Number the Stars
In 1943 Copenhagen, ten-year-old Annemarie's family hides her Jewish friend Ellen and joins the Danish effort to reach Sweden. Wartime shortages, occupation and danger are filtered through a child's expanding knowledge.
- First published
- 1989
- Reading stage
- For older children
Reading this with your child
Keep the historical threat explicit
Explain Nazi occupation, antisemitic persecution and why Ellen cannot safely remain at home before the disguise plot. The danger should not depend on a reader inferring history from soldiers alone.
Track what Annemarie is told
Adults withhold some information to protect the children and the rescue effort. Note when Annemarie misunderstands, when she is deliberately uninformed and when action requires courage without full knowledge.
Return fiction to history
After finishing, use a reliable Holocaust museum or library source to distinguish invented characters from Denmark's documented rescue. Avoid turning national rescue into a claim that all Danish Jews were safe.
Compare before choosing: Both are concise historical novels centered on a girl's family, but Number the Stars involves occupation and persecution while Sarah focuses on grief, place and remarriage. View the comparison title →
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