Number the Stars

Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars is the story of a Danish girl, Annemarie, who must grow and learn from the changes in her world in Nazi occupied Denmark. She is faced with the struggle to hide and help her Jewish friends escape, as well as cope with the loss of her older sister and her ever growing realization of the true dangers that she and her family face from the Nazi soldiers. The novel is a relatable heroine tale that portrays Annemarie as the struggling protagonist who finds her bravery and saves many people in the end. Lowry even describes at the end of the novel that there were some parts of it which were inspired by the real life stories of Danish people who gave everything to save their Jewish friends.
Number the Stars is an easy to read story from the Holocaust but is one that is not so gruesome and detailed that younger readers could not enjoy it. The protagonist is easy for a younger person to connect to because she grows in understanding throughout the book, just as young people really do. Through her growth, the story naturally inspires bravery and the belief that no matter how old one is, they can still make a difference. For example, Annemarie must go back to the docks when her mother realizes that the package they were to leave with the Jewish family they were hiding was left behind. Annemarie runs through the forest and tells herself children’s stories to maintain her focus, but when she is stopped by some Nazi soldiers she must think on her feet and she convinces them to let her go, thus allowing her to deliver the package in time. She doesn’t feel brave because she cried, but her uncle gives a sort of “moral of the story” by telling her that bravery isn’t being strong, but doing what you know is necessary in spite of any danger.
Overall, the story is very poignant and well told. The characters are realistic and their reactions are genuine. Lowry has created a rounded story that envelopes the reader as they continue. It is similar in message to other Holocaust stories, such as Diary of a Young Girl and Night, but it gives the story from a non-Jewish standpoint, providing a new perspective that isn’t always focused on. It shows the dangers that both sides of the “resistance,” as it is referred to in the novel, and shows the loss that often occurred for the people trying to rescue Jewish families through the eldest daughter’s , Lise, death. Number the Stars would be excellent to help in a course where the Holocaust is studied to allow a look into the lives of those affected without scaring young people with the details. It is memorable and very touching and difficult to stop reading. Annemarie is a character that could have been a next door neighbor or someone a reader grew up with, which makes the story that much more lasting in the mind after it is done.