Number the Stars: Book Review
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Page count: 146
Why did I wait so long to read this book? It is a short young adult book set in WWII, featuring two girls who are best friends, one of whom is Jewish. When the families get word that the Nazi's will be "relocating" Jews, they plan a sleepover for the girls- one that gets interrupted by soldiers, one that turns into a spontaneous vacation to the coast.
The little tidbits about Denmark's history were fabulous additions to this book, and one of the reasons why I love to read about this time period. While it was a time of great evil and hatred, it was also a time of great bravery, self-sacrifice and love. According to history.com, 90% of Danish Jews survived the Holocaust, thanks to ordinary people thinking and acting quickly out of love for their fellow people.
One of my favorite new facts learned is how scientists participated in quickly researching and implementing a specific strategy to prevent search dogs from finding the hidden people on fishing boats. While not giving too much away, I love that somehow the fishermen all came down with colds and suddenly needed to keep their handkerchiefs close.
I hope that young adults and schools everywhere continue to include this book in their curriculum. I believe it will help inspire our youth that people matter and we should always be looking out for others, no matter what.
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