Number the Stars: A Newbery Award Winner

Lois Lowry

Apr 1989 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this eBook

The unforgettable Newbery Medal–winning novel from Lois Lowry. As the German troops begin their campaign to "relocate" all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.

A modern classic of historical fiction, Number the Stars has won generations of fans and continues to speak to today's readers. Jessica Grose wrote in a November 2022 New York Times essay entitled "This Perfect Mother-Daughter Read Holds a Powerful Lesson for Fighting Antisemitism": “Number the Stars is particularly relevant to our family, and to this moment."

As School Library Journal put it: "Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery."

Ratings and reviews

Grade: 4-8 (GR: U) Rating: A+ Comments: Another great book by Lois Lowry. This story is about best girlfriends (10 years old) living in Denmark during the Holocaust. One is Jewish and one is not. This was one of my favorite Lowry books. Good for upper elementary or middle school. I once read that kids are not ready for the subject matter of the Holocaust until age 10 or later. This book did not go into depth on what happened to the Jewish people who were “relocated.” I think this would be a good introduction to this time in history for 4th graders. Newbery Medal winner (1990).

This is the first Google book I purchased for use with my social studies classes during a bully proofing study that focuses on WWII and the Holocaust. Excellent book that depicts the story of two families living in Denmark during the Nazi occupation. One family is Jewish and one is Protestant. The story details what life is like in Denmark for Jewish people, the horrors that the Danish people are experiencing and what the Jewish people living in Denmark need to do in order to survive. The suspense of the book maintains the students attention and they often times are asking questions that involve critical thinking skills when listening to the text.

I had read this novel once in the fifth grade but I didn't really think it was for me. Personally, reading books in school makes even good novels appear bad. Two years later, I'm reading it again, and I highly recommend it for anyone between the ages of 8 and 13 who are interested in the topic of the Holocuast. Lowry's use of laguage is simple but wise, and it is definitley unusual and fresh compared to her other books (those of which are mostly fantasy and science fiction.) I hope Lowry writes more books like NUMBER THE STARS.

About the author

Lois Lowry is the author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver.