Historical Fiction - Review #2

Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395510600. Also available on CD read by Blair Brown. ISBN 1400085551.

Summary-

This is the story of two families in German-occupied Denmark in 1943. One family is Jewish and the other is Danish. The Danish family must risk their lives to save their friends.

Characters-

The main character is ten year old Annemarie Johansen. Her best friend is Ellen Rosen, a Jewish girl. As the lives of Ellen and her family are threatened, Annemarie wonders if she is brave enough to face what will happen in the future. She would like to think so, but being untested, must wait for the trial to be sure. She also wonders about the goings on around her. Why would being Jewish and thus different, be a problem? Why would trusted adults lie to her? Although specific situations are different, some of these same questions echo in children's minds even today.

Ms. Lowry helps us empathize with Annemarie. Through her eyes, we see the German soldiers with their shiny boots and rifles, and grim, unsmiling faces. We hear the strange sounding German words and accents. We are scared, just as much as she.

Plot-

In this story, Annemarie's family helps their Jewish friends escape Denmark with the assistance of the Danish Resistance movement. This process, experienced through Annemarie, is confusing at best. She is told very little of what will happen and why and is told by her uncle that it is easier to be brave when you do not know all the answers. For the reader, this is experienced exactly as Annemarie experienced it with fear, joy, uncertainty, focus, and resolution.

Setting-

The book has two settings. One is Copenhagen, Denmark and the other is the Danish countryside/seaside. Throughout the book, we are given many examples of the hardships of war; no meat, no sugar, no coffee or tea, no leather for shoes, no material for new clothes, and the list continues. Annemarie tells of how the soldiers are on every street corner of Copenhagen and how they enjoy scaring the Danish people. She tells us how shops are boarded up with an official notice in German pasted to the door. In American society today, it is almost unfathomable.

Annemarie's friend, Ellen has never been to the countryside or seen the sea. As they travel there to help Ellen escape to Sweden, we enjoy Ellen's first experiences of walking barefoot through a meadow, picking meadow flowers, gazing upon the sea for the first time.

We can vividly imagine the dark, rocky, twisted root path Annemarie must take to reach her uncle in the story's climax. All throughout the book, we feel as if we are there, watching the action, not just reading about it.

Style-

Ms. Lowry uses her writing to help us feel the opposing forces in the story. The German's dialogue is in thick German accent. Since the book is written for English readers, the Danish characters' dialogue is written in English. This immediately helps the reader identify with the Danish characters. There are a few clues to indicate that the Danish characters are not really speaking English. Several comments are made by the characters lamenting the fact that after three years of occupation, the Germans still cannot speak Danish.

Knowing the Rosens arrived in Sweden safely, allows us to, at last, begin breathing again. But Ms. Lowry lets us know what becomes of the characters when the war finally ends. This is the last chapter of the story and it is a satisfying end. In the afterward, Ms. Lowry tells us which parts of the story are history and which parts are purely fiction. This allows us to marvel at the strength of character of the Danish people during World War II and helps us see a timeless theme. Sometimes things are bigger than just us and standing for what is right is never wrong even though, at times, it comes with great cost.

Audio Evaluation-

This presentation was an unabridged version on three CD's. The reader was Tony Award winner Blair Brown. She was the only reader and provided different voices for different characters. The sound quality was good, no background noises or static and the recorded volume level was appropriate throughout. There was background music only during the introduction and closing credits of the production. There were no sound effects to compliment the reading. I wish there had been a few although I did enjoy this presentation. It made the short day trip I had to make much more enjoyable.

Reviews-

Publishers Weekly - "The whole work is seamless, compelling, and memorable -- impossible to put down; difficult to forget."

School Library Journal - "The gripping story of a ten-year-old Danish girl and her family's courageous efforts to smuggle Jews out of their Nazi-occupied homeland to safety in Sweden. Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery. "

John Newbery Medal 1990

Connections-

*Read The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco ISBN 9780399231704. This picture book has a similar story. Compare and contrast the two stories.

*On a map of Denmark, trace the route that the Johansen family took to help their friends, the Rosens, escape.

*Do some research about World War II. How many countries did Germany occupy? Get a map of Europe and mark them.

*Learn more about the Danish resistance movement. There were other resistance movements in other countries. Learn about them as well.

*The Diary of Anne Frank is about World War II from a Jewish girl's perspective. How did her experiences compare to that of the Rosen's? How did her family survive?

*Imagine the reunion between Annemarie and Ellen after the war. What would it be like? Write a short dialogue to perform with a classmate that tells the story of this reunion.

*Dramatize a scene from this novel.

*Many Jewish people were never able to escape to safety. Use your local library and Internet resources to research these times and events known as the Holocaust.