Sunday Synopsis

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Most of us are required to read The Diary of Anne Frank, or at least an excerpt from it, when we are in school. Often, that is our only exposure to the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust. Many of my former students came to me having read this book, Number the Stars, or having it read to them in fifth grade. Technically, it's about a fifth grade reading level. However, it's not just a story for kids.

Lois Lowry researched the stories of Jewish and Christian families in Denmark during World War II. She based the story on the many brave, courageous people who helped their Jewish friends hide or escape to Sweden. The protagonist is Annemarie who was based on Lowry's Danish friend. She and her family have to help her best friend Ellen Rosen, and Ellen's family. Annemarie is called on to complete a dangerous mission if she is to help her friend avoid the German soldiers.

The story was very realistic, and the author even has a note at the end telling what is true and what is fiction. I love authors that do that! And even though it's a quick read - which I needed after my previous 446 page book - it's a story that adults and children alike will appreciate and more complex than one would think since it's intended for preteen readers. Lowry provides a different perspective than Anne Frank, and it's a story worth telling.

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