NUMBER THE STARS by Lois Lowry

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Bibliography

Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary
Number the Stars is a story about a girl named Annemarie and her family during Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark. Annemarie's best friend Ellen lives in the same apartment complex with her parents and they happen to be Jewish. Annemarie lives with her parents and younger sister. Her older sister Lise died in a car accident toward the beginning of the war. Annemarie later finds out that Lise was killed by Nazi soldiers because she was part of the Resistance that was helping and supporting the Jews. The Nazi soldiers get lists of the Jewish people and started searching for them. Ellen comes to stay with Annemarie and her family for a few days. One night the Nazi soldiers come by asking questions about Ellen's family. Annemarie's parents pretend that Ellen was their daughter Lise. Ellen's parents left before the soldiers came. The next day Annemarie, her mother, sister and Ellen leave to visit her uncle. While at their uncles they have a wake. The wake is actually fake but it is an excuse for a group of people to gather. The people that come are actually Jews including Ellen's parents. During the night the Jews are taken to Annemarie's uncle's boat where they will be smuggled to Sweden.

Analysis
Lois Lowry's account of the Nazi occupation of Denmark is truthful and honest. Lowry tells a very powerful and moving story with great ease and clarity. The chapter where the officers come to the house at night made me hold my breath the entire time like I was there in the room too. From when the soldiers knocked on the door to the time when he tore the picture in two and left. You could really feel the tension in the air and when the soldiers left and, "Annemarie relaxed her clenched finger..." you felt that you could breathe again.

The book starts off with schoolgirls racing on the way home from school. But when, "Annemarie looked up, panting just as she reached the corner. Her laughter stopped. Her heart seemed to skip a beat. "Halte!" the soldier ordered in a stern voice." With this Lowry makes us realize that these are not ordinary girls and they are not in an ordinary situation. This short paragraph helps to create the setting of fear that continues through the entire story. You get this sense again when on the train to her uncles Annmarie says, "Not here, on the train, too? They were everywhere." You feel too the fact they cannot escape the soldiers, they always have to be aware.

A major theme throughout the story is the courage of the Danish people. Many people risked their lives in order to help the Jewish people whether they knew them personally or not. Lowry states at the end of the book that the character Peter was based on an individual named Kim Malthe-Bruun. Bruun like Peter was part of the Resistance, got captured by the Nazis and was executed. In the story Peter sends a letter to Annemarie's' family the night before he is killed. At the end of the book there is part of the actual letter that Kim Malthe-Brunn wrote. Adding this part to the back of the book helps to bring the whole thing to life.

The event of smuggling Jews across borders was very typical of the time. This type of story has been heard an told many times throughout history. By following one family from the beginning to the end of their journey it is easy to see the struggles and fears that they encountered. I like the fact that Lowry included a younger sister that was chatty. You never knew if Kristi was going to say the wrong thing or not and this added to the suspense. An example of this is on the train on the way to Copenhagen when Kristi started talking to the soldiers and everyone held their breath because they thought she was going to tell them about Ellen. The story is very believable and one that needs to be told.

Review Excerpts

Horn Book Magazine review - "The noteworthy novel is scaled to the comprehension of elementary students without sacrificing elements of style."


School Library Journal review - "Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery."

Connections



A great book for the Holocaust! Kids have such a hard time grasping the Holocaust because it was such a harsh event. Most kids in the US are so sheltered and are taught kindness and equality. It is hard for them to imagine something like that even happening. Being able to hear and "see" this event through the eyes of someone their own age is a great way to start that understanding. Even though it is a very harsh part of reality I believe that it is something that my students need to know about. Anne Frank's Diary is another book that would relate to this time period. I heard that there was another diary that turned up but I do not know that it is in print.