Number The Stars

Number the StarsLowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company.

“I don’t understand! Take them where?”
Her father shook his head. “We don’t know where, and we don’t really know why. They call it ‘relocation.’ We don’t even know what that means. We only know that it is wrong, and it is dangerous, and we must help.”
Annemarie was stunned. She looked at Ellen and saw that her best friend was crying silently.
“Where are Ellen’s parents? We must help them too!”
“We couldn’t take all three of them. If the Germans came to search our apartment, it would be clear that the Rosens we here. One person we can hide. Not three.”

Annemarie Johansen is a ten-year-old girl living in Copenhagen in the early 1940’s. The Germans have taken over and the Nazis are occupying Denmark. Annemarie’s life is beginning to become very difficult when her family takes in her best friend Ellen who is Jewish. The girls must pretend they are sisters and come face to face with one Nazi who questions them about looking alike.

With the War as the backdrop, these ten-year-old girls see more than they should. The Rosens and many more Jewish families work with friends to trick the Nazis and make their way to Sweden, a safe place for Jewish families. Will the Rosens make it to Sweden together, uninjured, or alive? With exciting twists and turns, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry keeps the reader interest with suspense and excitement. Would you be able to keep life changing secrets from friends, families, or Nazis to save your life or other lives?