Book Review of Number the Stars
The Children’s Book Review
What to Expect: Historical Fiction, World War II
Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal. Lois Lowry is the author of over forty books for young adults, for which she has won many awards.
It’s 1943 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her family take in her Jewish best friend, Ellen Rosen, and they pretend she is part of their family— they want to help keep Ellen safe. During World War II, the German troops would take Jewish people from their homes and send them to concentration camps, and now they are coming for the Jews in Denmark.
The German soldiers are suspicious of Ellen because of her dark hair; Annemarie and her sister have blonde hair. Annemarie tells us how the Danish Resistance heroically relocated almost all of the Danish-Jewish population, 7,000 Jews, across the sea to Sweden and how she and her family courageously helped smuggle Ellen’s family to safety.
Number the Stars may be a historical-fiction book, but its message of strength and unity is timeless. Filled with danger, bravery, and courage, Lois Lowry reminds us that when people stand together, anything is possible. Let’s take inspiration from this beautiful story and create a better world for everyone. You won’t be able to put down the book.
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About the Author
Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After studying at Brown University, she married, started a family, and turned her attention to writing. She is the author of over forty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, including the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader’s Medal, and the Mark Twain Award.
Lois received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award. Several books have been adapted to film and stage, and THE GIVER has become an opera. Her newest book, ON THE HORIZON, is a collection of memories and images from Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and post-war Japan.
A mother and grandmother, Ms. Lowry divides her time between Maine and Florida.
To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com
What to Read Next if You Love Number the Stars
True Holocaust Stories for Kids and Adults Because We Cannot Forget
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park
The Watsons Go to Birmingham, by Christopher Paul Curtis
Bianca Schulze reviewed Number the Stars. Discover more books like Number the Stars by reading our reviews and articles tagged with Historical Fiction.
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