Number+the+Stars

= Overview = [] book audio

toc __Number the Stars__ is a story about Annemarie Johansen, a ten year old girl living in Denmark in 1943. Annemarie has a Jewish friend named Ellen Rosen. The story uses these and other fictitious characters to explain the real life events and struggles of life in Denmark during the German occupation. Annemarie deals daily with the strict soldiers and watches as Jewish businesses start to close and Denmark loses more and more control and power. As German soldiers begin to gather the Jews to "relocate" them, the Johansen family secretly fights to help keep their Jewish friends, the Rosen's safe. Annemarie and her family go through life threatening ordeals to help the Rosen family and other people escape from Denmark to Sweden. The story continues until Denmark is finally freed and Annemarie, along with all Danes, can finally welcome her Jewish friends home.

You can read the story [|here].

= Genre = Historical Fiction

=Point of View= Third Person Omniscent told through Annemarie's perspective

= Characters =


 * Annemarie Johansen** (Protagonist) - Annemarie is the protagonist of the story. She lives in Copenhagen, Denmark with her mother, father, and younger sister Kirsti. Annemarie's best friend is Ellen, the girl who lives next door. Annemarie is ten years old. She is tall and unusually thoughtful for her age. She is very aware of the limitations the war has put on her family's daily existence. Annemarie's five-year-old sister Kirsti is oblivious to the war, which only makes Annemarie more conscious of the changes in her life. Annemarie looks up to her parents and Peter Neilsen, her dead sister Lise's ex-fiancé. She also greatly admires King Christina X, the king of Demark. In all of these people Annemarie recognizes bravery and wishes that she could be brave as those she admires. The events of Annemarie's life finally bring her to the realization that her fear does not prevent her from being brave, too.


 * Ellen Rosen** - Annemarie's schoolmate and best friend, she is Jewish. An only child, Ellen is very studious and more serious than her best friend. Ellen wants to be an actress and she had the main role in the school drama. Ellen is always enlivening the paper doll games she and Annemarie play. To Ellen, the events of the war are terrifying. In her fear, Ellen looks to Annemarie for sisterly comfort.


 * Mrs. Johansen** - Annemarie's mother, she is a strong and determined woman, firm but warm with her children. Mrs. Johansen willingly risks her life to help Ellen and the Rosens to escape the Nazis. She manages to keep up the spirits of the girls, even when there is danger, by telling stories. Her calm childhood by the sea is very different from the one her daughters are living.


 * Peter Neilsen** - Part of the Resistance movement, he was engaged to Lise Johansen, the oldest of the Johansen's three daughters, before she died. He visits the Johansen family occasionally, bringing them news and gifts. Annemarie thinks of him as her "almost-brother." Peter is the effective leader of the plan to get the Rosens to safety. His stoic bravery makes him seem older than his twenty years.


 * Kirsten Johansen** - Annemarie's younger sister, she is five years old and a feisty, chatty girl. Completely unafraid of German soldiers and death, Kristi is the embodiment of blissful innocence. She loves stories about kings and queens and is constantly turning the surrealistic aspects of war into the fantasy of fairy tales.


 * Henrik** - Mrs. Johansen's younger brother, he is a fisherman in the sea town of Gilleleje. A bachelor, Henrick still lives in the family home where Mrs. Johansen grew up and Annemarie spent her childhood vacations. Henrick plays an important role in saving Ellen and her family, smuggling them and other Jews to Sweden in his boat.


 * Mr. Johansen** - A pillar of strength, he is deeply patriotic and willing to die for Denmark. Mr. Johansen is the teacher of his family and tells Annemarie about the country and the war.


 * Lise Johansen** - The eldest Johansen daughter, she died several years before the beginning of the novel, around the end of 1941. Lise was a member of the Resistance with Peter.


 * The Rosens** - Mrs. Rosen is Ellen's mother and Mrs. Johansen's friend. The two mothers often have coffee together in the afternoon. Mrs. Rosen fears the ocean, but she overcomes it Henrick takes her family across to Sweden. Mr. Rosen is a teacher and has instilled in his daughter the importance of education.


 * Mrs. Hirsch** (Minor Character) - The owner of the corner shop, she is Jewish. She and her family are among the first to leave Copenhagen.


 * Great-aunt Birte** (Minor Character )- The fictional aunt whose fictional death is part of the plan to help Ellen, her family, and other Jews escape.


 * Blossom** - Uncle Henrik's milk cow.


 * Thor** - The kitten that Kirsti finds.


 * Faithful** - Mama's childhood dog


 * The German Soldiers** (antagonist)

= Setting = = =  The novel opens on the streets of Copenhagen. Formerly a peaceful, prosperous city, Copenhagen becomes a place where concealment is a necessity and paranoia is the norm when the Nazis invade. The Rosens and Johansens live in the same building in a middle-class neighborhood, where they struggle with rations and anxiety over the presence of Nazi soldiers. Though they have lived in the building for years, this location loses its feeling of safety. To escape, the Rosens flee to Gilleleje, a beautifulshoreline town boasting an atmosphere so clear that the girls can see Sweden in the distance. Annemarie must realize her potential for bravery in the forest of Gilleleje. She imagines the forest as a mythic barrier through which she must pass to ensure the Rosens and other persecuted Copenhagen citizens escape to Sweden.

