Annemarie is the protagonist, or main character in the novel, and can be seen as the heroine. She is a tall, blonde, ten-year-old Christian girl living in Copenhagen, Denmark during World War II. Annemarie is a dynamic character. She changes during the course of the novel due to her experiences and actions. We are aware of Annemarie's changes because Lowry narrates Number the Stars in the third person limited omniscient viewpoint in order to reveal Annemarie's thoughts and feelings.
When the novel begins, Annemarie is a relatively innocent child. She runs races with her best friend, Ellen Rosen, and plays paper dolls. She is annoyed because there are Nazi soldiers at every corner. She is aware of the changes that her family has had to adapt to, such as food and fuel shortages. Annemarie understands that she mustn't draw attention to herself, that she needs "to be one of the crowd." Everything has changed for Annemarie. The only constants in her life are fairy tales.
Annemarie begins to lose her innocence when she realizes that Ellen's life is in danger. She proves her friendship with Ellen many times by protecting her from the Nazis. At her house, she pulls Ellen's Star of David necklace off her neck to keep the Nazis from knowing that Ellen is Jewish. She later realizes that she must lie to protect Ellen and other Jews, so she pretends that she is mourning a great-aunt that doesn't exist. Finally, Annemarie faces the Nazis alone in the woods, and, relying on the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale for courage, she bravely stands up to the Nazis.
Annemarie learns the meaning of bravery. She understands from her experience that ordinary people are called upon to be courageous. She also realizes that it is much easier to be courageous if you don't know the extent of the danger. Annemarie knows that bravery is the result of standing up for what you believe in, regardless of the dangers.
At the end of the novel, the war is over and Annemarie is hopeful that Ellen and her parents will return. As a symbol of her friendship with Ellen, she puts on Ellen's Star of David Necklace to wear until she can personally return it to Ellen.
