Wrenching and Wonderful

Having been hugely impressed with Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal winning novel, The Giver, I decided to read her other Newbery Medal winner (1990), Number the Stars. I was not disappointed.

While the story is composed of fictional characters, Lowry has placed them in a real historical situation; Denmark in 1943, the middle of World War II. Through the novel, we learn that the Nazis are planning to begin "relocating" Jews. Annemarie Johansen's best friend, Ellen Rosen, is Jewish. Annemarie's family takes Ellen in, pretending that she is Annemarie's sister; although Annemarie doesn't know it, the Johansens are helping to move the Rosens to safety in Sweden. There are several close calls with Nazi soldiers in the story, and they build to a frightening final incident.

I was very impressed with how Lowry turned historical fact into flawless fiction, but at the same time avoided many of the very disturbing facts about the Holocaust that young children might find overwhelming. However, the Nazi soldiers are clearly threatening figures who are doing precisely what we know they did: intimidating and persecuting Jews.

Each character in the novel fits in perfectly with the others. In the last chapter, Lowry ties some of the minor character in cleverly. Even a character who was dead before the story begins is illuminated.

The reader should also take a few minutes at the end of the story and read the afterword. Lowry explains which parts of the book are fiction and which are fact; I found this to be so moving that was crying as I finished reading it.

This book would make a perfect introduction to the Holocaust for a mature 4th grader or a 5th grader, and it could also serve as an excellent place to start a discussion about all types of persecution. It is also worth reading as an adult, for a reminder of both how terribly cruel humans can be, as well as how marvelously brave. This is one book that I will keep in my collection forever.