Lowry,
Lois. Number the Stars. Sandpiper;
Reissue Edition, 2011. (156 pages)
In this work of
historical fiction, Lois Lowry tells the poignant story of a family in occupied
Denmark who endanger themselves to help their Jewish friends escape from the
Nazis. The heroine is a ten-year old girl named Annemarie who is willing to be
brave like the brave adults she observes in her life.
Lowry includes an
epilogue explaining to her readers which parts of her story were written purely
from her imagination and which parts were based on true events. She goes into
detail about documents she read, a picture she saw, and research concerning the
fateful handkerchief which Annemarie delivers in the story. This section would
be fabulous for children to read and a great way for educators to show young
readers what an author of historical fiction does to create these sorts of
books. I was very struck by Lowry’s description of the photo she found of the boy
who was a very young resistance fighter.
The story itself was
easy to read although it covered serious subject matter. I like the discussions
on bravery and looking out for human rights, as the real life people which this
story celebrates are people with such an important lesson to teach all of us.
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