**Themes** = = Courageous ordinary people can make a difference and stand up for their beliefs. A major theme in //Number the Stars// is **bravery,** especially the bravery of "ordinary" people. Annemarie does not think of herself as brave, but she learns from her uncle that being frightened does not mean that one is not brave. Instead, bravery means somehow ignoring the dangers of a situation, often because one does not fully understand them. Bravery also means being determined to do what is right, even when it is dangerous to do so. = = Friends help friends in times of need. Other themes in the book include **pride** and **friendship.** Annemarie's father remarks that King Christian X must have been very proud (as well as sad) on the day Denmark sank its own naval fleet to avoid having the Nazis take it over. Annemarie recognizes that the Rosens and the other Jews at Great-aunt Birte's funeral have a source of pride within themselves that shines through the ragged clothing they must wear to keep warm during their escape. Her close friendship with Ellen is symbolized in her desire to wear Ellen's Star of David necklace until her friend is able to return home at the war's end. = = Sometimes it is necessary to lie. At times, the characters must conceal the truth even from each other. Henrik points out that speaking the truth would put everyone in danger, and that in some cases lying or concealing knowledge is the only way to protect their friends from the Nazis. This theme of concealment and fabrication is evident both in the form of deliberate falsehoods and in the numerous references to the most basic, seemingly innocuous forms of fiction, fairy tales.

Growing up is difficult. Another central theme of Number the Stars is the difficulty of growing up. One could make the case that Lowry uses the context of World War II as a way of making these difficulties stand out clearly. The novel focuses on Annemarie Johansen's personal experiences with growing up, but her experiences are common to most young people. Growing up is presented as a struggle for identity. Does Annemarie belong to the world of adults or to the world of children? Such distinctions are always difficult to make, but the situations the war creates makes these distinctions even more difficult. The roles Annemarie must play blur the line between a child's responsibilities and an adult's responsibilities. Lowry uses the war to demonstrate how confusing the separation between childhood and adulthood can be. Because of the war, Annemarie needs greater protection, but at the same time has to learn things that one normally does not learn until later life.

Annemarie is frequently compared and contrasted to other characters in the novel, particularly Kirsti and Peter Neilsen. Kirsti's complete state of innocence and stream of childish requests is juxtaposed with Annemarie's growing sense of responsibility. Innocence, perhaps the most prominent feature of childhood, is no longer possible for Annemarie. Because of this, she does not identify with her little sister. But Annemarie is not sure she belongs with the adults, either. Her observation that Peter has "taken his place in the world of adults" makes it clear that Annemarie does not feel like a member of that world. Annemarie's concerns about her ability to be brave also make her feel that she is mature. Yet she is beyond the point where her youth will protect her from being called on for help.

= Chapter Summaries =

Chapter 1
//Number the Stars// opens with a street scene in Copenhagen. Annemarie, her younger sister Kirsti, and her best friend Ellen Rosen race home from school. On the way, two German soldiers stop them. Annemarie is disgusted by the fact that the soldier's Danish is so poor after three years of occupation. The soldiers interrogate the girls. Annemarie does most of the talking. The soldiers let the girls go, warning them not to run any more because it makes them "look like hoodlums." In silence, the girls walk home as quickly as possible. They reach the building where their families live, careful to avoid notice by another pair of soldiers on their corner. As they part, Ellen admits that she was scared and Annemarie says she was, too. They agree not to tell their mothers about the incident.

In the Johansen's apartment, Mrs. Johansen and Mrs. Rosen are waiting for their daughters to arrive. The women are drinking what they call coffee, which is actually only herbs in water because of the rationing. Kirsti gets to the door first and tells her mother what happened, exaggerating the story. Both mothers are concerned. Mrs. Johansen explains to Mrs. Rosen that the soldiers are "edgy because of the latest Resistance incidents." Annemarie pretends not to be listening to the discussion. Her mother whispers that their friend Peter Neilsen has brought the illegal Resistance newspaper, //De Frie Danske// (//The Free Danes//). The girls are to take a different route to school from now on. Mrs. Rosen leaves to talk to her daughter Ellen.

The girls are hungry, but there is little to eat. They have bread, but no butter. Kirsti longs out loud for a cupcake. Mrs. Johansen gently explains to her daughter that there is no sugar and there will be none until the war ends and the soldiers leave.

Chapter II: Who is the Man Who Rides Past?
As they go to bed, Annemarie tells Kirsti a story. Kirsti wants to hear about kings and queens, but she falls asleep as soon as Annemarie begins. Annemarie thinks about the real king of Denmark, Christian X. He is different from fairy tale kings, but the people love him. Annemarie remembers the days when her older sister Lise would take her to see King Christian go through the streets on his horse, greeting people. Thinking of Lise saddens Annemarie. Lise died several years ago. Annemarie thinks of a story her father told her about running an errand not long after the occupation had begun. A German soldier saw King Christina coming on his horse, and asked a young man near him who it was. Upon hearing that it was the king, the soldier asked where his protection was, and the young man answered, "All of Denmark is his bodyguard." Annemarie remembers how her father told her he would die to protect the king and so would Mrs. Johansen. Annemarie said she would die for him, too. She had asked why the king wasn't able to protect them from the Nazis. Her father explained that Denmark is a very small country, and other countries that fought were crushed. Annemarie replied that Sweden was not occupied. She remembered seeing Sweden from the shore at her Uncle Henrik's house.

In bed, Annemarie considers how things have changed since the time when her father told the story of the soldier and the young man. Sweden is still free and King Christian is still alive, but her sister Lise is dead. Lise had died in an accident two weeks before she was to marry Peter Neilsen. Annemarie looks at the blue trunk in the corner of her room. It is filled with Lise's trousseau, the linens and goods she was to use as a married woman. Mr. and Mrs. Johansen do not speak of Lise. Peter has not married anyone, and has become serious despite his youth. When Peter comes to the apartment, he talks to Mr. and Mrs. Johansen about things Annemarie does not understand. Annemarie thinks about how her father has changed, too. The only thing that has stayed the same, she concludes, is fairy tales.

