Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publishing Info: Houghton Mifflin, 137 pages
Awards or Honors Received: Newbery Medal

Summary: Ellen and Annemarie are ten year old girls living in Denmark. The German Nazis have occupied their town, forcing Ellen's family to flee. Annemarie's family keeps Ellen, pretending that she is one of their children. Ellen and Annemarie face many different adventures while at Annemarie's Uncle Henrik's house. Uncle Henrik is helping Jews escape to Sweden, and Ellen's family is among those he helps. Ellen is united with her family and they make their way to Sweden where they can live without the Nazi control. Annemarie learns about courage and what it really means to be brave.

Personal rating and reason for rating: *** Good. I really like this book. Some of the topics may be a little hard for students to understand at first, and they take some serious discussion. The story keeps the reader engaged, though, and I think it teaches an important lesson about bravery.

Reading Level: 5.1
Interest Level: 4th -7th grades

Possible uses of the text in integrated units of study:
Social Studies: The story is set during WWII, so some background information is needed for students to really understand what is happening. A study into WWII and into the Nazi occupation easily ties into a unit with this book.

Geography: Using a map of Europe, find Denmark and Sweden. Then have students use the details in the book to trace the path of the escaping Jews.

Writing: Have students interview a grandparent, or someone else who lived through WWII. They should prepare questions ahead of time, then write what they learned in interview format. They can share what they learned with the class.

Character Education/Math: Have students create a recipe for peace, courage, or bravery. Have students write an ingredients list, and directions for creating of of the topics. Students can write their work on recipe cards or publish them in a class "cookbook."

Potential Problems or Difficulties: There are some sensitive topics in the story. Students need to understand that not everyone believes the same things, and that what some people think, others may not. Students need some type of historical background to be able to understand some of the events in the story.