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Lisbeth Larson is Kirsten Larson's older cousin.

Personality and Facts[]

Lisbeth is is eleven during Kirsten Learns a Lesson and twelve by Happy Birthday, Kirsten!; she has gray eyes and brown hair. She was born in Sweden and the family left when she was still a baby, so she has no memories of life there. Her father died years ago, and her mother Inger later remarried Olav.

Lisbeth loves to talk, share secrets, and gossip, especially about supernatural or scary happenings. As the oldest, she has a little more experience than the other girls do about school, the wilderness, and responsibilities. She loved to tell scary tales about Mr. Coogan, their former teacher. She is very responsible and practical, but she likes to have fun as well. She helps Kirsten teaching her ways about America. However, as the oldest she can sometimes be bossy, too adult, and very demanding.

She is very skilled at sewing and Kirsten thinks she can sew like an adult by the time she is twelve. Her favorite part of the Declaration of Independence is "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..."

In the Books[]

Meet Kirsten: An American Girl[]

Lisbeth is the first of Kirsten's cousins to introduce herself when the Larsons arrive at the farm. She tells Kirsten she watched for her every day, and she gives Kirsten her old dress. The next day, Lisbeth and Anna show Kirsten their secret fort and ask her to choose a place in the fort for her doll.

Kirsten Learns a Lesson: A School Story[]

Kirsten's Surprise: A Christmas Story[]

Lisbeth is unfamiliar with Saint Lucia's Day with no memories of the celebration or Sweden and never having celebrated the holiday in America, only Christmas itself. When Kirsten suggests they surprise their family by having Saint Lucia's Day celebration, Lisbeth is the practical one who asks Kirsten how they would get the items they need. Lisbeth isn't convinced to help with the idea until Kirsten assures her their plan could work. She helps Kirsten make the crown, and she assures Kirsten even if they could get the dress, they could do the celebration next year.

Lisbeth stays up with the rest of the family awaiting Kirsten's and Papa's return. When Kirsten says she wanted to do the surprise now, Lisbeth is the one to question how they would surprise everyone when the whole family was awake anyway. Lisbeth is the one to grab the crown from Miss Winston's turn, and she helps Kirsten change into the costume and light up the candles. When Kirsten hands out coffee and bread to everyone as Saint Lucia, Lisbeth asks Kirsten if this was what it was like last Christmas in Sweden, to which Kirsten says this year was even better.

Happy Birthday, Kirsten!: A Springtime Story[]

Kirsten Saves The Day: A Summer Story[]

Lisbeth helps Anna and her cousins pick raspberries, explaining to Kirsten and Peter that they would sell the jelly and jam and help Mama make berry pies to eat for the Fourth of July. She is the one to explain the holiday to Kirsten, reminding Kirsten about the Declaration of Independence. She recites "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", adding that she loved that part.

When Anna describes the Fourth of July activities, Lisbeth brings up that guns and cannons went off all day, something she didn't like so well. When Kirsten asks her about selling goods in town, Lisbeth explains how they used their extra money from selling goods to get their straw hats.

Lisbeth is the one to call after Kirsten when she wanders away in an attempt to visit the honey tree. When she realizes Kirsten had ran into a bear cub, she immediately tells Kirsten they should leave, reminding Kirsten how dangerous bears could be. As Lisbeth was almost thirteen and the oldest of the children, Kristen obeys her.

Lisbeth travels with the rest of her family into town for the Fourth of July. When they take a look inside the store, Lisbeth immediately goes to take a look at the lace.

Changes for Kirsten: A Winter Story[]

Kirsten Snowbound![]

KirstenSnowbound-4

Lisbeth, with Kirsten behind her, digs a path to the barn.

Lisbeth sees the adults off as they drive to town, and she reminds Anna and Kirsten they should be grateful for the wrinkly potatoes they've eaten all winter. Lisbeth spends the morning taking care of Britta, feeding her, changing her and washing her diapers.

As the kids eat lunch and Peter notes he can't see the the road anymore, Lisbeth frowns that the adults wouldn't try to drive home if they couldn't see the road, and suggests they might stay with friends in town tonight. As the snow started to blow in through the cracks in the cabin, Lisbeth helps Kirsten sweep it up. Lisbeth comments that she's never seen such a big blizzard.

When Kirsten opens the door to let Caro in, Lisbeth is the first to try to shut the door. When the door is closed, she tells Kirsten they would all be frozen if they hadn't got the door shut and says they have to be very careful so they don't make any more mistakes. She later gently tells Kirsten they have to have a plan, and she comes up with the idea to keep the fire going during the night. When all the kids go to bed, Lisbeth reminds them not to roll on top of Britta.

The next morning, Lisbeth wakes up immediately when Kirsten tells her Britta had gone missing. She says Britta can crawl, but she couldn't have gotten too far. When Kirsten finds Britta sleeping with Caro under the bed, Lisbeth reaches under and notes the baby's hands were still warm thanks to the dog. When they find the wood box was almost out of wood, Lisbeth reminds them if they don't panic, they'll think of something. Lisbeth helps take the legs off the smallest stool and adds them to the growing fire. When Anna asks about food, Lisbeth finds a handful of dried beans.

Lisbeth looks outside with Kirsten and asks if she thinks they could shovel their way to the barn. When Kirsten whispers to Lisbeth asking if their mothers would return, Lisbeth clasps Kirsten's hands and says their plan is to dig a patch to the barn, and not to think of anything else. Lisbeth helps Kirsten dig a path to the barn, but they don't make much progress. Lisbeth wishes they had another shovel instead of a pot or that Lars was here, but Kirsten interrupts her when she hears Blackie whinny. Lisbeth waves to the upcoming sleigh, laughing and crying at the same time.

Kirsten and the Chippewa[]

During supper, when Kirsten hopes the melting icicles meant that spring was on it's way, Lisbeth explains in her most practical voice that it was just a February thaw and they still had a long cold winter ahead. After supper, Lisbeth helps try the dishes and put them away. When the Chippewa enter the house and the Youngest Warrior calls Kirsten a raccoon, Lisbeth giggles at the name.

That night at bed, when Kirsten says the eerie howls in the forest were wolves, Lisbeth teases that it might be war whoops from the Indians doing their war dance. When Kirsten expresses hurt at being called a raccoon, Lisbeth explains that the boy was just teasing her. When Anna asks if Lisbeth was just teasing about the war dance, Lisbeth softly says she thought so, as if she scared herself too, and urges everyone to go to sleep so morning will come in a hurry.

Kirsten and the New Girl[]

Kirsten's New Teacher[]

The Runaway Friend[]

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