Number the Stars Summary: A Story of Courage in WWII Denmark
Introduction
Copenhagen, 1943. German soldiers stand on street corners, and a simple footrace home can end with a rifle jabbed at a schoolbag.
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen lives an ordinary life shaped by rationing, curfews, and fear ā until her Jewish best friend, Ellen Rosen, needs a place to hide.
In Number the Stars, Lois Lowry tells how one Danish family risks everything to protect its neighbors during the Nazi occupation.
The novel won the Newbery Medal and remains one of the most widely read children’s books about World War II. This summary walks through the story, its characters, and the true history behind it.
TL;DR: A Child’s Courage in Occupied Denmark
- Setting: Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1943, three years into the German occupation.
- Premise: Annemarie Johansen’s family hides her Jewish best friend, Ellen Rosen, when the Nazis begin arresting Danish Jews.
- The stakes: Working with the Danish Resistance, the family helps smuggle Ellen and others to safety in Sweden.
- Key ideas: Courage, friendship, sacrifice, and the quiet defiance of ordinary people.
- Best suited for: Readers aged 9ā12 who want WWII history told through a child’s eyes.
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The Big Ideas Behind the Story
| Theme | How the Book Presents It |
|---|---|
| Courage | Annemarie faces armed soldiers and dogs to deliver the packet. Uncle Henrik tells her bravery means not thinking about the dangers, only about what must be done. |
| Friendship and loyalty | The Johansens risk their lives to shelter Ellen while her parents hide elsewhere. Mama tells Annemarie that friends take care of one another. |
| Collective resistance | Danish citizens, fishermen, and the secret Resistance work together to smuggle nearly seven thousand Jews to Sweden. Ordinary people shelter neighbors and repair their empty apartments. |
| Deception and protection | The family invents Great-aunt Birte’s funeral to hide an escape operation. Ellen pretends to be Lise, and adults withhold the truth from children to keep them safe. |
| Loss and grief | Lise’s death shadows the family long before its true cause is revealed. Peter’s execution and the emptied apartments of Jewish families deepen the story’s grief. |
| Childhood innocence | Kirsti plays and complains about shoes while war closes in around her. Annemarie’s fairy tales and games run alongside soldiers, curfews, and danger. |
Number the Stars Summary: The Full Story (Spoilers Ahead)
The story opens in 1943 Copenhagen, three years after Denmark surrendered to Germany.
Annemarie races her best friend Ellen home from school and is stopped by two Nazi soldiers who question them and poke through Annemarie’s backpack.
Life under occupation means no real coffee, no butter, no sugar, and blackout curtains at night.
When a Jewish-owned button shop closes under a swastika sign, Annemarie learns the Germans are targeting Jewish businesses ā including the Rosens’.
Soon after, the rabbi at the Rosen family’s synagogue warns that the Nazis have lists of Danish Jews and plan to arrest them.
Ellen is hidden with the Johansens while her parents go to Peter Neilsen, a Resistance fighter and the former fiancĆ© of Annemarie’s late sister, Lise.
That night, German officers search the apartment. Ellen claims to be Lise, and Mr. Johansen tears photographs from the family album to support the story.
When an officer questions why Ellen has dark hair while the family is blond, he tears up a photo of baby Lise and leaves. Annemarie rips the Star of David necklace from Ellen’s neck and clenches it in her hand.
Mama then takes the girls by train to Gilleleje, a fishing village where Uncle Henrik lives. Henrik announces that a Great-aunt Birte has died, though Annemarie knows no such person exists.
A fake funeral fills the house with mourners ā including the Rosens ā while an empty casket holds blankets, clothing, and food.
A German officer demands the casket be opened, but Mama claims Aunt Birte died of typhus and is slapped for agreeing to open it anyway.
After the soldiers leave, the hidden Jews dress in warm clothes and slip away toward the harbor in small groups. Peter gives Mr. Rosen a packet to deliver to Uncle Henrik. Mama returns injured with a broken ankle, and the packet lies dropped in the grass.
Annemarie hides it in a lunch basket and runs through the dark woods toward the boat, where four soldiers with dogs stop her.
The packet holds only a handkerchief; the dogs sniff it and lose interest, and Annemarie reaches the harbor safely.
Uncle Henrik later explains the plan. He hid the Rosens and other refugees beneath the deck of his fishing boat, and the handkerchief carried a drug that attracted dogs while ruining their sense of smell. The Rosens reach Sweden alive.
The war ends almost two years later, when Annemarie is twelve. Peter Neilsen is dead, executed by the Germans, and her parents finally reveal that Lise was also in the Resistance and died during a raid.
In the pocket of Lise’s yellow dress, Annemarie finds Ellen’s hidden necklace and tells her father she will wear it herself until the Rosens return.
