NUMBER THE STARS

• BIBLIOGRAPHY
  Lowry, Lois. 1989. NUMBER THE STARS. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0440227534
  
  PLOT SUMMARY
  Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl who undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance arranged a small task force to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. The experience is shown through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggle Ellen's family out of the country.
  
  CRITICAL ANALYSIS
  The vivid setting immerses the reader into the frightening world of a Nazi occupation. Lowry brings the rationing of electricity, tea, sugar, coffee, butter and the concept of missing Jewish neighbors to the forefront. The reader quickly sees that life in this time was harsh at best. The theme of standing up for what you believe in and protecting your friends is something that any reader of any age can understand. The bravery that a ten year old girl displayed in the face of certain death is admirable and shows how anyone in any given moment can do the right thing. The character of Annemarie is realistic as she learns about the power of family and unseen evils in the world. Lowry has researched the subject extensively. In the afterward, she reveals the facts that are behind much of the story's events. She tells how the Danish people were actually devoted to their king, how the Danish fleet was burned in the harbor to prevent use by the marauding Germans, and how the dog-repellant "handkerchief" was a weapon of the Resistance. This is an excellent read for children on the harshness of war without the gore.
  
  
  REVIEW EXCERPTS
  SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery.”
  
  CONNECTIONS
  Contact the Houston Holocaust Museum about the available curriculum trunks.
  Incorporate geography by finding maps of prewar and postwar Europe. Map the routes escaping Jews took from each country.
  Have a guest speaker from the Jewish community explain the significance of the Star of David since it is such an importance piece of this story.
  Other books about the Holocaust:
  Abells, Chana B. CHILDREN WE REMEMBER ISBN 0688063721Adler, David. A. WE REMEMBER THE HOLOCAUST ISBN 080503715