Primary Characters
- Liesel Meminger is the book thief. She is 9 years old at the beginning of the story, when after the death of her brother she is taken in by the Hubermann family.
- Hans Hubermann is Liesel’s foster father. Once a reluctant soldier during World War I, he is a house painter and accordionist. He teaches Liesel to read.
- Rosa Hubermann is Liesel’s foster mother. She washes and irons clothing for the wealthy people of Molching.
- Rudy Steiner is Liesel’s neighbor and eventual best friend. He is one of six children and is obsessed with American track athlete Jesse Owens.
- Max Vandenburg is a young Jewish man who changes the Hubermanns’ lives.
- Death is the sympathetic narrator of Liesel’s story. Death’s duty is to carry the souls of the dead away.
Secondary Characters
(listed in alphabetical order by last name)
- Klaus Behrig is a neighborhood boy. Liesel runs into him on purpose during a game of soccer.
- Arthur Berg is the leader of a group of young thieves who steal food. He shows kindness to Liesel and Rudy, and proves to be fair.
- Viktor Chemmel is Arthur Berg’s successor as leader of the group of thieves. He is cruel to the others.
- Franz Deutscher is Rudy’s sadistic Hitler Youth leader.
- Frau Diller is the owner of the corner shop and a fervent Nazi sympathizer. One must say “Heil Hitler” in order to be served in her shop.
- Wolfgang Edel is a Nazi Party acquaintance of Hans.
- The Fielders are a family that lives six houses down from the Memingers. Their basement serves as a bomb shelter during air raids.
- Rolf Fischer is a Nazi who sees Hans painting Joel Kleinman’s door.
- Wenzel Gruber is the first boy Max fought with as a child.
- Fritz Hammer is an older neighborhood boy who introduces Liesel and Rudy to the gang of thieves.
- Herr Heckenstaller is a supervising teacher who oversees the humiliating medical examination of Rudy and other boys who are being considered for elite Nazi schools.
- Frau Heinrich is the woman from the foster care agency who brings Liesel to the Hubermann home.
- Heinz Hermann is the mayor of the town of Molching.
- Ilsa Hermann is the wife of the mayor of Molching. Her son, Johannes Hermann, was killed in World War I and she mourns his death with her silence. She introduces Liesel to her library.
- Frau Holtzapfel is the Hubermanns’ hostile neighbor. She spits on their door every time she walks past.
- Michael Holtzapfel is Frau Holtzapfel’s son who returns from the war injured.
- Robert Holtzapfel is Michael’s brother. He never returns from the war.
- Hans Hubermann, Jr. is the Hubermanns’ grown son. He is a Nazi Party member who believes his father is a coward for not supporting Hitler.
- Trudy Hubermann is the Hubermanns’ grown daughter. She is a live-in housemaid for a wealthy Munich family.
- The Jensons are a family that use the Fielders’ basement during air raids.
- Joel Kleinmann is a Jewish shopkeeper whose store door is defaced, then repainted by Hans Hubermann.
- Walter Kugler is Max Vandenberg’s friend, with whom he used to fight in his youth. Walter helps Max hide from the Nazis before he goes to the Hubermann home.
- Thomas Mamer is a grocer who calls for police when Rudy steals the largest potato. Teacher Herr Link defends Rudy.
- Paula Meminger is Liesel’s mother, who gives her up into foster care. Her husband was taken away for being a communist and Paula awaits the same fate.
- Werner Meminger is Liesel’s brother.
- Harald Mollenhauer is a neighborhood boy and a leader in the Himmel street soccer games.
- Tommy Müller is Liesel and Rudy’s classmate whom Liesel beats up after misunderstanding his reaction to her being teased. He has chronic ear infections, twitches a lot and is not athletically inclined.
- Frau Olendrich is Liesel and Rudy’s teacher.
- Pfiffikus is an old man who likes to whistle. The children taunt him and he taunts them back.
- Andy Schmeikl is Ludwig’s older brother and also a member of the group of thieves.
- Ludwig Schmeikl is a student in Liesel’s class. He makes fun of her for not being able to read, and Liesel beats him up.
- Boris Schipper is an Air Raid Special Unit sergeant during World War I. Hans Hubermann is a member of his unit.
- Stephan Schneider is Hans’ sergeant during World War I.
- Jürgen Schwarz and Olaf Spiegel are fellow school boys who are examined by Herr Heckenstaller.
- Sister Maria is Liesel’s teacher who doles out corporal punishment.
- Alex Steiner is Rudy’s father. He owns a tailor shop and is a member of the Nazi Party but does not hate Jews.
- Barbara Steiner is Rudy’s mother.
- Kurt Steiner is Rudy’s older brother. Rudy’s other siblings are Emma, Bettina, Karin and Anna-Marie.
- Otto Sturm is a somewhat wealthy boy who is targeted by Arthur’s gang and is knocked off his bicycle by Liesel and Rudy.
- Erik Vandenberg is Hans’ German Jewish friend and fellow World War I soldier. He is also Max’s father.
- Ernst Vogel, the Pfaffelhürvers, Helena Schmidt and the Weingartners are Rosa Hubermann’s washing/ironing customers. Ernst was the first of the customers to tell Rosa he wouldn’t be able to use her services any longer.
- Dieter Westheimer is the owner of a bar called the Knoller.
- Reinhold Zucker is an Air Raid Special Unit member who trades seats with Hans on a truck.
Content last updated: October 31, 2012