Newbery Medal Winner
Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
Summary
Set in Nazi occupied Copenhagen, the novel follows ten year old Annemarie Johansen as her family helps shelter her Jewish best friend, Ellen, and joins the Danish effort to smuggle Jews to safety in Sweden. Lois Lowry draws on real history to show ordinary people finding extraordinary courage, told through the eyes of a frightened but brave child. The story honors the Danish Resistance and the meaning of friendship under danger.
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Historical Context & Significance
It is based on the true wartime rescue of nearly all of Denmark's Jewish population in 1943.