Chapter III: Where Is Mrs. Hirsch?
September goes by and the girls have no more trouble with soldiers, though they are careful not to pass the two who stopped them. The mothers start to prepare for the hard winter ahead. Because there is no fuel, the winters are very cold. Annemarie remarks to her mother that she is lucky to share a bed with her sister since it is warmer that way. Annemarie tells her mother she remembers when Kirsti slept in her parent's bed. Annemarie worries that the comment will upset her mother because Kirsti slept with them while Lise was still alive. But her mother is not upset, and laughs remembering that Kirsti would sometimes wet the bed.

Mrs. Johansen notices that Kirsti's jacket is missing a button. She sends the girls to Mrs. Hirsch's shop. When Annemarie, Kirsti and Ellen get there, however, the shop is closed. On the door hangs a sign written in German and labeled with a swastika. Kirsti suggests that maybe the Hirsch family went on a picnic. Mrs. Johansen is upset when Annemarie tells her that the shop is closed. Annemarie thinks her mother is concerned because Kirsti's coat will still be missing a button. Mrs. Johansen goes to talk with Mrs. Rosen.

Later, when Annemarie is almost asleep, her mother comes to get her. Peter Neilsen has come for a visit. Annemarie is happy to see him, though she knows that it is past curfew and dangerous for him to be there. Peter has brought a seashell for Annemarie and beer for her parents. Mr. Johansen seems serious and tells Annemarie that the Germans are closing many shops owned by Jews. Peter explains that this is the Germans' way of "tormenting" and that it has already happened in other countries. Annemarie is perplexed; she wants to know why they would close a harmless button shop. She asks how the Hirsch family will earn a living. Mrs. Johansen says that their friends will take care of them. Suddenly, Annemarie remembers that the Rosens are Jewish. She is worried about them, but feels better once she remembers that Mr. Rosen is a teacher, not a shop owner. She reminds father of his story about the soldier and young man and says that now "all of Denmark must be the bodyguard for the Jews." Peter leaves and they go back to bed.

As she falls asleep, Annemarie wonders if, now that she is older, she would have the courage to die protecting Denmark's Jews. The thought frightens her, but she reassures herself that people are only called on to die in fairy tales, not in real life. Annemarie goes to sleep glad that she "would never be called upon for courage."

Chapter IV: It Will Be a Long Night
Ellen and Annemarie play //Gone With the Wind// with paper dolls cut from magazines. Annemarie is Scarlett and Ellen is Melanie. Ellen is good at using an accent and a sophisticated tone. She likes acting and had parts in school plays. Mrs. Johansen and Kirsti come home from shoe shopping. Kirsti has been crying, upset that the store only had shoes made of fish skin because there is no leather. Kirsti hates the green color and the scales. Ellen offers to make them black with ink, which quiets Kirsti. Annemarie lets Kirsti join their game. They pretend they are going to Tivoli gardens in Copenhagen. Kirsti says she remembers the fireworks in Tivoli gardens on her birthday, even though they have been closed since she was very little.

Annemarie remembers that only a month ago, on her sister's birthday, the Danes destroyed their own navel fleet to keep the Germans from using it. To calm Kirsti, Mrs. Johansen told her that the explosions were fireworks for her birthday. Thinking about this, Annemarie does not want to play anymore. Ellen leaves to help her mother prepare for the Jewish New Year. She invites Annemarie and Kirsti to come watch her mother light the candles on Thursday night. On Thursday, Annemarie and Kirsti see Ellen going to synagogue. In the afternoon Mrs. Rosen comes by and talks quickly with Mrs. Johansen. Mrs. Johansen tells the girls that Ellen will be coming to stay with them for a few days while the Rosens visit some relatives. Kirsti will sleep in her parents' bed and Mrs. Johansen promises to tell her a special story. Kirsti ask for a story about a king. They have a big chicken dinner that Mrs. Rosen had made for New Years. Everyone is quiet except for a giggling Kirsti.

After Kirsti is in bed, Mr. Johansen explains to Annemarie what has happened. He says, "I wish that I could protect you children from this knowledge." In synagogue, the rabbi announced that the Nazis had lists of all the Jews and that they might come to take them away. Annemarie cannot believe it and wants to know where they would take them. Peter has taken Ellen's parents to a safe hiding place and the Johansens will hide Ellen in the apartment by pretending that she is one of the daughters of the family. Mr. Johansen tells the girls not to be afraid, saying he had three daughters before and he is glad to once more.

Chapter V: Who Is the Dark-Haired One?
Annemarie and Ellen prepare to go to bed in Annemarie's room. Ellen asks if Annemarie thinks soldiers will come to search the apartment. Annemarie does not think so. Ellen jokes that if they do, she can practice her skills as an actress by pretending to be Lise. Ellen hopes to go to acting school. Ellen asks how Lise died, and Annemarie admits that is not completely sure. Lise and Peter were out together and then Annemarie's parents got a call about an accident. Her parents went straight to the hospital, and Lise died. Mr. Johansen was very angry. Annemarie notices the Star of David necklace Ellen wears.

A few hours after falling asleep, they wake to pounding on the apartment door. Annemarie peeks out the bedroom. A soldier is asking her parents if it is true that they are friends with the Rosens. He demands to know where the Rosens are. Mrs. Johansen answers that they must be sleeping in their home. The soldiers come in, looking for the Rosens. Annemarie tells Ellen to take off her necklace. The clasp sticks, but Annemarie yanks it off just in time. The three soldiers come in and order the girls out of bed and interrogate them. They want to know why there are two blond girls (Annemarie and Kirsti) and one with dark hair. Mr. Johansen grabs a family photo album and rips out three pictures. Each is a photo of a baby with the name below: Kirstin with blond hair, Annemarie with blond hair, and Lise with dark hair. The soldiers rip the photo of Lise and leave. As the soldiers leave, Annemarie realizes that she has been clenching Ellen's necklace in her hand. When she opens her fingers, the Star of David is imprinted on her skin.

