Number the stars by Lois Lowry

For a multitude of reasons, we can sometimes miss books when they are first released and we never revisit them.  ‘Number The Stars by Lois Lowry is considered a ‘modern classic’ by some yet I had never read it until recently.  I put it down to the fact that I was only 7 when it was first published back in 1989.
 
This short book (158 pages) is a beautifully crafted fictional account about the escape of a Jewish family (the Roden's) from Copenhagen during World War II.
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The story is told through the eyes of Anne Marie Johansen, a friend of Ellen Rosen.  Both girls are 10 years old and living through the occupation at first unaware of the dangers that they are potentially in.   They have heard rumours of Jewish families being located and Anne-Marie discovers that the shops in the neighbourhood that are owned by Jews are suddenly being closed down.
 
With the help of the ‘Danish Resistance’ Jews are crossing the sea from Denmark to the relative safety of ‘neutral’ Sweden.
 
Will the Rosens make it?  Will the Johansens and their friends get caught aiding them? 
Young readers  will get caught up in the secrecy and suspense of these actions but are somewhat protected from the implications of capture.  In that sense, they are very much like the three girls in the story.
 
If you are looking for a text to use in class which tells of the events in occupied Europe but without exposing the children to some of the more graphic retellings in novels such as ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ and the wonderful books by Morris Gleitzman.
 
If children enjoy ‘Number the Stars’ they may also enjoy ‘The Silver Sword’ by Ian Serralier and ‘Hitler’s Canary’ by Sandi Toksvig. 

For more books about World War II visit this blog post 

Visit The War and Peace shed for short films about conflict - click here