Number the Stars: A Light in Times of Darkness

How many nine-year-olds know where Denmark is? Or even what it is? How many of them know that Denmark surrendered to the Germans in 1940? Or that the Nazis occupied this small kingdom? What are Nazis anyway? And aren't kingdoms just magical places in fairy tales?

When Lois Lowry decided to write this powerful Holocaust tale, she was obviously aware that the children for whom she was writing would need a lot of help in understanding these people, places, and events so far removed from their young lives. In Number the Stars, she succeeds magnificently.

It is 1943 in Copenhagen, Denmark. German soldiers stand guard on the streets. For three young girls returning home from school, the soldiers are a menacing presence that they do not fully understand. As the story unfolds, not only do these three girls gain a greater understanding of what the German occupation of Denmark signified, but so too do the children who will read this book. Young readers will learn right along with Lowry's characters about this small kingdom, its king, and its people. They will learn of the Resistance, the underground press, the "relocation," and the courage of ordinary people.

Lowry tells the story of two families—one Jewish, one not—and the friendship between them, in particular the bond between ten year old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen Rosen. As Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) approaches, the Germans acquire the synagogue lists of all the Jewish families in Denmark. Annemarie is confused when she learns that Ellen is going to be spending the night at her home instead of celebrating the New Year at home with her own family. She learns that Mr. and Mrs. Rosen have "gone away," and that Ellen will be staying with the Johansens for her safety.

When the German soldiers come late that night to search the Johansen's home for the Rosen family, Mr. Johansen manages to convince them that Ellen is his daughter, despite her dark curly hair. But with one narrow escape, it becomes clear that the Johansens will not long be able to safeguard Ellen in their apartment.

What transpires is a riveting story of the dangerous and courageous efforts Annemarie's family and the Danish people as a whole made to help protect the Jewish families of Denmark from the planned "relocation" by the occupying German forces. As the tension builds to the climax of this tale, young readers will experience a sense of dread fearing for the safety of Lowry's characters. This is a powerful tale for young readers, and not an easy happy-ever-after read—even as an adult, my own heart was racing as Lowry's tale unfolded.

Although the characters in Number the Stars are fictional, their experiences are not fiction. The hardships they endure, the terrors they face, and the sacrifices they make were true for countless real people during this dreadful period of history.

No child should ever have to personally experience the terrors visited upon these children. But neither should children be left in ignorance of what passed lest it occur again. Lowry's Number the Stars has presented this glimpse of the Holocaust in a form accessible to young readers. She does not reveal all its gruesome horrors, but neither does she sugarcoat her message. She offers young readers an introduction to this terrible episode of history, not only in terms of the horrible events that befell people simply because of their race and beliefs, but also in terms of the decency and bravery of the people who were willing to put their own lives at risk to do what they knew was right.

In her Afterword to Number the Stars, Lowry observes: "In the weeks following the Jewish New Year, almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark—nearly seven thousand people—was smuggled across the sea to Sweden." That is not a happy-ever-after ending, but it is an inspiring light in a time of darkness.

The Psalm (147) from which Lowry has taken her title includes a verse which she does not quote within the body of her story. It says ". . . he blesses your children within you. He grants peace within your borders." Whether you are religious or not, reading this remarkable story will leave you fervently hoping that children will be blessed with a world of peace in which the terrible events of this story never occur again.

As an introduction to an important lesson in history, and as a tale to inspire human decency and courage, Number the Stars deserves even more than the five stars I am able to give it here. It richly deserved the 1990 Newbery Medal it was awarded, and I highly, highly recommend it.