Chapter VI: Is the Weather Good for Fishing?
Mr. and Mrs. Johansen think about what they should do. Ellen apologizes for being trouble, particularly her dark hair. Mrs. Johansen tells Ellen her hair is beautiful and adds how lucky they were that Lise had dark hair as a baby. The talk of Lise makes Annemarie happy, since she has not heard her parents speak about Lise since Lise's death. The Johansens decide that Ellen and Annemarie will go to Uncle Henrik's house instead of to school. Mrs. Johansen says she will make the trip alone with the girls in order to raise less suspicion. Mr. Johansen protests at this, but then agrees with his wife. Mr. Johansen calls Henrik and asks if "the weather is good for fishing." Annemarie thinks this is a bizarre question, because Henrik is a fisherman and will go out rain or shine. Mr. Johansen says he is sending his wife to visit along with a "carton of cigarettes." The cigarettes further puzzle Annemarie, for she knows there have not been any available for a while. Then Annemarie realizes that her father is speaking in code; the carton of cigarettes is Ellen. Mr. Johansen says that other cartons will come soon.

Mrs. Johansen, Annemarie, Kirsti and Ellen take the train to Gilleleje, where Uncle Henrik lives. On the way, soldiers come through the wagon. They ask Mrs. Johansen where she is going and if she is paying a visit for the New Year. Annemarie's fears that Kirsti will say it is Ellen's New Year, but she does not, and the soldiers leave. Once in Gilleleje, the foursome walk through the forest to the house where Mrs. Johansen grew up. Kirsti chats about the castle they saw on the trip, insisting that kings and queens live there. When Annemarie tries to correct her, Mrs. Johansen says, "Let her dream." Mrs. Johansen points out the garden her aunt used to keep and the place where her dog used to wait for her after school.

Chapter VII: The House by The Sea
When they get to the sea, Ellen says it is her first time so close to the ocean. Her mother is afraid of the ocean, Ellen explains. A leaf floats up to them and Annemarie remarks that it could have come from Sweden, which is visible across the water. Annemarie scans the water for her uncle's boat, but they cannot find it. They go to Henrik's house. Mrs. Johansen asks if they saw anyone and warns not to speak to anyone. The girls want to know if there are soldiers here, too. Mrs. Johansen says there are. After supper Ellen and Annemarie go up to bed in Mrs. Johansen's childhood room. Ellen asks Annemarie what she did with her Star of David necklace. Annemarie says she hid it carefully and will keep it for Ellen until she can wear it again safely. Ellen wishes she knew where her parents were. As they fall asleep, Annemarie can hear her mother and Uncle Henrik talking downstairs. It reminds her of earlier visits to the house during the summer, only now there is no laughter.

Chapter VIII: There Has Been a Death
Early in the morning, Annemarie wakes up to the sounds of her sister and her mother in the kitchen. She leaves Ellen asleep in bed and goes downstairs. Kirsti is playing with a kitten they found the day before. She has named him Thor, after the God of Thunder. Kirsti tries to make the kitten drink water. She says she could take him to see the cow. Mrs. Johansen shows Annemarie a pitcher of fresh milk, which they have not had in a long time. There is also some butter that Uncle Henrik managed to save from the army. Annemarie asks if they also "relocate" butter. They all laugh at the idea of butter being marched away by soldiers. The joking makes Annemarie feel that all guns and soldiers are "a ghost story, a joke with which to frighten children in the dark."

The girls spend the day playing outside. Annemarie takes Ellen to meet the cow, Blossom. When Henrik comes home, Annemarie hears him tell her mother that the next day "will be a day for fishing." She is perplexed, just as she was when she heard her father use the same phrase on the phone to Henrik. Her uncle says they will leave in the early morning and that he will stay on the boat that night. He asks if they have "prepared the living room." Annemarie asks why the living room needs to be prepared. To her surprise, Uncle Henrik announces that their Great-aunt Birte has passed away. The funeral is to be held in the traditional way—in a relative's home—that night. Annemarie is very confused. She does not understand why no one seems sad. She is also quite positive that no such aunt ever existed, but she holds her tongue for the moment.

Chapter IX: Why Are You Lying?
After supper, Annemarie goes to the barn and confronts Uncle Henrik, who is milking the cow. She angrily accuses him of lying to her. She is sure there is no Great-aunt Birte. Instead of answering her directly, Uncle Henrik asks Annemarie how brave she is. This is a question that she does not want to hear or deal with. She is afraid of her own answer. She answers that she is not very brave. Henrik tells her he thinks that is not true. He thinks if she had to be, she could be very courageous. He explains that it is easier to be brave sometimes if you do not know everything. Annemarie begins to understand what he means when she remembers the time they encountered the soldiers. It was easier to be brave then, because she did not know that Ellen was in danger. Henrik admits there is no great aunt, but for her sake he will say no more.

The casket is placed in the living room. Kirsti has been sent to bed. Ellen tells Annemarie she is sorry about her aunt's death. Annemarie does not reveal that there is no aunt Birte. She realizes that she is protecting Ellen. Others arrive. Mrs. Johansen says they were friends of her aunt. She knows that her mother is lying, and also that her mother knows she knows. They look at each other and Annemarie feels that they have become equals. Annemarie goes back to the kitchen to help prepare food. As she helps, she wonders why they are making food, when usually friends brings food to the family of the deceased. Uncle Henrik gets ready to leave for the boat. Peter Neilsen comes in and kisses Annemarie hello. Ellen comes inside with her parents.

