Summary
Number the Stars, written by Lois Lowry, describes the life of Annemarie Johansen, a ten-year-old Danish girl. Many of the details that Lowry used to compose Annemarie’s story are based on the account of a close personal friend, Annelise Platt. The book, set in Copenhagen in 1943, fictionalizes true events of the Nazi occupation of Denmark and captures the courage and wisdom of the Danish people under the leadership of King Christian X. Two of the brave families in the book are the Johansens and the Rosens. The Germans soldiers that guard each street corner and watch each person carefully are a common part of everyday life for the youngest members of the two families: Annemarie and Kirsti Johansen and Ellen Rosen. For the most part, the girls are able to stay out of trouble with the soldiers; when the Germans begin to carry out their orders to relocate the Jews, however, Ellen and her family is in danger, along with all of the other Jews in Denmark. To help their close family friends, the Johansens keep Ellen while her parents leave their home. They have no place to hide Ellen so the Johansens pretend that she is their oldest daughter, Lise, who was tragically killed. Before her death, this Johansen daughter and her fiancé, Peter Nielsen, were a part of the Resisters of Denmark, a group of people rebelling against the Germans. Peter remains a part of the Johansens’ life and continues his work, which includes helping Jews escape from Denmark to Sweden. Working in collaboration with Peter, Mrs. Johansen takes Annemarie, Kirsti, and Ellen to her brother’s house along the coast. The girls’ beloved uncle, Henrik, is a fisherman, who smuggles Jews across the sea to safety and freedom in Sweden. As a consequence of undesirable circumstances, Annemarie is forced to deliver an invaluable parcel to Uncle Henrik, moments before he sets sell with a group of Jews, including the entire Rosen family, hidden aboard his ship. Annemarie exhibits bravery as she faces four German soldiers and their menacing dogs; she acts wisely and delivers the special package to Uncle Henrik, ensuring the safe departure and travel of her Jewish friends.
Interest
Students in the upper-elementary age bracket would be most interested in this novel. For girls, the main appeals of the book are the female protagonist, the description of her thoughts and her emotions, which are often fear and anxiety, and the straightforward plot line. On the other hand, the book may appeal to boys because of the high level of adventure and suspense in the novel, the unfamiliar settings, and the large cast of characters; however, the boys may dislike the novel for the reasons that girls may like the novel. The book targets the upper-elementary age group because readers at this age enjoy stories about children growing up in a foreign country and about the home and family. Although most interesting to this group of readers, most readers can glean something from Lowry’s insightful book.
Developing Mature Readers
Adolescents must complete a series of tasks in order to develop into a well-adjusted adult. Books, such as Number the Stars, help teenagers complete these tasks by showing them characters that go through the same stages. Students are not only interested in such books, but they also find deeper meaning and value in them.
Developing new relationships with peers: The book’s plot does not show Annemarie developing any new relationships with peers. However, her relationship with her best friend, Ellen, is strong. Although the friends developed their relationship out of proximity to one another, as both the Johansen and the Rosen families live in the same apartment building, the girls’ relationship grows to include mutual experiences, hardships, fears, and victories. In fact, Annemarie risks her own life to save the Rosen family.
Accepting one’s physical body: Annemarie exhibits acceptance of her physical body, even though she is tall and gangly. Many times throughout the book, Peter pokes fun at Annemarie for her long legs; she never grows self-conscious, however. This positive display of being confident in one’s physical body shows adolescents of today that they, too, can embrace their unique physical features.
Becoming aware of values: Although she is never completely ignorant of the danger of the Nazi invasion, Annemarie changes from an innocent child to a brave young woman. Rather than valuing personal comfort, familiarity, and safety, she learns to value altruism, bravery, and wisdom. These qualities show as she braves the night and the German soldiers to deliver the special package to Uncle Henrik. She becomes aware of the value of human life, pride, and dignity, as well, as she watches the Jews prepare to escape their persecutors.
Issues
The book includes no major issues. Teachers should be aware that Uncle Henrik uses one profanity to describe the Germans’ dogs. Another area that teachers should take into account is the havoc that the German soldiers create through violence and harassment. Teachers should point out that this element of the book is not an issue but part of the context of WWII. Another issue that teachers should be aware of is the amount of lying in the book. Many of the characters lie to the German soldiers. For example, Mrs. Johansen lies to the Nazi who asked why the casket was not open at the funeral. In addition, many of the adult characters lie to the children in the book to protect the children and ensure the secrecy of the situation. Teachers can use these elements to discuss the ethics of lying and of disclosing the truth.
Recommendation
I recommend Lowry’s Number the Stars because of its historical accuracy, its model of human courage, and its stance on the value of human life. Young people need positive models of human courage and self-sacrifice for others, which this story provides. They also need to see what the consequences of hatred and prejudice are. Teachers of the upper-elementary bracket can teach students much from this short novel.
