Page 34 - The Book Thief

There was the gate next, which she clung to.

A gang of tears trudged from her eyes as she held on and refused to go inside.
People started to gather on the street until Rosa Hubermann swore at them, after
which they reversed back, whence they came.

A TRANSLATION OF
ROSA HUBERMANNS ANNOUNCEMENT
What are you assholes looking at?

Eventually, Liesel Meminger walked gingerly inside. Hans Hubermann had her
by one hand. Her small suitcase had her by the other. Buried beneath the folded
layer of clothes in that suitcase was a small black book, which, for all we know,
a fourteen-year-old grave digger in a nameless town had probably spent the last
few hours looking for. I promise you, I imagine him saying to his boss, I have no
idea what happened to it. Ive looked everywhere. Everywhere! Im sure he would
never have suspected the girl, and yet, there it wasa black book with silver words
written against the ceiling of her clothes:

THE GRAVE DIGGERS HANDBOOK
A Twelve-Step Guide to
Grave-Digging Success
Published by the Bayern Cemetery Association

The book thief had struck for the first timethe beginning of an illustrious career.