Is Number the Stars Right for You?
The publisher lists this book for readers aged roughly 9 to 12, in grades 5 through 7.
Its short, titled chapters and episodic scenes make it a common classroom choice for introducing World War II history.
Violence happens off the page and is described with restraint, so the story stays accessible to younger readers while still carrying real weight.
Adults reading it alongside children will find the Afterword’s historical notes a useful starting point for discussion.
Who’s Who in Number the Stars
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Annemarie Johansen | Ten-year-old protagonist who helps hide Ellen and delivers a crucial packet to the harbor. |
| Ellen Rosen | Annemarie’s Jewish best friend who poses as Lise Johansen and escapes to Sweden. |
| Kirsti Johansen | Annemarie’s five-year-old sister, often unaware of the danger around her. |
| Mr. Johansen | Annemarie’s father, who protects Ellen by tearing photographs from the family album. |
| Mrs. Inge Johansen | Annemarie’s mother, who leads the Rosens to the boat and breaks her ankle on the return. |
| Lise Johansen | Annemarie’s deceased older sister, later revealed as a member of the Resistance. |
| Peter Neilsen | Lise’s former fiancĆ© and a Resistance fighter who organizes Jewish escapes; executed by the Germans. |
| Uncle Henrik | Mama’s brother, a fisherman who hides refugees beneath the deck of his boat. |
| Mr. and Mrs. Rosen | Ellen’s parents, a teacher and his wife, who escape to Sweden with the hidden group. |
| King Christian X | Denmark’s king, who rides alone through Copenhagen as a symbol of national loyalty. |
| Great-aunt Birte | A fictional deceased relative invented to explain the funeral gathering. |
Summary by Chapter (Spoiler Warning)
Number the Stars contains 17 numbered chapters, plus an Introduction, an Afterword, and an About the Author section.
The notes below offer a brief look at what’s inside each chapter for readers who want to explore further.
Chapters contain spoilers.
Introduction: Lois Lowry reflects on writing the book more than twenty years earlier and learning of its Newbery Medal on a snowy January morning. She notes that readers of all ages ask what they would have done in Annemarie’s place. She says she loves knowing children still read about a time when a small country honored the humanity of others.
Chapter 1: Why Are You Running? Annemarie and Ellen race home on Ćsterbrogade and are stopped by two German soldiers who question them and poke Annemarie’s backpack with a rifle. Kirsti pushes a soldier’s hand away when he strokes her hair, and both soldiers laugh. Mrs. Rosen later warns the girls to be part of the crowd so soldiers never remember their faces.
Chapter 2: Who Is the Man Who Rides Past? Kirsti asks for a bedtime fairy tale, and Annemarie’s thoughts turn to King Christian X riding through Copenhagen. Papa recounts how a Danish boy told a German soldier that all of Denmark was the king’s bodyguard. Annemarie also recalls that Lise died before her wedding and that Peter has changed since.
Chapter 3: Where Is Mrs. Hirsch? The girls find Mrs. Hirsch’s button shop padlocked, with a German sign bearing a swastika. That night, Peter explains the Germans are closing Jewish-owned stores. Annemarie realizes the Rosens are Jewish and declares that all of Denmark must be bodyguard for the Jews.
Chapter 4: It Will Be a Long Night. The girls play paper dolls, and Ellen mentions it is her New Year. The Rosens attend synagogue, where the rabbi warns that the Nazis hold lists of Danish Jews and plan arrests. Ellen is brought to stay with the Johansens while her parents go into hiding.
Chapter 5: Who Is the Dark-Haired One? German officers pound on the door and search the apartment at night. Ellen claims to be Lise Johansen, and an officer grabs her dark hair, questioning why she doesn’t resemble her blond sisters. Annemarie breaks Ellen’s Star of David necklace and clenches it in her hand.
Chapter 6: Is the Weather Good for Fishing? Papa telephones Uncle Henrik in code about good fishing weather and a carton of cigarettes. Mama takes the girls by train to Gilleleje, where soldiers question them and Kirsti nearly reveals the secret. They arrive at the fishing village and walk toward Henrik’s house through the woods.
Chapter 7: The House by the Sea. Ellen sees the sea up close for the first time, with Sweden visible across the water. Mama warns the girls to stay away from people because soldiers are everywhere. Ellen worries about her parents while Mama and Henrik talk downstairs without laughter.
Chapter 8: There Has Been a Death. Uncle Henrik announces that Great-aunt Birte has died and will rest in a casket in the living room. Annemarie is confused because she has never heard of such a relative. Henrik says tomorrow will be a day for fishing and he will stay on the boat all night.
