Bravery in A Most Unlikely Hero: A Book Review of Lois Lowry's "Number the Stars"

When wickedness and evil invade your country, what will you do to stand up for it? When you mention the heroic acts of people during the 1940's, we think of adults helping Jews. Names like Corrie ten Boom, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Oskar Schindler pop into our heads. What about children, though? Lois Lowry's Number the Stars is a work of historical fiction about a young Danish girl and her Jewish friend.
Number the Stars, published in 1989, was the Newberry Medal winner the following year.

SUMMARY

   Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her friend Ellen Rosen walk home from school, Annemarie's little sister Kirstie tagging along behind. On their way home, they are stopped by Nazi soldiers (as Denmark is being occupied by Germany), who question them about all sorts of things. Kirstie gets angry, but the soldiers just laugh and let them go.

   Bad news reaches the Johansens that night. Annemarie's late sister's fiancé tells them that the Nazis are shutting down Jewish stores in Denmark. This spells out bad trouble for their neighbors, the Rosen family. The next day, it is discovered that the Nazis have obtained lists of Danish Jews from the synagogues and will use them to arrest all Jews they find.

   Mr. and Mrs. Rosen disappear, and Ellen stays with the Johansens. She disguises herself as the dead eldest Johansen daughter, Lise (pronounced LEE-ZA). While Kirstie sleeps with her parents, Ellen and Annemarie stay in the other bedroom.

   However, that night Nazi soldiers enter the Johansen apartment, searching for Jews, specifically the Rosens, as they were not to be found in their own apartment. The door to the girls' bedroom is shut, so Annemarie has enough time to realize Ellen is wearing a necklace of the Star of David and rips it off her neck. She does not have time to hide it safely, but must keep it clasped in her hand. When the Nazis see Ellen, they notice how her hair color does not match anyone else's. The Johansens are able to trick them, using an old baby picture of the real Lise who once had dark hair (as opposed to blond).

   Once the soldiers have left, Mr. Johansen calls his brother-in-law, Henrik. He uses a secret code to explain that Mrs. Johansen is bringing her daughters for a visit...along with a Jewish child.

   Eventually, Annemarie's mother takes the Rosen family to her brother. Hours later, though, Annemarie discovers her mother outside with a broken leg (she tripped on a dark trail). The two also discover a packet sitting by the steps of Henrik's house. "Mama" knows that it is vital to the Rosen's escape. Annemarie must brave the dangers of a dark forest, as well as Nazi soldiers (and their dogs), to save the Rosens and Uncle Hendrik from certain doom.

CONTENT

   While this is a book about Nazi-controlled Denmark, it is not as violent as one might expect. Number the Stars is a children's book, of course. There is some minor violence, though. Mrs. Johansen is smacked by a soldier, along with several tense encounters with Nazi soldiers (one including their dogs). The dangers of Jews being captured by Nazis are not specifically stated, but are hinted at (i.e. something along the lines of, "If they are caught..."). As this book is for kids, there is not specific or graphic Holocaust violence.

   There is no sexual content in this book.

   I was surprised at the language used in the story, as a kids’ book. There was one use of d*** and some inappropriate uses of God's name (all by Annemarie's mother, I recall). This annoyed me that someone would put these words in a children's book (not that it is alright for any age). 

   Apart from the language, I was extremely pleased with Number the Stars. It was a wonderful story about two Danish girls living under Nazi oppression. Without depicting the utter horrors of the Holocaust, it was able to introduce kids to that time period. It definitely deserved the Newberry Medal.

   You probably will not want kids younger than nine to read this, but older kids might just find Number the Stars to be a treasure!

GENERAL INFORMATION

 Number of pages: 138

Author of book: Lois Lowry

Published in: 1989

Primary audience: Children (older elementary), pre-teens