Number the Stars

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The historical fiction novel Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, illustrates the theme courage. Annemarie wants to help Ellen escape, but it’s dangerous. Then she makes an important delivery, so Ellen and her family can escape to Sweden.

The author is saying that true bravery can be shown even by the young. As Annemarie learns more about the threat to Ellen, she becomes more brave. If I am ever in a similar situation, I hope I can develop the necessary courage to do what’s right like Annemarie did.

Some things to think about regarding this book:

*What is the signifcance of the title?

*How did Annemarie change from the beginning, through the middle, to the end?

*What incidents in the book most clearly show Annemarie’s courage?

14 thoughts on “Number the Stars”

  1. Submitted on 2012/01/23 at 11:12 am

    In the beginning, Annemarie is just a silly little girl who races her friend to the end of the street. She barely knows anything about the war and doesn’t know how dangerous it is. Later on, Annemarie matures as she begins to learn how much danger her friend is in and tries to save her and her family. Annemarie shows true courage when she is stopped by the soldiers and has to talk to them, when she yanks off Ellen’s necklace, and when she delivers the hankie to her uncle.


  2. Submitted on 2012/01/23 at 11:31 am

    The title is of great significance because it talks about the star of david and counting the Jewish people sent to Sweden.
    Throughout the book, she matured mentally and became more brave.
    Yanking Ellen’s necklace with the star of david on it and delivering the package show Annemarie’s bravery.


  3. Submitted on 2012/01/23 at 11:47 am

    When she talked to the soldiers on the way to deliver the hankie, I think that showed the most courage since she was by herself and the soldiers had big dogs.


    1. Submitted on 2012/01/23 at 11:53 am

      All the time she walked into the soldiers she proved her braveness. She became braver throughout the whole story.


      1. Submitted on 2012/01/25 at 11:54 am | In reply to christopher.

        ‘Walked into the soldiers’ ? I’m not sure what you mean by this. Don’t hurry through your responses. Make sure your point is clear. HOW did she become braver throughout the story?


  4. Submitted on 2012/01/23 at 4:06 pm

    The significance of the title is that it is one of the lines in the story.

    How Annemarie changed from the middle to the end was she got braver and braver.

    The incidents in the book are when coming back from school she runs into soldiers, when the soldiers come in her house she yanks the Star of David(Jewish) necklace of Ellen’s neck, and when she goes to deliver a special hanker chief to the boat/dock where all the Jewish people were escaping from Copenhagen, Denmark.


  5. Submitted on 2012/01/28 at 11:34 am

    Throughout the whole story Annemarie shows maturity and bravery. In the book Annemarie’s younger sister Kirsty thinks of every thing as a joke. When the soldiers stopped Anne and her friend Ellen, Kirsty gets angry when the soldiers touch her hair. Anne is scared but doesn’t show it. That is what shows maturity because she knew how serious the matter was. She shows bravery when she has to deliver an important “document” to her Uncle. It may be just walking to give something to someone but the dangers that lurked near by were life threatening. It was dark, she was alone, she was in the woods,there were soldiers that stopped her with guns and big dogs. When they stopped her she had to act like a foolish girl which was quick thinking which only occurs if you are matured enough. All in all as time passed Annemarie had grown up and matured with her bravery.


  6. Submitted on 2012/01/28 at 9:02 pm

    The title is signifigant because it represents the star of david. Annemarie becomes more mature as she learns more about what is happening in the world around her. The incident that shows Annemarie’s is when she made the delivery.


  7. Submitted on 2012/01/29 at 3:54 pm

    In this book, Annemarie develops and gets more brave. She talks to the Nazis calmly. She knows not to slip and say something that would anger the Germans. That shows maturity on her part. Latre on, Annemarie remembers that Ellen’s Star of David would immediately show the Germans that Ellen was a Jew. So she yanks it off, despite the harm she might do to Ellen’s throat. In the end, Annemarie runs off to deliver the special package. It was dark and she was going in the woods all by herself. That has to be very scary. Annemarie even acts and talks like a silly little girl when the Germans questioned her. If Annemarie messed up, the Germans might have shot her or ordered their dogs to shoot her. Therefore, Annemarie gets braver throughout the story.


  8. Submitted on 2012/05/09 at 6:40 pm

    From Hubert and Andre:

    Number The Stars is historical fiction that talks about Denmark during the German occupation from the point of view of a child. It can be enjoyed in many ways; for example the story includes brief interactions with Nazi soldiers and the rescue of the Jewish people.
    The story has a theme of bravery, adventure, and growing up. For instance while delivering a secret packet, Annemarie was able to show bravery when she was caught. In addition, she learned to grow up when faced with the facts that her neighbor and friend might get arrested. Number the Stars was voted one of the top sixteen in our class. It is famous for the adventures and drama. Lois Lowry’s great writing won her a John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children.


  9. Lilian
    I would have to say that the book, Number the Stars, is a very thoughtful book taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark in the time of World War ll. Annemarie is a great friend trying to help her friend, Ellen, be kept away from the German soldiers.1


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