Chapter X: Let Us Open the Casket
Uncle Henrik is about to depart for his boat, leaving the people gathered with the coffin. Present are an old man, a couple with a young baby, the Rosens, Peter Neilsen, Annemarie, and Mrs. Johansen. As Henrik walks out, the old man says, "God keep you safe." Henrik returns the blessing, modifying it to include everyone in the room. Annemarie looks at Ellen sitting between the Rosens and feels sad that they are in different worlds now. Ellen is headed for something Annemarie will not be able to share with her. Annemarie dozes in a chair and is awoken by headlights. Officers approach and pound on the door. They want to know why there are so many people in the house. Mrs. Johansen tells them a family member has died. The officers storm in and turn to Annemarie, asking her who died. As Annemarie answers she thinks how right Uncle Henrik was: the more you know, the harder it is to be brave. She lies and says Great-aunt Birte died. The officer is not satisfied. He wants to know why they have not kept the custom of leaving the casket open. He demands that it be opened. Mrs. Johansen goes to the casket and says they are right, Great-aunt Birte's face should be seen even if she did die of typhus. The officer slaps Mrs. Johansen for her stupidity, puts out the candles, and leaves.

Annemarie moves to comfort her mother, but realizes that she must not touch her since the departing officers might see them. Peter begins to read a psalm that praises the Lord "who numbered the stars one by one." They all sit and listen; the old man knows it by heart. Annemarie is on the brink of tears, but she does not want to cry. The sky is too big to number the stars, Annemarie thinks. She feels that the sky is big and cold and cruel, and so is the world. When he finishes reading, Peter opens the casket.

Chapter XI: Will We See You Again Soon, Peter?"
There is nothing in the casket except blankets and clothing. He distributes the items to the people gathered, saying they will need them for protection against the cold. Annemarie watches Ellen put on a jacket. She knows Ellen has never worn anything so shabby before. Peter can find nothing for the baby, so Mrs. Johansen gets one of Kirsti's favorite sweaters. Peter makes the baby take some drops so it will be quiet, saying they cannot take any chances. Mrs. Johansen passes out the food and Peter hands Mr. Rosen a paper package. He tells him it is very important that he give it to Henrik at the boat. Annemarie realizes that Mr. Rosen does not know what is in the package and does not ask, because it is safer not to know.

Peter leaves with everyone except the Rosens, telling Mrs. Johansen to follow in twenty minutes. For the first time, Peter calls Mrs. Johansen by her first name, Inge. Annemarie takes this as a sign that Peter has a place in the "world of adults." Peter says goodbye to Annemarie and departs. The old man stumbles on the way out, but Mrs. Johansen says he is all right; if he hurt anything it was just his pride. Annemarie thinks about that word. She looks at the Rosens, all bundled in worn clothing. She thinks of all the good things and times they left in Copenhagen. It has become clear to Annemarie that Uncle Henrik is going to take the Rosens and the others to Sweden in his boat. She remember that Mrs. Rosen is scared of the ocean and that there will be other fears to face, too. As she looks at the Rosens, she sees that they are sitting up straight. They have not changed so much from the way they were before. Pride, Annemarie realizes, can come from other things than the material goods the Rosens left behind.

Chapter XII: Where Was Mama?
Mrs. Johansen leaves the house for the boat. With her go the Rosens. On the way out, Mr. Rosen trips, but rights himself before falling. Mrs. Johansen says it is very dark here and on the path they are going to take. The Rosens hug Annemarie goodbye. Ellen and Annemarie hug for a long time. Ellen promises that she will be back. Annemarie sits alone in the living room, crying. In her mind she walks the path with them. It is two-thirty in the morning. By Annemarie's calculations, her mother should be back one hour later. She thinks of her father. He is alone in Copenhagen. Surely he is awake, too, waiting to hear that they are all safe. Annemarie decides that it is harder to be the ones waiting, even if it is not as dangerous. She drifts off to sleep.

The light of early morning wakes Annemarie. She remembers slowly where she is. It is already four in the morning. Mrs. Johansen should be back already. Annemarie goes to look for her mother, thinking that she must have come in and not wanted to wake Annemarie. But Mrs. Johansen is not in the bedroom. She goes to the window hoping to see her mother. Instead Annemarie notices a moving shape on the ground. It is Mrs. Johansen.

Chapter XIII: Run! As Fast As You Can!
Annemarie runs out the door calling to her mother. Mrs. Johansen tries to quiet her, assuring Annemarie that she is all right. Mrs. Johansen sits up, but winces. Annemarie asks what happened. Her mother says the important thing is that the Rosens are with Henrik. Mrs. Johansen hurried to get home and fell when she was about halfway through the trip. She thinks her ankle is broken. Annemarie helps her up, despite the evident pain it causes Mrs. Johansen. Her mother praises Annemarie for being so strong and brave. They get to the steps of the house and rest. Soon the boat will sail. Annemarie notices something in the grass: the packet Peter gave Mr. Rosen.

Mrs. Johansen is stunned. The packet must have slipped from Mr. Rosen's pocket when he tripped on his way out. Annemarie asks what the packet is. Mrs. Johansen does not answer her daughter's question. She groans and says that their efforts "may have been for nothing." Annemarie says she will take it. She hides it in a basket under some food. Her mother tells her to run. If any soldiers stop her Annemarie must pretend to be a "silly, empty-headed little girl." Annemarie asks again what is in the packet, but her mother tells her to go.

Chapter XIV: On the Dark Path
Annemarie shivers in the early morning cold. She is on the path to the boat. The light of the meadow soon fades away and only the dark woods lie ahead. It is hard to run with the basket on her arm. Annemarie thinks of a story she has sometimes told Kirsti, the story of //Little Red Riding-Hood.// She smiles remembering her sister's constant interruptions. Annemarie starts to tell the story to herself. She hears a noise on the path and stops, but nothing is there. Annemarie tells herself that Kirsti would have been scared, that she would have thought it was a wolf, like in the story. But these woods are not like the ones in the story, Annemarie says to herself. She comes to a split in the path. One way leads to a bigger, lighter road, but it is too risky. Annemarie continues on the path through the woods. She sees why the people going to Henrik's boat needed guidance.

