GENRE 5: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Bibliography
Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars. Read by Blair Brown. Random House Audio Publishing Group, 2004. ISBN 9781400085552

Plot Summary
Annemarie Johansen is a 10-year-old girl living in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1943 during World War II. Copenhagen is occupied by the Nazis, who are beginning to enforce curfews and restrictions on the citizens. On her way home from school one day, Annemarie and her best friend, Ellen Rosen, are stopped by Nazi soldiers and questioned about their business. The encounter leaves Annemarie and Ellen, as well as their mothers, shaken and concerned since the Rosens are Jewish. During a late night visit from Peter, a man formerly engaged to Annemarie’s dead sister Lise, Annemarie and her family learn that the Rosens are being “relocated” and must escape. Peter helps Mr. and Mrs. Rosen flee, but Ellen is left with the Johansens and masquerades and their dead daughter when Nazi soldiers come looking for her and her family.

The next day, Mrs. Johansen takes Annemarie, Ellen, and her youngest daughter to her brother Henrik’s home in Gilleleje, Denmark. Annemarie becomes suspicious when her mother and uncle announce that their Great-aunt Birte has died and that a service will be held in the house that evening. After questioning her uncle, Annemarie learns that the service is a ruse to reunite Ellen with her parents and help them, along with other Jews, escape to Sweden in Henrik’s false bottomed fishing boat. After a tense visit from Nazi soldiers, who are also suspicious of the funeral, Henrik and Mrs. Johansen escort the Rosens and other Jewish families to the docks and Henrik’s boat. When Mrs. Johansen fails to return due to a broken ankle, Annemarie finds her and is entrusted with the delivery of an important package to her uncle’s boat. Though she is stopped by Nazi soldiers, Annemarie is allowed to continue on her way when it is discovered that she is only carrying food and a handkerchief.

When Henrik returns from the docks that evening, he assures Annemarie that Ellen and her family made it safely to Sweden. He explains that the handkerchief she delivered was important because it kept the Nazis dogs from smelling the humans hiding on the boat. He praises Annemarie for her bravery and reassures her that she will see Ellen again someday. Once the war ends, Annemarie learns more about her sister’s death as the family watches Danes parade in the streets with their nation’s flag. Lise was a member of the resistance and died for her involvement in helping Jews escape from Denmark. Annemarie feels proud to know that she helped her friend escape and hopes that she will return to Denmark one day. As a sign of her friendship with Ellen, Annemarie decides to wear the Star of David pendant Ellen left behind until her friend returns and can wear it herself.

Critical Analysis
The audio book reviewed was an unabridged version found on three CDs with a running time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. The narrator, Blair Brown, is a theater, film and television actress who has also narrated numerous books, films, and documentaries. Brown’s reading of Number the Stars is flawless and provides a listening experience that is engaging. Multiple voices are used for the characters, and Brown even attempts a German accent when reading the parts of the German soldiers. The emotions experienced by the characters throughout the novel come across in Brown’s narration and give listeners a clear sense of how the character’s dealt with many of the harrowing events in the novel.

The sound quality of the audio book was excellent. There was no background noise or static to hinder the listening experience. The pronunciations by the narrator were clear and done with the proper accents when naming cities. There was no background music throughout the reading, with the exception of the beginning of the book when there is some lively music playing as the narration begins. The music eventually fades out after a few minutes. The front matter of the audio book includes the name of the book, author, and publisher of the audio book. The back matter is extremely interesting because it provides some additional historical information about some of the events depicted in the book, such as the Danes sinking their own ships to keep Nazis from using them and Danes smuggling Jews to Sweden in false bottomed boats. This back matter shows that Lowry conducted extensive research in preparation for the writing of the novel.

Though the novel is short and quick read at only 132 pages, Lois Lowry does an excellent job of creating a poignant story that will stay with the reader long after the novel ends. Events in the plot move quickly, though realistically, without feeling forced or contrived. The urgency and sense of fear during some of the events comes across clearly due to Lowry’s vivid, yet simplistic language. As the main character, Annemarie is memorable and portrayed realistically. Her confusion at the events unfolding around her is understandable, and her desire to help her friend is commendable. The themes found in the novel are timeless and include bravery, family, acceptance, truth, and integrity. Lowry demonstrates the power of small acts of heroism through Annemarie’s delivery of the handkerchief to her uncle’s boat. The values of truth and integrity are also depicted in the novel through the idea that sometimes it is necessary to lie in order to stand up for what you believe in. Annemarie and her family lied to the Nazis several times in order to save the lives of persecuted Jews. They believed that relocation of Jews was wrong and thus stood up for their beliefs by lying and helping Jews escape.

As a whole, Number the Stars is an exceptional book that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. The subject matter is fascinating and simplistic language will make for a quick read. Whether the book is listened to or actually read will make little difference as readers will walk away from the novel having gained an appreciation of the courage required of the Danes to help their fellow mankind during World War II.

Review Excerpt(s)
1990 Newbery Award Winner

1990 Jane Adams Book Award Winner

Kliatt - “This Newbery Award-winning children's book can be listened to by the whole family.”

AudioFile - "The combination of Brown's steady voice and Lowry's dramatic story creates a mesmerizing production."

Connections
- Pull in geography by finding maps of prewar and post war Europe. Have students identify which countries would have provided safe havens for Jews and some of the escape routes that might have been taken to reach those safe havens.
- Connect the escape of Jews from occupied countries to that of slaves in America through the Underground Railroad. Have students compare and contrast the two types of escapes.
- Bring in picture books that deal with the Holocaust, such as Erika’s Story by Ruth Vander Zee and Star of Fear, Star of Hope by Jo Hoestlandt. Have students compare and contrast the experiences of the characters with those of Annemarie.
- Research the Danish Resistance movement and create a timeline of its inception and important events. Students can take this information further by creating a scrapbook for Peter or Lise that shows their connection to the Danish Resistance.