1 Number the Stars

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Spaghetti Book Club - Book Reviews by Kids for Kids

Number the Stars

Written by Lois Lowry


Reviewed by Dakota B. (age 9)

When does the girl have to be brave? How many times does the girl have to be brave? Those are questions you might have when you read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Some characters are Ellen, Kirsti, Annemarie, Mama, Daddy, & Lise.

This book is about Annemarie helping Ellen and her family escape to Sweden, to get away from the Nazis. At one point in the book, Ellen has to live with Annemarie to cover her trail, but she nearly gets caught. Annemarie and her family realize they can no longer shelter Ellen’s family, because it is too dangerous for both families. So, they come up with a plan to get them to Sweden. You will have to read the book to see if the plan works.

I really liked Kirsti, because she hit one of the soldiers and stood up to him by saying, “Don’t!”, when he tried to touch her hair in the beginning. She wasn’t afraid and that was brave.

I think an interesting and scary quote from the book was, “Lise Johansen’ he read finally and stared at Ellen for a long unwavering moment.” Four Nazis had barged into Annemarie’s home and they thought Ellen was a Jew (and she is) because she had dark hair. Read the rest to see what happens next. Does Ellen get taken by the Nazis or does she escape to Sweden?

I thought Annemarie was brave, because she faced the Nazis three different times during this book. Annemarie’s family helped Ellen’s family, even though it put them in danger. I felt the theme of the story was that you should help each other no matter what happens. This is important, because you can use this lesson in everyday life and it helps strengthen friendships. This book also put Ellen and Annemarie’s friendship to the test. This made me very nervous throughout the book, because I was afraid they wouldn’t remain friends.

This book is an awesome and challenging book that I strongly recommend. I believe that it is for ages 8-50! It is based on true events and it’s that good!