Annemarie continues telling herself the story of Little Red Riding-Hood. When she tells her sister the story, Annemarie sometimes changes her description of the path. Today she makes the path in the story full of light and bird songs. She runs by a meadow where cows usually graze. This is where Mrs. Johansen's dog had waited for her after school when she was a child. Annemarie can hear the sea and see the light coming from over Sweden. She goes by the blueberry patch, one of her favorite spots in summers past. Reentering the dark woods, Annemarie thinks of her mother's ankle. She hopes that the doctor has come by now.

One last turn and she is almost at her destination, a familiar path. The story continues in her head: Little Red Riding-Hood hears a noise. At this point in the story, Kirsti would have been excited. Kirsti always pressed her sister on; she knew it was a wolf. But Annemarie would tell her sister that Little Red Riding-Hood did not know what it was. As she thinks this, Annemarie hears a noise. She stops. Ahead she can see the very last turn. She thinks her imagination might be tricking her. She hears a growl. Four soldiers appear with a pair of dogs.

Chapter XV: My Dogs Smell Meat!
Annemarie's mind rushes to what her mother told her. She must pretend to be nothing more than a silly, innocent child. She remembers how Kirsti acted when the soldier stopped them on the way home from school. Her sister was not afraid because she did not recognize the danger. Annemarie tries her hardest to act like Kirsti might. One soldier asks what she is doing. Annemarie holds the basket up. She says her uncle forgot his lunch, talking more than she needs to. The soldiers want to know if she is alone. The dogs grow at the basket. The soldier demands to know why her uncle doesn't eat fish like the other fishermen. Annemarie plays her part, giggling and babbling about how her uncle does not like smelly fish, particularly raw! The soldier reaches for the bread in the basket and throws it to the dogs. He wants her to tell him if she has seen anyone in the woods. Annemarie says she has not and innocently asks what he is doing in the woods.

The soldier keeps going through the basket. Annemarie silently hopes that he will not lift the napkin and see the packet. But he does see the packet, and demands to know what it is. Annemarie is lost. She tries to act like Kirsti and finds that she is crying and saying her mother will be angry and her uncle, too. She does not know what the packet is, she says. Annemarie realizes that it is true; she really has no idea what it is. The soldier tears the packet open and tells her to stop her idiot tears; it is only a handkerchief. The packet is thrown to the ground where the rest of the basket's contents already lie. The dogs sniff it, but are uninterested. All four soldiers push by her in the direction she came from.

Annemarie picks up the packet and runs to the harbor. Uncle Henrik's boat is still there. Annemarie calls out to him. He looks worried to see her, but he is relieved when Annemarie tells him she has brought his lunch. She says soldiers stopped her and took his bread. Henrik thanks her. Annemarie is confused; the boat looks empty. Henrik assures Annemarie that because of her, everything will be all right. Henrik tell her to go home and tell Mrs. Johansen that he will be home in the evening.

Chapter XVI: I Will Tell You Just a Little
Uncle Henrik, Mrs. Johansen, Annemarie, and Kirsti sit at the table after dinner. They laugh about Blossom, the cow. Uncle Henrik teases Annemarie because she had to milk Blossom on her own. When she got home, her mother and Kirsti had gone to the hospital. Annemarie heard Blossom complaining and went to milk her, but she did not really know how. Kirsti asks if Ellen is coming back. Mama says that Ellen's parents surprised them by coming to pick her up last night. Uncle Henrik offers to show Annemarie the real way to milk a cow. Kirsti wants to go, too, but Mrs. Johansen says she must stay to help take care of her mother.

Annemarie asks her uncle where the Rosens are. She did not see them on the boat. Henrik says they were there. He stops and tells Annemarie she should not know these things, but because she was so brave he will tell her. Annemarie says she does not think she was brave, only scared. She did not even think about the danger, she adds. Uncle Henrik tells her that is what it means to be brave: to do what you must without thinking of the danger. He tells Annemarie that he and other fishermen have made hiding places in their boats. Resistance members, like Peter, bring people to the boats. Annemarie is surprised to hear that Peter is in the Resistance, but she realizes it makes sense. She says she did not hear any of the people in Henrik's boat. She wants to know if they could hear her, and Henrik says they could. They also heard the soldiers who came to search the boat.

Annemarie wants to know why the handkerchief was so vital. Uncle Henrik explains that she is being told a secret. The Germans have trained dogs to find humans so they can tell if there is anyone hiding in a boat. Peter talked with some scientists to solve the problem, and the scientists came up with a special drug that kills the dogs' ability to smell. Annemarie came just in time. Not long after she delivered the packet to her uncle, German soldiers brought dogs to the boat. The handkerchief saved them all. Now the Rosens and the other passengers are safe in Sweden. Annemarie asks if the Nazis will invade Sweden and Henrik says no. Suddenly Annemarie feels sad, and wonders out loud if she will see Ellen again. Uncle Henrik is sure that she will—they will be joined someday and the war will end someday. The kitten, who has followed them to the barn, falls into the milk, which makes them laugh.

Chapter XVII: All This Long Time
The war ends two years later; Annemarie is now twelve years old. The Johansens watch the celebrations from their apartment. Below, people are waving the flag of Denmark in the streets. Annemarie thinks of all the empty apartments where Jewish families lived; they will soon be filled again. Mrs. Johansen has taken care of the Rosens' home in their absence. Kirsti has grown up a lot and now looks like the photos of Lise. She is more quiet and serious then before. Peter Neilsen has been killed. He was caught and jailed by the Nazis, then shot in a public square. The night before he died, Peter wrote to the Johansens saying he was proud, and not afraid. Peter asked to be buried with Lise, but the Nazis would not return his body.

