Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

by by Lois Lowry

Genres: Historical Fiction

Paperback

Published July 12, 2009

Reviews

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tugged my heart, for sure. It was well written, and sad, but it was amazing to see in the book how God used many courageous individuals to protect His people. I am grateful for books like this one that tell of a sad, but true story, and give a glimpse into another’s shoes.

[angely · Rating 5 out of 5]

so moving and so sad and such a good representation of how children see and experience the world especially during horrible times.

[DD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I (re-) read this book (for the first time in 30 years) to decide if I should give it to my 7-year-old.

The book is told from the point-of-view of a 10-year-old protagonist Annemarie during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, and covers the week following the 1943 High Holidays when most of the country's Jews got word of and fled the first raids. Annemarie is not Jewish, but her best friend Ellen is, and Annemarie and her family help Ellen's family escape to Sweden.

Although Annemarie is no stranger to tragedy (death of her older sister) or deprivation (war rationing) prior to the start of the novel, over the course of the book's events she begins to deepen and broaden her perception of what is happening around her and her own power to influence events. This is truly where the book shines: the 10-year-old perspective is masterful, and as a child I reached many of the same conclusions and had many of the same thoughts for the first time, right with Annemarie. As an adult and parent, I literally cried through the whole book. There is so much going on under the surface that is so very clear to an adult reader, and so very imperceptible to a child. And that is very realistic, I think.

Despite the realism, this book is a surprisingly gentle and hopeful book about war, not least because of Denmark's amazing success in rescuing their Jews. And I did decide to give this book to my 7-year-old. I appreciate that a lot of people say wait until a child is older because the book does deal directly with the Holocaust; and I understand that for many this book is an introduction to that topic. My family is Jewish, however, and my child is already familiar with stories of his ancestor's escapes from Germany and Poland. I thus found the very gentle deepening and maturing of perspective to be very appropriate.

Masterful book, I'd recommend it to anyone.

[KerryT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and well written! Children’s Newbery Medal winner. There are a couple of bad words spoken by adults, in case that is an issue with your children. This would be a great book to read in class or your homeschool.