Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry, ISBN0-440-40327-8 Newberry Award Winner. Ages 10-13. Danish, Jewish, Nazi.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a story that tells about the life of two very close friends, Annemarie Johansen and Ellen Rosen, and their families. They lived in Denmark during the Nazi regime and those times were very difficult. Nazi soldiers were on every street corner. There were food shortages and they were required to darken their windows every evening. One day, the Jewish families received word that the Germans were going to relocate all the Jews in Denmark. Since the Rosens were Jewish, Mr. and Mrs. Rosen went into hiding. Ellen went to live with the Johansens and pretended to be a part of the Johansen family. A few days later, Mrs. Johansen took her two daughters and Ellen to visit Uncle Henrik. They were joined by the Mr. and Mrs. Rosen and other Jewish people at uncle Henrik’s house. In the night they were escorted to the waiting boats to cross over to Sweden. Annemarie plays an important role in delivering to her uncle a necessary object (handkerchief) to use during the searches by the Nazis.

The story is a courageous tale of ten-year-old Annemarie and family who swiftly united to smuggle their Jewish population to Sweden. The writing is superb the author manages to weave detail and plot together in a way that enriches young (and old) readers while not overwhelming them.

Set in Denmark during the Nazi occupation, this story explores a lesser known aspect of World War II.

The characters in this book are portrayed as being brave, one of the best things about Number the Stars, was the way Annemarie demonstrated quiet bravery in the face of danger. Her character showed that it doesn't take huge strength and power to be a hero. In a child who is courageous enough to admit and face her fears, we learn the true meaning of bravery and what it means personally and as a whole. The characters are endearing and inspiring, they depict a sense of being connected and caring for one another.

The language used is simple and engaging as it depicts the happenings of those days. It is incredibly suspenseful and sad at times.

The themes of friendship and being understanding about everyone’s differences in religions and other areas is brought our clearly in this book.

This would be a great book to use with students to demonstrate fairness regardless of religion or anything else and good book for a book talk/discussion about what they would do in place of the characters in the book. This book is an easy way for children to be introduced to a little of what happened during the holocaust. Although it is historical fiction, it reminds the students that people have been persecuted for not just their skin color, but religion among other things.