Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Annemarie Johansen is a young girl who hangs out with her friend Ellen and takes care of her little sister Kirsti. She lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, during World War II. Copenhagen is no longer a peaceful place to live because it is full of enemy soldiers. The Nazis have come into Denmark from Germany and are slowly forcing the Danish people to do what they say. Annemarie's older sister Lise died around the time the war began. Annemarie struggles with how much she misses her. The Nazis have begun gathering up Jews and taking them somewhere unknown. Brave families like the Johansens insist on helping their Jewish friends, no matter how dangerous it might be. Ellen comes to live with Annemarie, pretending to be her sister, and even removing her Star of David necklace to hide her identity.The plot develops in this context as Annemarie must learn to survive and help others through the conflicts of war. The book concludes two years later, as World War II is ending with a spark of hope for herself and her friend.
The central theme of Number the Stars is the difficulty of growing up. The novel focuses on Annemarie Johansen's personal experiences with growing up, but her experiences are common to most young people. Growing up is presented as a struggle for identity. The roles Annemarie must play blur the line between a child's responsibilities and an adult's responsibilities.
This book has many heavy themes and historical topics that may be heavy for most students. The book introduces racism and violent segregation and discrimination. I would not read this book to any class younger than the 5th grade. I would include this book in a unit study on World War II. The many themes of this book could also be used in a thematic unit. I would also read this book as a class in order to better address the themes and events occurring.
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