Number The Stars

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry

Jacob Sutton

          This past week, I reread Number the Stars by Lois Lowry which is a work of historical fiction about the bravery of a family as they help their Jewish friends escape from Copenhagen during World War II during the rise of Nazism.  Annemarie Johansen, one of the protagonists, risks her life to help her best friend, Ellen Rosen by pretending that Ellen is Annemarie's older sister.  The Nazi's have demanded lists of the Danish Jews and they are planning to use these lists to arrest and relocate the entire Jewish population.  In order to avoid being relocated, Ellen Rosen, disguised as Lise (Ellen's older sister who was killed by a car) comes to live with the Johansen's while her parents are taken in by Lise's fiance, Peter Neilsen.  One of the main themes of this work centers on the bravery of the characters during a very traumatic time in history.

          Annemarie learns the real meaning of bravery.  At first, she does not know whether she can stand up for what she believes to be right.  When she is faced with the knowledge that her best friend Ellen and her family will be "relocated" by the Nazi soldiers, she helps them escape from Denmark and risks her life several times to do so.  Annemarie learns that faced with these circumstances, even ordinary people like her must be brave.  Her Uncle Henrick tells her that "it is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything," that even brave people are frightened and if you are determined to stand up for what you believe, you do not consider the danger.

        Other characters in the book also show bravery. Annemarie's parents and sister, Kirsti demonstrate great bravery as they are confronted by the Nazi soldiers several times.  They are confronted when they are hiding Ellen, when they are on the train going to Gilleleje and also during a gathering to pay respects to Annemarie's Great Aunt Birte.  They ignore the dangers and do what they feel they need to do to protect Ellen and the other Jews.  Peter Neilsen is also very courageous as a member of the Danish Resistance.  All of them, in their own ways fight injustice and do all they can do to get their friends, who are Jewish, to safety.