All 4 Uses of

coax

in

The Book Thief

It took nearly fifteen minutes to coax her from the car.
p. 28.5 *

coax = gently persuade

Not long before the sirens signaled the end, Alex Steiner—the man with the immovable, wooden face—coaxed the kids from his wife's legs.
p. 375.5

Four years earlier, Liesel Meminger was coaxed through that doorway when she showed up for the first time.
p. 492.8

Definitions:

(1) (coax as in: coax her to join us)
try to obtain a result through gentle and careful effort -- often gentle persuasion
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Less commonly, coax is a short for coaxial cable (a type of electrical cable used to transmit data, the internet, video and voice communications). Coaxial cables have a conducting wire surrounded by an insulating layer surrounded by a shield. The insulating layer and shield surround a common axis--the conducting wire.

In classic literature, you may see coax used as a synonym for caress or fondle.