Number the Stars

Number the Stars

File:NumbertheStarsBookCover.jpg Number the Stars book cover
Author	Lois Lowry
Cover artist	Lois Lowry
Language	English
Genre	Children's novel
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin
Publication date	1989
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardback and paperback)
Pages	157
ISBN	ISBN 0-395-51060-0
OCLC	18947847
LC Class	PZ7.L9673 Nu 1989

Number The Stars is a work of historical fiction about the Holocaust of the Second World War by award-winning author Lois Lowry. Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen is the central character, who lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1943 and was caught up in the events surrounding the rescue of the Danish Jews. She and her family risked their lives to help Annemarie's best friend, Ellen Rosen, by pretending that Ellen is Annemarie's older sister; the sister had died earlier in the war during her work for the Resistance.

The title is taken from Psalm 147:4, in which the writer of the psalm relates that God has numbered all the stars in the universe. It is meant to tie into the Star of David, specifically to Ellen's necklace (Ellen is Jewish), which is symbolic to the story.

The novel was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1990 as the "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children".

Plot summary

Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen (who is Jewish), are 10 year olds growing up in Copenhagen Denmark in 1943 which was occpied by the Nazis. Both girls try under this oppression, while noticing the effects more and more as time goes by. One day, as Annemarie goes to Mrs. Hirsch's corner shop to buy a button for her sister Kirsti, she finds that it has been closed by the Nazi authorities, and that Mrs. Hirsch and her son have been "relocated."

Soon after, Peter Nielsen, a young red-headed man working in the Danish Resistance (he was engaged to Annemarie's deceased older sister Lise,) visits Annemarie and her family and tells them that the Germans have started closing Jewish stores, such as Mrs. Hirsch's, as well as "relocating" Jews. The Nazis have been questioning rabbis in the local synagogue for the names of Jewish families, including the Rosens, and have begun to hunt them. The next day, Peter takes Mr. and Mrs. Rosen with him into hiding and Ellen Rosen comes to live with the Johansens, disguised as Annemarie's deceased older sister, Lise.

In the middle of the night, Nazi soldiers arrive at the Johansens' apartment and demand that they reveal the whereabouts of the Rosen family. Ellen Rosen is almost betrayed when one of the Nazi soldiers recognizes that two of Mr. Johansen's daughters are blonde and have straight hair, while Ellen is dark-haired. Mr. Johansen retrieves baby photos of his three daughters, with their names listed, which clearly show that Lise had hair similar to Ellen's when she was a baby; the soldier tears the photo and leaves.

The next day, Mr. Johansen calls his brother-in-law, Henrik, and makes arrangements (in code) to bring Ellen to him. Soon after, Annemarie, Ellen, Mrs. Johansen, and Kirsti leave by train for Uncle Henrik's home in Gilleleje. One peaceful day goes by at Henrik's until Mrs. Johansen tells the girls that Great-aunt Birte has died and they will be having a funeral. However, Annemarie knows that Great-aunt Birte doesn't exist, and confronts Uncle Henrik. He explains to her that it is easier to be brave when you don't know the full truth, and gives no further explanation.

Many strangers arrive at Uncle Henrik's house for the funeral, among them a rabbi and several Jewish families. Ellen's parents and Peter Nielsen arrive shortly after the Nazi soldiers. A soldier questions Annemarie about the funeral, and asks her mother to open the casket. She tells the soldier that Great-aunt Birte died of typhus but she will be only too happy to open the casket. The officer slaps her face and leaves, putting out the candles with a gloved hand. Peter reads a Psalm to the group from the Bible, recounting the Lord God numbering the stars. Annemarie thinks that it is impossible to number the stars in the sky, and that the world is cold and very cruel.

Peter opens the casket and distributes warm clothing and blankets to the Jewish families who then depart, splitting up to be less conspicuous. Peter leads the first group, while Annemarie's mother leaves with the second. Annemarie says goodbye to Ellen and goes to sleep for the night. In the morning, she finds that her mother has not returned. Annemarie looks out the window to see her lying on the grass below. She frantically runs outside and finds, to her relief, that her mother has only broken her ankle. They realize that a package important to the Resistance was accidentally left behind by Mr. Rosen. Mrs. Johansen, knowing the importance of the package, gives Annemarie a basket filled with cheese, bread and an apple (presumably lunch for her uncle) and hides the package inside. Annemarie runs off, onto a wooded path towards her uncle's boat.

When she gets near the harbor, she is stopped by German soldiers on patrol. She lies and says she is merely delivering lunch to her uncle. The soldiers toss some of the food onto the ground and eventually reach the package, which they tear open, finding only a handkerchief. The German soldiers laugh, toss the cheese and handkerchief to the ground, and walk away. Annemarie continues onward to Uncle Henrik and gives him the package. He boards his fishing boat and leaves for Sweden.

Uncle Henrik returns to Denmark later that evening and while teaching Annemarie how to milk a cow, explains that the Rosens were hiding in his boat and the handkerchief contained a chemical used to temporarily numb the German dogs' sense of smell.

Two years later, the war ends, all of Denmark celebrates, and several revelations are made: Peter was captured and executed by the Germans; Annemarie's sister, Lise, was not killed in a car accident, but had been deliberately run down by the Nazis, who knew she was part of the Resistance. The Jews who were forced to leave Denmark return, to find their friends and neighbors have kept up their apartments for them in anticipation of the return. Before the Rosens come back, Annemarie asks her father to mend Ellen's Star of David necklace (which had been broken off the night the Nazis broke into the apartment in order to conceal her identity), wanting to wear it herself in honor of her.

Characters in Number the Stars

1. Annemarie, a girl who lives in Denmark

2. Ellen, a Jew who lives in Denmark also and is neighbors with annemarie

3. Peter Nelson, Lise's fiance and is part of the rebellion and was shot in the war by Germans

4. Lise, Annemarie's deceased sister

5. Uncle Henrik, Annemarie's uncle and a fisherman

6. A Nazi soldier who Annemarie nicknamed as 'the giraffe'

7.Kirsti, Annmarie and Lise's rambunctious quick tempered younger sister.

External links

• Lois Lowry - Author