When Annemarie went to visit Peter's grave with her parents, they told her the truth about how Lise died. Lise was also part of the Resistance. Her parents had not known this; Peter told them after her death. Annemarie fears that the Nazis also shot her sister. Mr. Johansen tells her that Lise and other Resistance members were being chased. Some were shot (Peter was wounded in the arm), but not Lise. The soldiers saw her and "simply ran her down." In a way, Annemarie had been told the truth. Lise was hit by a car, but it was not an accident.

Standing on the balcony, Annemarie thinks of her older sister. The celebration makes her think of Lise's engagement party, when Lise danced all night. Annemarie goes into her bedroom and opens the trunk that holds Lise's trousseau. From the skirt of the dress Lise wore that night, Annemarie pulls out Ellen's Star of David necklace. She asks Mr. Johansen if he can fix the broken chain. He says he can and then she will be able to give it to Ellen when she comes back. Annemarie says she will wear it herself until Ellen returns.

Afterward
In the Afterword to //Number the Stars// Lowry explains how much of the story is true. Annemarie is a fictional character, but Lowry was inspired to create her by real stories that come from a friend of Lowry's, Annelise Platt (the novel is dedicated to her) who was a child in Denmark during the years of the war. Lowry was impressed by the stories of the Danes' bravery and devotion to their king.

Lowry goes on to outline some of the historical facts //Number the Stars// centers around. King Christian X was the king of Denmark when it was taken over by Germany in 1940. The country was too small to fight back without losing many people. Soldiers were all over Copenhagen. King Christian, however, did continue to ride his horse through the streets daily, without a bodyguard. Lowry adapted the story Mr. Johansen tells about the young man and the soldier from a document that survives from the World War II era. The Danes did sink their own navy in 1943. And on the Jewish New Year of 1943, the rabbi of the Copenhagen synagogue did warn those gathered that the Germans had their names. The rabbi had been given this information by one of the German officials, G.F. Duckwitz. Lowry commends this official for his action. A majority of the Jews were then hidden and helped to Sweden. It is also true that the handkerchief could have existed. Swedish scientists created a mixture of cocaine and rabbits blood that would temporarily kill dogs' sense of smell.

Lowry did research on the Danish Resistance. She found that most of the members were very young people, many of whom were killed by the Germans. During her research she discovered the story and photograph of a young man named Kim Malthe-Brunn. On this young man, Lowry based the character of Peter Neilsen. Lowry was struck by the letter that Malthe-Brunn sent to his family the night before he was shot. She includes in the Afterword a piece of that letter. It calls for dreams of creating "an ideal of human decency, and not a narrow-minded and prejudiced one."

Chapter 1. We meet the characters and their setting as Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen Rosen, are gleefully racing home from school through the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark, trailed by Annemarie’s little sister, Kirsti. It is 1943, and the girls are abruptly stopped by two German occupation soldiers who ask them why they are running and tell them to slow down. Frightened, the girls walk cautiously back to the apartment building where they live. Finding Mrs. Rosen having coffee with her mother at home, Annemarie relates the details of their encounter. Mrs. Johansen speculates that the soldiers are edgy about recent Resistance activities. Here the central conflict of the novel is identified: the struggle of the ordinary Danish citizens against the evils of Nazism. Mrs. Rosen entreats Annemarie to follow a different path home the next day.

Chapter 2. That night in bed, Kirsti asks Annemarie to tell her a fairy tale. Annemarie makes up a story about a king and a queen. She lets her thoughts drift to the real king of Denmark, Christian X, who is much beloved by the Danes. She used to see him on the street when she walked with her older sister, Lise. Three years earlier, Lise died in an accident at age eighteen, just two weeks before her wedding date. Annemarie thinks back to a talk she had with her father, when she asked him why Denmark had surrendered so easily to the Nazis whereas Norway had resisted so fiercely. Father explained that with so few soldiers and without Norway’s mountains, any attempt to fight would have been futile—and that Norway, like Denmark, Holland, Belgium, and France, had ultimately fallen to the Third Reich. She reflects sadly on how the war has made Father seem tired, old, and defeated.

Chapter 3. Stopping at Mrs. Hirsch’s button shop one day, Annemarie sees a sign written in German and a padlock on the door. When Mrs. Johansen hears the news, she hastens to see Mrs. Rosen. Later that night Annemarie is awakened by Mama, who ushers her into the living room to greet an unexpected visitor—Peter. Peter, an activist in the Resistance, was to marry her late sister, Lise. He tells them that the Germans have ordered the closing of many Jewish-run stores. The Johansens agree that they and their neighbors must help affected Jewish families like the Hirsches. The concern of Peter and the Johansens for the Jews’ plight underscores the central theme of the novel: the persistence of human decency and courage in the face of monstrous evil. Annemarie wonders if she will be called upon to do something courageous, like a hero in a fairy tale, to help the Jews of Denmark.

Chapter 4. Upon returning from New Year’s services at the synagogue, Mrs. Rosen has an urgent, hushed conversation with Mrs. Johansen, after which they announce that Ellen will be staying with the Johansens for a few days while her parents go off to visit relatives. At dinner that night, Papa reveals the truth to Annemarie: At that morning’s service the rabbi announced that the Nazis had seized the synagogues’ lists of members because they plan to arrest all the Jews. Since they cannot discreetly accommodate three people, the Johansens have taken in Ellen, and Peter has arranged for Mr. and Mrs. Rosen to find refuge else- where. If the Nazis come to the apartment, Ellen and Annemarie will pretend to be sisters.

Chapter 5. That night Annemarie and Ellen reminisce about Lise. Several hours later, Annemarie is awakened by a pounding on the apartment door. Peering into the living room, she sees German officers asking her parents where the Rosens are. As the soldiers approach the girls’ room, Annemarie yanks off Ellen’s gold chain, which holds a Star of David. Ellen identifies herself as Lise Johansen. Shining a flashlight, the officer suspiciously notices the difference between Ellen’s brown hair and the blond hair of Annemarie and Kirsti. In a moment filled with suspense, Papa shows him a baby photograph of Lise, who had brown hair as an infant. The officers then depart.

