Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.
The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. 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, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life 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 smuggles Ellen's family out of the country. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Number the Stars:
Although a novel, this book is based on true conditions during the second World War. It shows the courage of the people of Denmark in hiding and sympathizing with their Jewish friends and neighbors. It is written for 8 year olds through adult, and is a demonstration of true courage that often shows itself during times of hardship. Recommended by Jenna Bush (the schoolteacher) as a book that should be read by all students. As a grandmother, I was happy to read it also before passing it on to my grandaughter.... more info
11 year old enjoyed it:
My daughter really enjoyed this book. From her description it seems to combine a compelling story with historical accuracy and give a description of how the Nazi occupation affected families, particularly children.
The greatest book ever about the Holocaust:
This book is about courage and being faithful to your friend when times are bad. The main character, Anne Marie is very brave to help her friend and her friend's family survive. Erica and Tak (age 8 and 10)
STILL my favorite book of all time!:
I remember having to read this book in my sixth grade class and since that time I have re-read it again and again. Lois Lowry paints an amazingly beautiful and accurate tale of bravery and friendship during the Nazi occupation of Denmark in World War II. The imagery and character interactions in this book made it really come to life for me. I recommend this book to people of any age. More than a decade since I first read it, it is still my favorite book of all time!
