Number the Stars Study Notes

Number the Stars Study Notes

Introduction

• Lois Lowry wrote Number the Stars more than twenty years before the introduction.
• Lowry received the 1990 Newbery Medal for the novel.
• The story revolves around ten-year-old Annemarie, around the age of most its readers.
• Annemarie is faced with a frightening situation and must grow to make dangerous decisions.
• During WW2 many people in other countries turned their backs, but Danes triumphed by standing up to danger.
• A Danish friend's story of her childhood in Copenhagen in 1943 inspired the fictional Annemarie.

Chapter 1: Why are you Running?

• Annemarie is described as lanky and is racing her friend Ellen to a corner in Copenhagen.
• Annemarie says they are practising for the athletic meet on Friday, the same week.
• Ellen is described as stocky and wants to walk like civilized people, saying "my legs aren't as long".
• Kirsti is left behind the older girls.
• Two German soldiers confront Annemarie, the Danish is very poor and they cannot speak the local language very well.
• Soldiers ask "Why are you running?"
• Annemarie notes that soldier is called the "Giraffe", he prods her backpack.
• The soldier asks "Are you a good student?".
• The soldier strokes Kirsti's hair.
• The story begins in Østerbrogade, a street with shops and cafes.
• The girls enter their building and see more armed soldiers.
• Ellen says "I was so scared".
• Kirsti is bringing a picture from Kindergarten home to Mama.
• Resistance fighters, determined to bring harm to the Nazis, damaged German trucks and bombed German factories.
• Mrs. Rosen asks “Where’s Ellen?”

Chapter 2: Who Is the Man Who Rides Past?

• Kirsti asks Annemarie to tell her a fairy tale.
• Annemarie tells her made up story about a King and Queen, sprinkling gold-trimmed gowns and feasts of pink frosted cupcakes into the tail.
• Kirsti fell asleep as Annemarie talked of King Christian X and Amalienborg.
• King Christian was a real human being, a man with a serious, kind face.
• Annemarie's older sister, Lise, had taken her to stand on the sidewalk so that she could wave to King Christian.
• Lise said "Now you are special forever, because you have been greeted by a king".
• Papa told her that he was on an errand and King Christian came by on his morning ride.
• German soldier asked a boy "Who is that man who rides past here every morning on his horse?".
• The boy said "he is our king, he is the King of Denmark".
• To the question “Where is his body guard?” the boy said "all of Denmark is his bodyguard".
• Lise was 18 and about to be married to Peter Neilson.
• Papa said "we are such a tiny country and they are such an enormous enemy".
• Mama added Holland, Belguim and France are also occupied.
• Annemarie said Sweden is neutral.
• Annemarie said "Sometimes I wonder why the king wasn't able to protect us?".
• Lise died in an accident two weeks before her wedding.
• Peter had been like fun-loving older brother to Annemarie and Kirsti.

Chapter 3: Where is Mrs. Hirsch?

• September passed with Annemarie and Ellen always taking the longer way, avoiding the tall soldier.
• The mothers still had their "coffee" together and began to knit mittens as the days grew shorter.
• There was no fuel for the homes in Copenhagen, and the winter nights were terribly cold.
• The Johansens had opened their old chimney and installed a little stove to burn coal for heat.
• Electricity was rationed and candles were used for light.
• Ellen's father, a teacher, struggled to see in the dim light for correcting students' papers.
• Mrs Johansen says: Soon we will have to add another blanket to your bed.
• Annemarie said, "Poor Ellen, to have no sisters."
• Mama says: “She will have to snuggle in with her mama and papa when it gets cold”.
• Mama needed to replace a broken button on Kirsti jackets which was in half.
• Mrs. Hirsch's shop was closed. The sign was in German.
• Ellen saw Mrs. Hirsch on 'Saturday' with her husband and son.
• Nobody had taken a vacation at the seashore since the war.
• Mama was troubled and asked if the sign was in German.
• 'Mama, it had a swastika on it".
• Mrs. Johansen wanted to talk to Mrs. Rosen.
• Annemarie asked Where are you going?
• Annemarie was almost asleep when Peter visited and wanted to talk.
• It was frightening for Peter to visit as no citizens were allowed after 8pm.
• Peter gave Annemarie and Kirsti a seashell.
• Peter brought two bottles of beer.
• The Germans have issued orders closing many stores run by Jews.
• “The Rosens are Jewish, too!”

Chapter 4: It Will Be A Long Night

• Annemarie, Kirsti and Ellen, were playing on the living room floor when it happened and were creating paper dolls when Mama an Kirsti returned.

• Annemarie and Ellen had received the story reading of Gone with the Wind and loved the Queen-tales for Kirsti.

• Ellen and Annemarie used Mama's old magazines to create the paper dolls from previous years.

• Annemarie and Ellen played as the two character Melanie and Scarlett from the story Gone with the Wind.

• Kirsti was in tears and said she will not wear the new shoes brought. If you chain me in a prison and beat me with sticks!'

• Mama explains that she bought Kirsti shoes as she had outgrown her old ones. Ellen wishes her mother would buy her new shoes to.

• Kirsti said she can't go to Fish Store.

• Mama opened a package and there are the new shoes for Kirsti - she is disgusted.

• The shoes were made of fish skin as there is not any leather available anymore.

• Ellen offered that her father could colour them black with ink.

• Ellen said "tonight, if your mama doesn't mind”.

• Kirsti doesn't want anyone to tell the shoes they're fish.

• Ellen says "tivoli can be over there by that chair".

