The Run Away
Customer Rating: 
Struggling through the ravages of World War II, Annemarie, her family, and her best friend Ellen wait in hiding until the Nazis retreat and let Denmark free once more. This wonderful story "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, is about friendship, tragedy, and, love. It also integrates a lot of useful life lessons, such as: being brave and deciding what to do wisely.
This story really captured my attention because it made me inquire as I read along. It also gave me a perfect image of what Denmark was like during the Nazi invasion.
I recommend this story to children in the fourth grade or higher because it has strong vocabulary words that are worth learning.
By Teddy (soon to be in grade 5)
Number The Stars
Customer Rating: "Hold still," Annemarie commanded. "This will hurt." She grabbed the little gold chain[a Jewish star and a symbol of loyalty to her religion], yanked with all her strength, and broke it. As the door opened and light flooded the bedroom, she crumpled it into her hand and closed her fingers tightly. Terrified, both girls looked up at the three Nazi officers who entered the room." From start to finish, author Lois Lowry, will entrance you in her Newberry Award winning novel Number The Stars. This 140 page book is difficult to put down as you will become entwined in the lives of two young girls, bound by friendship and a kinship, which even the Nazis find difficult to penetrate. Published in Boston, Massachusetts by the Houghton Mifflin Company in 1989, Number The Stars is yet another Newberry winning novel by Lowry. Devastating and heart wrenching, this book will bring you to tears and will dry your eyes with the power of the individual against society. Such, conflict lies at the foundation and heart of Number The Stars.
Growing up together Ellen Rosen and Annemarie Johansen paid little attention to their physical differences and religious affiliations. At ten years old they were more interested in their dolls and sleepovers. One afternoon on the way home from school, the girls have their first encounter with a Nazi Officer. Shaken, the girls return home to the duplex where they reside, though the presence of the Nazis seemed to follow them home.
Do you know about the devastating effects of The Holocaust? Many people in our society know very little about this historical event, led by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party, which shook Western Europe in the mid 1900s, and was the cause of death for over 11 million innocent civilians. Lois Lowry's Number The Stars allows you to step into the lives of two families, the Rosens and the Johansens, during the occupation of Denmark in 1943 by the Nazi regime. One Catholic and one Jewish, these families come together in their attempts to survive. Set in Copenhagen, Lowry captures the essence of The Holocausts and its effects on Danish citizens. Though this book focuses on the atrocities of The Holocaust, and according to the Fry Readability Scale is at a 9th grade reading level, Number The Stars could certainly be read independently by adolescents in grades 6 and up, with little difficulty. Doing some prior research on The Holocaust may help you understand the context more fully, but the story line in easily followed by readers in the aforementioned grade ranges.
Through the eyes of these 10 year old girls you are navigated through the Nazi occupation, of once neutral, Denmark, and the Danish Resistance's efforts to save its entire 7000 person Jewish population and bring them to Sweden. Though realistic fiction, Lowry brings you into a world of heart breaking facts, unthinkable tragedies and a story, which can be said to be non-fiction for many during this period in history. Lowry presents an astounding account through the lens and interpretations of Ellen and Annemarie. It is a quick and heart felt read. It is a book which will leave you thinking about the effects of war and destruction on entire countries and its citizens.
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