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Chapter 9: Why Are You Lying? Annemarie confronts Henrik in the barn, and he asks, “How brave are you, little Annemarie?” He confirms there is no Great-aunt Birte and explains they lied to help her be brave. A hearse arrives, and mourners gather, including the Rosens and Peter.
Chapter 10: Let Us Open the Casket. German officers arrive at the gathering and demand to know why so many people are present. One insists the casket be opened; Mama says Aunt Birte died of typhus and the doctor ordered it kept closed. The officer slaps Mama, orders the candles out, and leaves, after which Peter reads a psalm.
Chapter 11: Will We See You Again Soon, Peter? The casket holds folded clothing and blankets instead of a body. Peter distributes them, gives baby Rachel medicine to sleep, and hands Mr. Rosen a packet for Henrik. The groups leave in stages for the harbor.
Chapter 12: Where Was Mama? Annemarie hugs Ellen goodbye and waits up for her mother. Mama does not return by three-thirty. Near dawn, Annemarie sees a dark shape on the path and realizes it is Mama lying on the ground.
Chapter 13: Run! As Fast As You Can! Mama has broken her ankle, but the Rosens are safely with Henrik. The packet fell from Mr. Rosen’s pocket, so Mama hides it in a lunch basket and sends Annemarie to run to the boat. She is to pretend she is a silly girl bringing her uncle his lunch.
Chapter 14: On the Dark Path. Annemarie runs through the cold woods thinking of the Little Red Riding-Hood story. She smells the harbor, then hears footsteps and a growl. Four armed soldiers with two dogs block the path.
Chapter 15: My Dogs Smell Meat! Annemarie plays her role while the soldiers feed her bread to the dogs and find the packet. It contains only a handkerchief, which the dogs sniff and ignore. She delivers it to Uncle Henrik, who tells her everything is all right because of her.
Chapter 16: I Will Tell You Just a Little. Henrik explains that fishermen hide Jews in their boats while Peter and the Resistance bring them from Copenhagen. The Rosens were hidden under the deck, and the handkerchief carried a drug that attracted dogs but ruined their sense of smell. The Rosens are safe in Sweden.
Chapter 17: All This Long Time. The war ends almost two years later, and Annemarie is twelve. Peter has been executed by the Germans, and her parents reveal Lise died during a Resistance raid. Annemarie finds Ellen’s necklace in Lise’s yellow dress and says she will wear it until the Rosens return.
Afterword: Lowry separates fact from fiction, noting that nearly seven thousand Danish Jews were smuggled to Sweden in 1943. The handkerchief was based on a real powder of dried rabbit’s blood and cocaine that numbed dogs’ noses. She closes with words from Kim Malthe-Bruun, a young Resistance fighter executed at twenty-one.
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Quotes from Number the Stars
“All of Denmark is his bodyguard.”
“It is important to be one of the crowd, always. Be one of many. Be sure that they never have reason to remember your face.”
“Once I had three daughters. Tonight I am proud to have three daughters again.”
“How brave are you, little Annemarie?”
“But,” he added, “it is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything.”
“That’s all that brave means – not thinking about the dangers. Just thinking about what you must do.”
“Until then,” Annemarie told him, “I will wear it myself.”
Number the Stars at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Genre & Subgenre | Historical fiction; middle-grade WWII and Holocaust fiction; coming-of-age |
| Core Narrative Tropes | Wartime rescue, hidden identity, brave child protagonist, resistance movement, escape journey, symbolic object |
| Tone & Atmosphere | Suspenseful, somber, intimate, and hopeful; cold under occupation, warm within family and friendship |
| Primary Conflict | A Danish family must protect a Jewish friend and help refugees escape Nazi arrest |
| Pacing Style | Linear, chronological plotting with short titled chapters and rising tension toward the escape |
| ISBN | 978-0547577098 |
| Pages | 160 |
| Book Structure | 17 numbered chapters plus Introduction, Afterword, and About the Author; third-person narration through Annemarie |
| About the Author | Lois Lowry, a two-time Newbery Medalist and author of more than thirty books for young readers |
Books Like Number the Stars
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank ā A real Holocaust diary of a Jewish girl hiding in Amsterdam. It shares the WWII setting and the perspective of a young person living under Nazi threat.
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen ā A time-travel story that carries a modern Jewish girl into a concentration camp. Both books center Jewish identity and Holocaust memory for young readers.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr ā Follows a Jewish refugee child fleeing Germany in 1933. It mirrors the child’s-eye view of a family uprooted by the Nazis.
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss ā A memoir of Jewish children hidden in the Netherlands during the war. It parallels the hiding, deception, and reliance on non-Jewish protectors in Lowry’s novel.
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan ā Children in occupied Norway smuggle gold past the Nazis. It shares the Scandinavian occupation setting and the theme of children aiding resistance.
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