Number the Stars

Author: Lois Lowry
Copyright Date: 1989
Publisher: Yearling and Dell
Number of Pages: 137
Reading Level: Ages 9 & Up
Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary
"Number the Stars" is a story about a girl named Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen Rosen. This beautifully told story is fiction, however it's based on fact during the German occupation. In the story, Annemarie is ten years old, and the war has been going on for a couple years. German soldiers are placed all around the town, and there's a lot of secrecy going on with the resistance--things that Annemarie's parents are hiding from her. Eventually, right before the Jewish New Year, it's found out that German soldiers are seeking to take away Jewish families. Ellen Rosen and her family are Jewish. Since the Johansen family couldn't hide the Rosen's entire family, they kept Ellen for the night--who pretended to be their daughter, Lise--and Ellen's parents went with their good friend, Peter. Since it's so dangerous for Ellen to remain there, Annemarie, her sister Kirsten, and their mom take Ellen to their uncle's house. Henrik lives by the ocean, right across from Sweden. He, Peter, and other members of the resistance hide the Jewish people and help them escape Denmark and go across the ocean to Sweden. Between their home, Henrik's home, and getting ready to sail across to Sweden, Annemarie and Ellen encounter many obstacles with the soldiers, however in the end the Rosen family makes it safely across the ocean.

This book is great for kids because it talks a lot about prejudice, and helping those who are discriminated against. It also talks a lot about bravery. Throughout the story, Annemarie performs acts of bravery when she doesn't even realize it. Her uncle teaches her a great lesson about bravery. She learns that sometimes people "hide" things from you to try to protect you. There are many life lessons within this story that are great for children to learn.

Reaction
I absolutely love this book. I think it has such a great message, and it's truly inspiring that it's based off of true experiences of others.

Recommendations
I would recommend that everyone read this book, even those who are older. It has such a great message and, like I said before, it is truly inspiring.

Problems/Conflicts
This book is set during a war, so of course there are some things along with that that might be scary for some people. For example: some people die and there are very life-threatening situations. Also, this book contains many deep conflicts that some parents might not want their children to know about at a young age.