Nazi Regime. She steals books from book burnings by the Nazis to learn how to read, and along with the Hubermanns, Liesel aids in hiding Max Vandenburg, a Jew, in their basement.

Liesel looks German enough to be accepted by the Nazis, but in contrast, she does not fit in nor does she want to adhere to the ideals. The latter part is shown through her strong personality and actions in the book.

First of all, it's important to know that Liesel looks relatively German. The quote mentions that her hair is barely the right shade of blonde, but, she is blonde. She has light skin and light hair, and this is likely one of the things that allowed her to flee to the Hubermanns for safety and to get away with so much and survive the difficult time.

We also know that she is relatively small. We are told that by thirteen, she still hasn't really reached puberty, and we see that she is small enough to be an excellent thief. She is most likely very skinny because of the scarcity of food, and we know she is fairly athletic because of descriptions of her playing games with Rudy and the other kids.

Her personality could be an entire second answer. She is determined and a little rebellious, she has a strong personality and a deep love for books. She is resilient and has put up with so much throughout her life. She is kind, as we see in her relationship with Hans and Max.

Liesel could be described as resilient. Over the course of The Book Thief, she shows a great capacity for survival; she can cope with anything. When we first meet her, she's riding the train with her mother and brother, the latter of whom dies in her arms. Her brother's death gives her nightmares, but she's able to soldier on with her life.

Being resilient means Liesel is also adaptable, especially for a ten-year-old child. When she goes to live with the Hubermanns, for example, she adjusts to her new surroundings quickly and grows close to Hans, who essentially becomes her surrogate father. Hans also teaches her to read. Because of her lack of education, Liesel was assumed to be unintelligent, but her dedication to reading shows how faulty that assumption was.

The author, Markus Zusak, characterizes Liesel Merminger as a child of nine years who has many emotions about and reactions to the novel's setting of Germany during World War II. Because the narrator (Death) presents Liesel to us when her brother dies in her arms on the train, we first meet Liesel in the midst of sadness and terror. Liesel is later plagued by nightmares of her brother’s death. Even though Liesel eventually joins the Hitler Youth (out of necessity), she continually questions the ways of the Nazis and (sometimes unknowingly) reacts against them. The Nazis are not fond of people owning lots of books; therefore, Liesel becomes intrigued by books and begins to steal them from grave sites, homes, and book-burnings. The Nazis are not fond of people reading; therefore, Liesel asks Hans to teach her to read. The Nazis are in the midst of the extermination of the Jewish people; therefore, Liesel befriends Max and the two continue their bond into the future. As a result of her experiences, Liesel proves herself to be brave, understanding, compassionate, stubborn, and thoughtful.  Liesel is such a compelling character that even Death becomes particularly interested in her plight.