Number the Stars

Lowry, Lois. NUMBER THE STARS. 1989. Reprint, New York: Laurel Leaf, 1998.

PLOT SUMMARY
NUMBER THE STARS is the story of two best friends during the holocaust. One friend is Jewish while the other is not. The story explains the hardships the Jewish family goes through and how the other family ultimately gets involved. While the story is about the hardships of the Jewish people of the time, it is ultimately about the friendship of these two girls and how they overcome the hardships together.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
NUMBER THE STARS is a book about two young girls in Nazi Germany during the time of the holocaust. The setting is described in great detail to show how the girls lived on a daily basis. The author goes into great detail to describe the roads the girls traveled and the homes that they lived in. While the book did explain the horror of the times it was not in such great detail that it would need to be censored for young readers.

The two main characters are best friends. While one family is in harm and the other is not, the girls remain close. When it becomes apparent that the Jewish family needs help, the other family steps in to help. The girls are relatable because one is setting out to help the other. Almost everyone has been in a position to either help someone or be helped by another.

The theme of the story is that right will prevail. The Jewish family, with the help of the other, escapes to free land. When people work together they can accomplish anything.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
The gripping story of a ten-year-old Danish girl and her family's courageous efforts to smuggle Jews out of their Nazi-occupied homeland to safety in Sweden. Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery.-SLJ

While the novel has an absorbing plot, its real strength lies in its evocation of deep friendship between the two girls and of a caring family who make a profoundly moral choice to protect others during wartime.-BOOKLIST

CONNECTIONS
History-This story is a connection to the period of Nazi Germany and the holocaust. This book should be read as an entrance into the study of the time.

LA-Students should look beyond the times and focus on the friendship that the two girls had. Explain what you would have done in that situation. Relate it to a current issue going on in the world today.