Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a young adult historical fiction book that tells a story of a young girl in Denmark during the time of the Nazis. Not Jewish herself but surrounded by Jewish friends and neighbors, especially her close friend Ellen, her and her family are deeply affected by the Nazi's presence in their hometown of Copenhagen. Lowry captures the fear and anxiety that accompanied the invasion of Nazis in this tense drama.
Her masterful style enhances the exact feelings of the characters as they experience one close call after another. With moments of light hearted sentiment, Number the Stars is quite intense for young readers without being overly traumatic or violent. The severity and danger of each situation is apparent without gruesome details. Every moment the reader discovers every turn of events with Annemarie as her life changes drastically. Only ten years old, over the course of the story Annemarie overcomes the loss of her sister, the danger of her best friend and her family and the possibility of being penalized for helping other Jews escape. If caught, she would be considered an accomplice, even at her age.
Within the first couple pages, Lowry does a flawless job introducing the German Nazi army and their descriptions. As they interact with the female children characters of the book as they run through the streets, you can feel the hatred and cruelty in the soldiers souls immediately. Lowry's language is poetically descriptive while simultaneously bringing horror to the reader's imagination. While reading every interaction with Nazi soldiers, I could feel my chest tense up and my breath become shallow. It is a page turner and borderline thriller.
Though the only true misfortunes that happen in the story occur outside of Annemarie's direct interactions with the characters, hearing about them is still painful. By the end, we learn that Annemarie's older sister Lise was killed by German Nazis. This death has already transpired when the story begins but the audience is led to believe that she died in an accident - what Annemarie believes to be true. During the story, Lise's living fiance' Peter is also killed by Nazis. Never even knowing much about Lise, Annemarie's memories are enough to make the reader attach to her, which is exceptional considering she is not a living character in the book. This is evidence of Lowry's exceptional writing.
Every bit of Lowry's text is appropriate for the time period and illuminates the story so effortlessly. Once the very young Annemarie experiences terror and learns the truth about the world in which she currently lives, she finds courage and pride. At the end of the book, she goes to her deceased older sister Lise's trunk where she kept personal things. In this trunk, Annemarie finds a necklace that has a pendant with the symbol of the star of David. She decides to wear it until Ellen and the Rosens return and in honor of the Resistance which is what her sister stood for, what Peter stood for, and what she now stands for.
Number the Stars is heart wrenching and inspirational. It possesses multi-cultural history regarding the Jews and also contains historical accuracies. The fictional aspects are great tools to assist young readers in understanding the time while still being able to cope with the atrocities that took place.
Motivational Activities:
*Have students do further research about the Nazi invasion of Denmark. Then, have students make a list of the facts present in the book that are historically accurate.
*To understand the discrimination the Jews experienced, share with students the amount of Jews placed in concentration camps and how many deaths took place.
Reader Response Questions:
1. During the story, who is the current king of Denmark?
2. When Annemarie is stopped on her mission, what item is in the box that she carries?
3. Explain the importance of Annemarie's quest and delivery.
Further reading by Lois Lowry:
*The Giver
*Autumn Street
*Rabble Starkey
*Anastasia, Absolutely
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