Chapter 6. The Johansens decide to keep the girls out of school the next day to protect Ellen. Later that day Mama accompanies the girls on a train ride to the house of her bachelor brother, Henrik, a fisherman on the coast.

Chapter 7. The beautiful setting of Henrik’s house, in a meadow by the sea, greatly impresses the girls. Across the sea, the girls can see the coast of neutral Sweden, a foreshadowing of the Rosens’ escape route. Annemarie assures Ellen that she has hidden her necklace in a safe, secret place.

Chapter 8. The girls revel in the natural beauty surrounding them, playing in the meadow and collecting wildflowers while Mama gives Henrik’s bachelor house a thorough cleaning. Eavesdropping on a conversation between her mother and uncle, Annemarie hears Henrik utter the cryptic phrase “Tomorrow will be a day for fishing,” which strikes her as odd since Henrik fishes every day. Then Mama tells her of the death of her great-aunt Birte, whose body will lie in the living room in its casket before being taken for burial. Annemarie has never heard of this relative before and suspects that there is no such person.

Chapter 9. Annemarie confronts Henrik with her suspicion that he and Mama are lying to her about the death of “Aunt Birte.” Henrik asks her to be brave. He tells her that neither he nor Mama knows exactly what is going on and it is best that they do not. Then the hearse arrives with Aunt Birte, and they prepare to begin their night of “mourning.” Ellen, oblivious of the ruse, conveys her condolences to Mama. During the evening several people come to make condolence calls, including an old man and a couple with an infant who sit silently before the casket in the living room. Then Henrik takes Ellen out to his boat, where she is reunited with her parents. They all return to the house, accompanied by Peter.

Chapter 10. While the “mourners” sit silently in the living room, a tense complication develops when a German officer appears suddenly and voices suspicion about the large gathering. Told that it is occasioned by a death, the officer demands that the casket be opened. Thinking quickly, Mama announces that the casket is closed because Aunt Birte died of typhus. As she moves to open the casket, the German slaps her aside and walks out, ordering the mourners to close their curtains.

Chapter 11. Peter opens the casket, removes folded blankets and sweaters, and hands them to the people in the room. Mama gives them some food and fetches Kirsti’s red sweater to cover the infant girl. Peter administers a few drops of a sedative to ensure that the baby will not awaken and cry. He then hands a packet to Mr. Rosen and asks him to deliver it to Henrik. Peter leads the old man and the couple out first, instructing Mama to bring the Rosens to Henrik twenty minutes later. As Annemarie beholds the anxious Rosens and reflects back on happier times, she realizes that her best friend will soon board Henrik’s boat for the trip to Sweden.

Chapter 12. As the Rosens depart, Ellen embraces Annemarie and promises to return. Mama accompanies them on the half-hour walk to the point of rendezvous with Henrik’s boat. Annemarie falls asleep, and upon awakening several hours later, she is alarmed to see that Mama has not returned. She looks outside and sees her mother lying on the ground.

Chapter 13. Annemarie rushes to Mama’s side and finds that she is conscious. Mama tells her that she guided the Rosens and the others safely aboard Henrik’s boat but that on the way back she slipped, probably broke her ankle, and had to drag herself part of the way home. On the ground Annemarie discovers the packet that Mr. Rosen was supposed to deliver to Henrik but apparently dropped. Mama groans in dismay and instructs Annemarie to prepare a basket with bread, cheese, and an apple, hiding the packet at the bottom, and to deliver the crucial package to Henrik at the boat. Mama says that if any soldiers stop her, she should pretend to be a silly little girl delivering lunch to her forgetful uncle.

Chapter 14. The story reaches its climax when Annemarie, about to approach the harbor, is con- fronted by four armed German soldiers with two large dogs straining at their leashes.

Chapter 15. A soldier begins to interrogate Annemarie. Trying to act like a “silly little girl” to hide her anxiety, she explains that she is delivering lunch to her Uncle Henrik. The soldier removes the bread from the basket and feeds it to the dogs. Then he removes the cheese, tosses the apple to the ground, and begins to inspect the bottom of the basket. Annemarie begins to cry, protesting that the soldier is making her late. The soldier finds the packet and begins to open it. Finding only a hand- kerchief, he flings the cheese back into the basket and contemptuously dismisses Annemarie. She finds Uncle Henrik on his boat but does not see the Rosens or the others inside. He assures her that all is well and is greatly relieved to see the packet inside the basket.

Chapter 16. In this chapter we learn of the resolution of the story’s major conflicts. Henrik explains to Annemarie that the Rosens and the others were not visible on the boat because they were hidden in a secret compartment he had built in order to transport the refugees that Peter has been regularly delivering to him. When Annemarie asks about the handkerchief hidden in the packet, he explains that the Germans, frustrated at their inability to thwart the escape of so many Jews, started to use dogs to sniff out passengers hidden on the boats. In response several scientists devised a drug that blunts the canine sense of smell. The handkerchief had been doused in this drug as a precaution. Had Annemarie not delivered it, the refugees would no doubt have been discovered by the German guard dogs that were sniffing around the boat only minutes after Annemarie’s arrival.

Chapter 17. Two years later in May, when Annemarie is twelve, the war ends. Church bells ring and people celebrate all over Denmark. The Johansens’ joy is muted as they recall Peter’s capture and execution by the Germans. The theme of courage and self-sacrifice in the face of evil is emphasized when Mama and Papa finally tell Annemarie that Lise, too, was killed by the Nazis because of her Resistance activities. Annemarie goes to her bedroom to find Ellen’s necklace with the Star of David. She vows to wear it until Ellen’s return.