Part Two, The Shoulder Shrug Summary

A week before Christmas, Liesel and Hans finish reading The Grave Digger's Handbook. It is a great accomplishment for Liesel. Her reading ability has come a long way since she first came to Himmel Street, but she still struggles far behind the rest of her class. At Christmas, Hans gives Liesel two books that he bought by selling some of his hand rolled cigarettes. They are a precious gift for Liesel and she cherishes them almost as much as the time Hans spends helping her read them. About this same time, one of Rosa's customers fires her, blaming the slowly failing economy. Rosa gets the idea that if she sends Liesel to collect and deliver the laundry alone, her other customers will have pity on her and not fire her. From this time on, Liesel...