Contents
Chapter 7 - The Smell of Friendship
Overview
Hans deepens Liesel’s literacy lessons, taking her to the Amper River and later the basement to practice reading and writing. He plays the accordion, hinting at a hidden past. Their routines defy Rosa’s bluster, and Liesel begins associating the scents of cigarettes and kerosene with friendship and safety.
Summary
Night after night, Liesel wakes from nightmares, and Hans resumes their quiet, midnight lessons. Despite two more bed-wetting episodes, Hans cleans up without complaint and continues teaching her to read, sketch, and recite.
One afternoon, Hans overrules Rosa and takes Liesel to deliver ironing and study by the Amper River. They carry a book, sandpaper, a pencil, and the accordion. After their deliveries, they sit near a wooden bridge, reading and writing until dusk, when Hans plays. Liesel enjoys the music, unaware of Hans’s troubled expression and the deeper story tied to the accordion.
As lessons intensify, Hans occasionally pushes Liesel to recall words she has learned. When kitchen lessons clash with Rosa’s interruptions, Hans pointedly asks Rosa for silence, and they relocate to the basement, using a kerosene lamp for light.
There, resources shift: with sandpaper running low, Hans uses a paintbrush and the oversupply of paint. He calls out words for Liesel to spell and paint on the basement wall, which becomes a “fresh cement page” for her progress.
Afterward, Liesel bathes and hears Rosa complain that Hans reeks of cigarettes and kerosene. Liesel maps those smells onto her papa’s clothes and onto herself, recognizing them as the scent of friendship. The chapter closes on her quiet happiness amid their evolving routine and the accordion’s unspoken history.
Who Appears
- Liesel MemingerContinues midnight lessons, studies by the river and in the basement, paints words on the wall, embraces the smell of friendship.
- Hans HubermannPatient teacher; defies Rosa to take Liesel to the Amper, plays the accordion, hints of a concealed backstory.
- Rosa HubermannBlunt, scolding presence; protests but relents, prompting lessons to move to the basement.
- Frau DillerRecipient of the Hubermanns’ ironing on the way to the river; a brief stop during their outing.