Number the Stars
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen Rosen, often think about life before the war. But it's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching in their town. The Nazis won't stop. The Jews of Denmark are being "relocated," so Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be part of the family. Then Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission. Somehow she must find the strength and courage to save her best friend's life. There's no turning back now.
Themes & atmosphere
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What you might want to know about Number the Stars
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Annemarie Johansen and Ellen Rosen are best friends in 1943 Copenhagen. When the Nazis begin rounding up Danish Jews, Annemarie's family takes Ellen in and helps the Resistance smuggle her family across the sound to Sweden.
Yes. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal. Lois Lowry also won the Newbery for The Giver three years later, making her one of a handful of authors to win twice.
Number the Stars is fictional but built around the documented 1943 Danish rescue of nearly all the country's Jewish population to neutral Sweden during the Nazi occupation. Lois Lowry researched the events and met survivors.
Number the Stars was written by Lois Lowry, published in 1901 by Lions.
Number the Stars is 147 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Number the Stars takes most readers 2 to 3 hours to finish.
Number the Stars is a standalone novel by Lois Lowry, not part of a series.
Number the Stars is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.