Number the Stars characters

Appears from the start

A ten-year-old Danish girl living in German-occupied Copenhagen. Annemarie is observant, protective of her younger sister, and frightened by the soldiers who control the streets. Her friendship with Ellen draws her family into the effort to protect Denmark's Jews.

Appears from the start

Annemarie's ten-year-old best friend and classmate, whose Jewish family lives in the same apartment building. Quiet and serious beside Annemarie's impulsive younger sister, Ellen is placed in immediate danger when the German occupation begins targeting Danish Jews.

Appears from the start

Annemarie's five-year-old sister, outspoken and impatient with rules she does not understand. Kirsti's childish certainty can be exasperating, but it also lets her face occupying soldiers without displaying the fear felt by the older children.

Appears from the start

Annemarie and Kirsti's mother. Calm and resourceful, she tries to preserve ordinary family life under occupation while understanding far more about the resistance and the danger facing the Rosens than she initially tells the children.

First appears in chapter 2

Annemarie's father, who follows news of the war closely and quietly opposes the occupation. He uses careful explanations and coded language to protect the children while helping friends threatened by the Germans.

First appears in chapter 2

Annemarie's older sister, who died before the story begins. Lise had been engaged to Peter Neilsen. The family still grieves her, and Annemarie remembers her as a confident young woman from the freer days before the occupation.

First appears in chapter 3

Lise's former fiancé and a trusted visitor to the Johansen home. Peter has become guarded and serious during the occupation, bringing clandestine news and assisting people whose lives are endangered by German policy.

First appears in chapter 6

Mama's brother, a fisherman who lives on the Danish coast across the water from neutral Sweden. His familiar farmhouse and boat offer the children a temporary refuge away from Copenhagen.

First appears in chapter 3

Ellen's father, a teacher and observant Jew. When the arrests begin, he and his wife must separate from Ellen temporarily and trust the Johansens with her safety.

First appears in chapter 3

Ellen's mother, who is forced into hiding with her husband when German forces move against Copenhagen's Jewish community. Her separation from Ellen is part of the protective plan arranged by their friends.