she can't look at Hans.
  • She begins to scream.
  • Death looks at her face and can see she loves Hans "the most" (87.76).
  • Liesel asks one of the LSE men to get the accordion for her. She puts it next to Papa.
  • Later, when Death takes Liesel, he will see a memory in her of watching Hans get up and play for her a final time, as she stays with his dead body on Himmel Street.
  • She kisses him and holds him.
  • She cries until someone comes for her.
  • She has dropped her book, The Book Thief.
  • Death rescues it from a garbage truck.