Number the Stars is told from the point of view of ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen. The story is set in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark in September 1943, the third year of the Nazis being in Denmark. Annemarie has a best friend Ellen, who is Jewish, walk home from school together everyday as they live in the same building. On one of their walks home they are stopped and questioned by a German soldier. Mrs. Johansen and Mrs. Rosen (their mothers) are worried and ask the girls to take a new way to school. The girls stat to notice shops being closed down... (the shops are ones owned by Jewish families). As more shops are being closed, Ellen's mother and father leave town, but Ellen stays with Annemarie. After Ellen's family leaves the Germans come looking for them by knocking on Annemarie's door. Annemarie's father lets the Germans search the apartment, and they wonder why Ellen's hair is brown. Annemarie's father thinks fast finding a baby picture of a daughter they once had, who had brown hair...
This book is very intense, and hard to put down! I don't want to ruin it all for you, but it takes the reader all the way to the end of the war. I'd say this book is perfect for upper elementary and up.
This was one of my favorite books in middle school. I ended up buying it and wishing that they would make it into a movie. I can see students enjoying this book, especially girls.
ReplyDeleteThis too is one of my favorite books. I remember reading it for the first time in fifth grade and I couldn't put it down. Fifth grade is when I first heard about the Holocaust and what is was because an Anne Frank exhibit came to my small community and my mom felt it was very important that we both attended. After I attended I read The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank and then I read Number of the Stars.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amanda, I can definitely see students connecting with this book, especially the female population.
Thanks for sharing!
I have always wanted to read this book but haven't yet! A lot of my students have read it as it was a Battle of the Books pick last year (or maybe the year before?). Some other good books I have read on this topic are Erika's Story by Ruth Vander Zee (a shorter picture book) and The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (a chapter book).
ReplyDeleteYou all have picked good books that reflect the issues dealt with in WWII.
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