A Masterpiece

The book Number the Stars is a wonderful masterpiece written by Lois Lowry in

1988.  After you read this book, a fantastically told historical fiction on World War II,

you will think it is a great story.  “According to Lowery, the Danish people

were the only entire nation of people in the world who heard the splash and the cry and

did not… turn away from the disaster.” Number the Stars was published by

Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing. This Newberry award winner, which

demonstrates friendship and courage from the characters in it, is a must read. This story

takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark.  The Germans have taken over. Although

the Nazi regime during World War II had taken all of their resources, the

people of Denmark were not giving up easily.  Rebelling, a clan of youths tries to secretly

resist the German demands.   Secretly these people help the Jews escape, while Germans

are chasing after them.

There are many characters in this story: Mr. Johansen, Mrs. Johansen, Lise

Johansen, Mr. Rosen, Mrs. Rosen, Mr. Hirsch, Mrs. Hirsch, Mrs. Hirsch’s son, Peter

Neilsen, Uncle Henrik, King Christian X, German soldiers, and Thor the cat.  The three

main characters are Kirsti Johansen, who is a young brat with a mouth of a bullhorn,

Ellen Rosen, and most importantly, Annemarie Johansen.   Ruthlessly, the Germans

had ordered that all the Jews be taken to concentration camps.   Having the

Johansens as friends and neighbors, the Rosens, being Jewish, would have to be

protected.   Although living in the occupied town of Copenhagen, Denmark, would be

hard, now they had to try to escape with their Jewish friends.  This story is very

suspenseful.   After the first chapter the book starts to take off into an exciting

adventure.   As the storyline progresses, we meet some very interesting characters.

Once the law has been passed by the Germans, the Rosens leave town with Peter

Neilsen (a part of the Danish resistant), and leave their daughter Ellen with the

Johansens.  It was like a sleepover to the girls--until the Germans came and searched the

Johansens’ apartment. Luckily Mr. Johansen had pictures of his deceased daughter, Lise,

when she had black hair. When the Germans questioned why Ellen (the Jew

pretending to be the Johansen’s daughter) had black hair, Mr. Johansen acted as though

she were his daughter, Lise.  After the Germans left, Mrs. Johansen decided that it was

too dangerous for the girls to go to school, so they left town to visit Annemarie’s Uncle

Henrik, the fisherman in Gilleleje. Nearing their destination, they passed the

Klampenborg station, where German soldiers boarded the train.  While on the

train ride, Kirsti, who almost gave away that Ellen was Jewish to the German soldiers,

talked on about her shoes.  After Mrs. Johansen told the soldiers their business of seeing

her brother, the soldiers were on their way.  Finally, they reached Gilleleje.  Walking

to  Henrik’s house, they were astonished by the beauty of the wonderful water and

the wildflowers.

As soon as they got there they were told by Uncle Henrik that there has been a

death in the family;  Annemarie’s great Aunt Bertie had died.   Annemarie soon found

out that there really was no Aunt Bertie.  The funeral was an excuse for the escaping

Jews to gather at the house. After people came, the German soldiers arrived.

They questioned about the coffin and left.  After that Mr. and Mrs. Rosen were

reunited with their daughter, Ellen.   Quickly Peter slipped Mr. Rosen a package to take

to Henrik and took the first few people to his boat and hid them there.  When it was Mrs.

Johansen’s turn to take the Rosens to the boat, Mr. Rosen slipped on the steps and

unknowingly dropped the package.  Ellen, who had given Annemarie a quick hug and

left, was sad and wondering if she would ever find her friend again.  The next morning

Annemarie noticed her mother on the ground in front of the house.  Her mother had

broken her ankle, and there, next to her mother, Annemarie found the package that Peter

had given to Mr. Rosen.  Annemarie got a basket, put the package at the bottom, and put

a napkin and some food over it. Then she ran toward Henrik’s boat with his “lunch.”

Running to the boat, she met up with German soldiers and their dogs.  The Germans took

the food and ruined it.  Then they discovered the hidden package and opened it!  There

was only a hankerchief.  What could it mean? The dogs smelled it and were suddenly not

interested. The soldiers left. Annemarie delivered the packet.  The Jews had been saved!

Reading this suspenseful story, one can’t wait to find out what happens next.  The best

thing about this book is that Annemarie and her family amazingly find ways to outsmart

the Germans. Although the Germans came to the apartment, the Johansens outsmarted

them with the pictures which had been taken out of the scrap book.  After that, the

Germans were outsmarted with the fake funeral. Would you have been able to do what

Annemarie had done? The Resistance saved over seven thousand Jews.  Flawlessly Lois

Lowery makes the characters as if they were real.  This book is a real masterpiece!