• The German occupation forces burned part of Tivoli Gardens.

• Kirsti announced, i did to, it was my birthday when i remember the booms. Mama said it was for my birthday because she had made it for their comfort after having being frightened by explosion sounds. Imagine, such fireworks for a little girl five years old!.

• The Danish naval fleet had burnt all their vessels so the German can't use them.

• That afternoon, Mrs Rosen but spoke with the mother for a while, it was a tense that has put Annemarie's mother a bit worried.

• Kirsti clapped her hands in delight to see her.

• Annemarie says that it is their new year when was to have a celebrity at home as stated.

• Mr. and Mrs Rosen have been called to relatives and can't make it to a celebrity. Now they will be having a celebration so Ellen will come and sleep with them and Kirsti will take the bed with parents. .

• Ellen was silent at dinner. She looked frightened to see mama and Papa. Everyone aware of the tensions that goes around

Chapter 5: Who Is the Dark-Haired One?

• Ellen asks nervously to Annemarie about if anyone will come. Your father doesn;t think so
• Annemarie ensures her that it is a threatening Stuff. They are always their to scare us. The took her nightgown to practice and look like Lise
• They want the world to be a teacher but I want to convince him that I should go to a certain school called acting. Ellen again went to Tiptoe to see who they were.
• Do you really come over Annemarie thought when they were coming they might have a talk and giggle to those nights as papa say. The house has no needs for her sisters.
• How did you sister die, Annemarie? Ellen asks. I remember that moment with you all is those
• When Kirsti was asked why, Ellen dropped her acting pose and sat down on her legs at the bed and asks her whether she will be okay if they will really want to get there to her.
• Annermaire thinks they may want to haul to some metal institution, and then. The next night, Ellen said it was so hard. Everyone was their in hospital rushed but they don't get much of the needs to her as they might have been. Kirsti, she was so little then. But They told her that Lise had died.
• There was a telephone call because accident happened. All of them is in a terrible situation but they are scared, Ellen says. It isn't the reason why everything is gone she added. Ellen always wear her hair in her neck from where she took that for, you can have a look and is as the name that was as always stated so because When Lise's mother that the best friend Ellen was crying.

Chapter 6: Is the Weather Good for Fishing?

• “We must think what to do”, Papa said. They are suspicious now.

• If they came here at all—and I hoped they wouldn't that they would just glance around and say that we had no place to hide anyone, and would go away.

• Peter says it makes them suspicious.

• Annemarie and Ellen, I'm going to go and take both of yours in school. It does have several books to go from, they're not new anymore. But she is great.

• I think I can have a little girl as it is because what might happened is to look for someone to talk from I think. Ann Marie says.

• "I must go and speak to Ellen," Mrs Rosen said the day that you are going to told me from the button store Mama says and knows what will go happened but doesn't think much of that and it can affect them.

• Mr Rosen doesn't have a shoe. the thought and said that has made her laugher. We will take care everything we are going to do.

• Peter told me in which you would go and take good care of your parents and stay safe to where the solders might find them.

• Then i must say goodbye to Ellen, he says and when is it what we will do and want everyone that matters most.

• I must tell and say what so that everyone knows me when I am done saying everything I have ever needed.

• Peter told me in which you would go and go so hard for everyone we are as so that someone wants.

Chapter 7: The House by the Sea

• The girls reach Uncle Henrik's house near the sea. Ellen says out of awe: "it is beautiful”.

• House & meadows remind Annemarie of her life that she doesn't know how the world works due of her childhood.

• Henrik keeps it tide so it does make you look more or less and she had put them on the road. The new is still very new like as said when in the best moment.

• Mama said that is fine and wants her to stay here like it is most of the time.

• Ellen wants to be a friend

• She came so tired and that what there you can just have to told her and knows what to tell it in as she didn't had the best before to just take.

• There are soldiers everywhere And there are a whole great that there are.

• This is the best time I will be home where i went is all said here when I do take the milk home is what happened.

• This is the day that was there as always said she would do.

• Now will be home for each people. She has told me that she never did did think they should be and so.

Chapter 8: There Has Been a Death.

• Annemarie hears Henrik get up to milk
• She wakes up again later to kids playing outside and Martha down stairs talking to Kirsti
• Ellen was asleep. The apartment seemed a long time ago.
• Annermaire finds her sister next to her and want to provide drinking of a cat.
• Kittens like milk, not water
• "what are they doing here" he said. Fresh from Blossom,"
• They relocate all the farmer butter so they did come up that this was as well that. Ellen kissed and so the girl does all they wants that is good for them.

Afterwords

• Most of events in Number the Stars actually happened

• Characters are fictional including Annemarie Johansen but based on Annelise Pratt, a friend of the author

• Author was inspired by courage and integrity of Danes and King Christian X

• She imagined their life in 1943 Copenhagen

• In 1940 Denmark surrendered to Germany to avoid destruction

• German soldier did ask “Who is that Man -King Christian” which was in documents

• In August 1943 Danes sunk their own navy to not allow Germany to use it

• In 1943 a high power German told the Danish and the rabbi told his congregation that the Germans are going to relocate them

• High power from G.F. Duckwitz told the Danish

• The Danes took them Fed them Clothed them Hid them Helped them get to Sweden safely

• Swedish use chemicals and other techniques to mess with sense of smell of the invading search dogs This story and events like it are in the hopes of teaching the world of decency to remind us such that the world is possible

• Kim Malthe-Bruun, the Danish army was not the best with the execution and torture and had been captured and executed by Nazis when only 20 years old and was really upset.