Number the Stars

What Is Number the Stars About?

It's 1943 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen's best friend is Ellen Rosen, who is Jewish. When the Nazis begin rounding up Danish Jews, the Johansen family takes Ellen in — pretending she's their daughter — and helps the Rosen family escape to Sweden.

Annemarie must make a terrifying journey alone, carrying a crucial package past Nazi soldiers. She doesn't fully understand the danger, but she acts with courage because her family needs her and her friend's life depends on it.

Based on true events — the Danish resistance smuggled nearly 7,000 Jews to safety — the novel shows how ordinary people can resist extraordinary evil.

Why It Still Matters

• Ordinary courage — Annemarie isn't a soldier or a spy. She's a ten-year-old girl who does what needs to be done.
• Friendship transcends prejudice — Annemarie doesn't see Ellen as 'Jewish' first; she sees her as her best friend. That's the foundation of her courage.
• The Danish resistance — Denmark's protection of its Jewish citizens is one of the most inspiring stories of World War II.
• Moral clarity for young readers — Lowry handles the Holocaust with age-appropriate honesty, showing evil clearly without being graphic.

Why Classical Schools Teach It

Number the Stars is a powerful grammar-stage and early logic-stage text for introducing the Holocaust and the moral imperative to resist injustice. At Saints Classical Academy, it teaches students that courage doesn't require being brave — it requires doing the right thing even when you're afraid.

Recommended Editions

• HMH Books for Young Readers — The standard edition with an afterword by Lowry.
• Yearling (Dell) — Affordable paperback for classroom use.

Famous Quote

"That's all that brave means — not thinking about the dangers. Just thinking about what you must do."
— Annemarie's mother