Review: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

5 stars for Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

I know I have said it before in my review on Bridge to Terabithia but I like to say it again. Right after I read Where the Red Fern Grows, I find myself falling in love with children's literature all over again. Since then, I have been reading nothing but children's books and adding more to my Reading List every other day. My hope is to cover as many of these books as I can while the going is strong. That said, this is my eighth successive review on children's fiction.

Number the Stars is an excellent work of historical fiction. It has a honest, down-to-earth feel that slowly reaches out its hands and pulls me in. Never mind that there are no unexpected twists and turns, the heart-stopping moments scattered about the story are enough to give me pause and make me appreciate even more the country I am living in today and the peace that I have been enjoying to date.

Set in 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, the story tells of how 10-year old Annemarie Johansen learns to be brave, courageous and strong when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.

I am captivated by the way the author pens this story that feels more like reading a biography than fiction. With true events - World War II, German occupation of Denmark, German soldiers on every street corner in Copenhagen, "relocation" of the Jews by the Nazis, the Danish Resistance movements - weaved among a cast of fictional characters, the author explores what it means to live in a time of war and uncertainties, to be Danish people or Danish Jews, to have less knowledge but more bravery, and to be a part of something to work and fight for. What impresses me the most is that this historical fiction is so well integrated with true events that it is almost impossible to tell where fact ends and fiction begins. It is only from reading the afterword written by the author herself that I know for sure how much of Annemarie's story is true. And I will say it comes as quite a shocker.

The novel makes me think about cruelty and courage, and how people should be treated. Children such as Annemarie should not have been caught in frightening situations and forced to make decisions, on the spot. But things are different during wartime. So the young ones learn and they adapt, fast. They may even know more than they let on, especially the ones who pay quiet attention to the goings-on. Annemarie is one such girl. She sees and she listens and she understands. With her back straight, she faces the danger ahead on and stands up to the enemy.

The story in Number the Stars is but a part of the history of Denmark and its people that has much to teach us all; that for a short period of time, in a small place, a group of prejudice-free people honored the humanity of others. This book is a reminder to all of us that a world of human decency, possible once in the smallest of the Scandinavian countries, is possible indeed.


Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books; New edition edition
Publication date: 1 Sep 2011

*** Favourite Quote 1 ***

It is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything.

*** Favourite Quote 2 ***

It was harder for the ones who were waiting, Annemarie knew. Less danger, perhaps, but more fear.

*** Favourite Quote 3 ***

It was only the first hint of a slightly lightening sky: a pale gleam at the edge of the meadow, a sign that far away somewhere, to the east where Sweden still slept, morning would be coming soon. Dawn would creep across the Swedish farmland and coast; then it would wash little Denmark with light and move across the North Sea to wake Norway.

~ Number the Stars
Lois Lowry

@}--->>--->>-----

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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