Book Review: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

by Leah Santiago, age 11

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry creates a story based on the tragedy of the Holocaust in 1943. In this book, the young protagonist, Annemarie, from Copenhagen, helps her family smuggle her best friend, Ellen, and Ellen’s parents to safety in Sweden. Ellen’s family is Jewish, and a symbol throughout this novel is Ellen's necklace. The pendant’s shape is of the Star of David, a prominent symbol in Judaism during the Holocaust. Jewish people were forced to wear this religious symbol to be identified.

The Holocaust was a genocide led by German dictator Adolf Hitler. He wanted to invade all the European countries with his army, the Nazis. His ambitions were to rid the world of the Jewish population.

This book takes place during the Danish Resistance. Fishermen within the resistance had secret hideouts in their boats where they would help Jewish people escape across European waters. During Nazi inspections of the boats using dogs, the fishermen carried handkerchiefs with a special drug on them. When sniffed, the drug would temporarily damage the dogs’ sense of smell. At one point in the book, while delivering her fisherman uncle lunch, Annemarie carries a picnic basket with a handkerchief with that very drug, without knowing what it can do.

The novel is filled with intense and suspenseful situations that keep readers on the edge of their seats. However, a prominent moment full of danger and emotion is when Annemarie and her family lie to Nazi soldiers when they raid her home. Ellen is temporarily living as Annemarie’s “sister” when Nazis break into her house late one night and question Annemarie’s parents. Both girls are woken up and are asked their names. Ellen went under the name “Lise Johansen,” Annemarie’s sister, who had died a few years before. At first, the officers don’t believe Ellen. However, Annemarie’s father shows them a photo album with baby photos, saying the photos show the two girls standing before them. The officers are fully convinced. However, if Annemarie’s father had not ripped off the dates at the bottom of Ellen’s photo, the officers would have seen a picture of a baby born 21 years earlier.

This novel definitely has emotional highs and lows that make readers feel for the characters. There is a lot of suspense throughout the book, as it's not clear until the end if Ellen’s family escapes to Sweden safely.

Lowry's story is actually partly based on her friend’s childhood experience. Her friend, Annelise, used to tell stories about witnessing Nazi raids and World War II. Annelise permitted Lois to use her stories as inspiration.

This novel has helped me understand small details about the Holocaust I never knew about before, such as the boat hideouts and the Resistance. It talks about the fear of a ten-year-old during this genocide. It told me about a special drug that can damage a dog’s sense of smell, how cool is that!

If you love history, danger, thrills, and heartfelt moments, Number the Stars has just that. Annemarie is a beautifully written character who, despite going through grief and tension, manages to overcome that with love and bravery.