LITERATURE

6
BOOKLET
 UT THE AUTHO
O R
AB

Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry was born in 1937 in Hawaii. When she was four years old,
she knew she wanted to be a writer.

Lowry studied writing at university. Today she is a successful writer

and the winner of Newbery medals for her novel Number the Stars
and The Giver. The Newbery is presented to authors of outstanding
books for young people.

Lowry's novels are sometimes humorous, but they also deal with
serious topics such as war and death. All of her books deal with one
general theme -"the importance of human connections."

In much of her writing, Lowry tries to tell the big story through small
details. Lowry uses this technique in Number the Stars. She tells the
large story of life in Denmark during World War II through the
everyday lives of two young girls. Lowry says she has a goal in her
writing, it is to focus on:

the vital need for humans to be aware of

their independence, not only with each other,
but with the world and its environment. 1
 Pre- reading activities
1- World War II was one of the most destructive wars in history. Do you
know anything about this terrible conflict?

2- Find the country of Denmark on a map or a globe. Answer the

following:
a) Which city is the capital of Denmark? Where is the city located?
b) What separates Denmark from Sweden?
c) Which country is directly south of Denmark?

3- Locate Denmark on the map (next page). Colour it red. Find Sweden
and colour it green.

4- Read the book's title, Number the Stars, what do you think the book
is about?

5- Let's compare the different book covers.

6- Read through the list of chapter titles and make inferences about
the story. Many of the titles are questions. What do so many questions
suggest about the story? What words jump out from these titles?

7- What does friendship mean to you? Share your ideas with the class.
Complete the FIRENDSHIP web. Then compare your web to those
made by other students.
(BYOD: Create a word cloud on www.mentimeter.com and share it with your
class. Watch vibrant words appear in real-time)

FRIENDSHIP

2
8- Would you ever be willing to do something risky to help someone
you love?

9- What does bravery means to you? Can you mention any situation in
which you had to be brave? Were you scared?

10- Go online and find out what countries were taken over by the Nazis
in the 1930's and 1940's. Identify them on the map.

Europe

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

World War II
It took place from
1939 to 1945 Allies: USA, Great Axis Powers:
Britain, France and Germany, Italy
The two different Russia. Many other and Japan.
powers in WW II countries made up
were the Allies and tyhe Allied powers.
Axis Powers.

The Holocaust

- What was the Holocaust?

The Holocaust was one of the most terrible events in human history.
It occurred during WW II when Hitler was leader of Germany. Six
million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis. This included as
many as 1 million Jewish children. Millions of other people that Hitler
didn't like were killed as well. It is thought that the Nazis murdered as
many as 11 million innocent people.

- How did The Holocaust start?

In 1933 the Nazis forced people to boycott and eventually ban Jewish
businessers in Germany. They took away the Jews' German
citizenship. When WW II began in 1939, the Nazi armies started
marching into other cities in Europe. When they took over a city, they
would round up all the Jewish people and force their homes and
moved into smaller apartments, often shared with other families.
Then they would fence that area in with barbed wire so that no one
could get out. They called these areas ghettos. Ghettos were guarded,
there was little food, water, or medicine available.
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 Around the same time, the Nazis built huge concentration camps in
occupied Europe, where they would bring the Jews and other people
they found unworthy to work and eventually die. The Jews were told
that they were going to be resettled, so most of them left without a
fight. Life within Nazi camps was horrible. Prinsoners were forced to do
physical labor and given very little food. People lived on crowded
wooden bunks that had no mattress or pillow.
Many Jewish people hid from the Nazis during WW II. They would
hide with non-Jewish families. Sometimes they would pretend to be
part of that family and sometimes they would hide in hidden rooms or
in a basement or attic. Some were able to escape across the border
into a free country, but many hid for years sometimes in the same
room.

- Why did The Holocaust happen?

The Nazis, led by Adolph Hitler, believed that the Aryan race was
superior to those in Eastern Europe and that Jewish people were
subhuman. The Nazis wanted to exterminate all the Jewish people in
Europe.

- Why did The Holocaust end?

The Holocaust ended in 1945 eith the end of WW II.

Denmark: Resistance to Nazi Germany

Germany invaded and occupied many countries during WW II.
Denmark worked as a whole to keep the Nazis from removing its
Jewish people. When the Danes learned of Nazi plans to capture the
country's Jews and ship. them to concentration camps, they banded
together to form the Danish Resistance. People from every walk of life
were involved. Doctors, shop owners, farmers, and civil workers all
helped Denmark's Jews find hiding places. One hospital hid hundreds
of Jews by pretending they were patients. Members of the resistance
helped nearly 7000 people - almost the entire population of Denmark
Jews - cross the sea to freedom in Sweden.
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 DICTATIONS

Dictations
Chapter 1:

Mrs. Johansen rose quickly from the chair by the window where she'd
been sitting. Mrs. Rosen, Ellen's mother, was there, too, in the opposite
chair.

They'd been having coffee together, as they did many afternoons. Of

course it wasn't really coffee, though the mothers still called it that:
"having coffee."

There had been no real coffee in Copenhagen since the beginning of

the Nazi occupation. Not even any real tea. The mothers sipped at hot
water flavored with herbs.

Chapter 2:

Annemarie turned her head on the pillow and stared through the
partly opened curtains of the window into the dim September night.
Thinking of Lise, her solemn, lonely sister, always made her sad.

So she turned her thoughts again to the king, who was still alive, as
Lise was not.

She remembered a story that Papa had told her, shortly after the war
began, shortly after Denmark had surrendered and the soldiers had
moved in overnight to take their places on the corners.

6
 DICTATIONS

Chapter 3:

The two mothers still had their "coffee" together in the afternoons.
They began to knit mittens as the days grew slightly shorter and the
first leaves began to fall from the trees, because another winter was
coming.

Everyone remembered the last one. There was no fuel now for the
homes and apartments in Copenhagen, and the winter nights were
terribly cold.

Like the other families in the building, the Johansens had opened
the old chimney and installed a little stove to use for heat when they
could find coal to burn.

Chapter 4:

Alone in the apartment while Mama was out shopping with Kristi,
Annemarie and Ellen were sprawled on the living room floor playing
with paper dolls from Mama's magazines, old ones she had saved from
past years.

The paper ladies had old-fashioned hair styles and clothes, and the
girls had given them names from Mama's very favorite book. Mama
had told Annemarie and Ellen the entire story of Gone With the Wind,
and the girls thought it much more interesting and romantic than the
king-and-queen tales that Kirsti loved.

7
 DICTATIONS

Chapter 5:

Trembling, the two girls rose from the bed and followed him,
brushing past the two remaining officers in the doorway, to the living
room.

Annemarie looked around. These three uniformed men were

different from the ones on the street corners. The street officers were
often young, sometimes ill at ease, as Annemarie remembered how
Giraffe had, for a moment, let his his harsh pose slip and had smiled at
Kirsti.

But these men were older and their faces were set with anger.

Chapter 6:

But it wasn't true. Annemarie was quite certain it wasn't true.

Cigarettes were the thing that Papa missed, the way Mama missed
coffee. He complained often- he had complained only yesterday- that
there were no cigarettes in the stores.

The men in his office, he said, making a face, smoked almost

anything: sometimes dried weeds rolled in paper, and the smell was
terrible.

Why was Papa speaking that way, almost as if he were speaking in

code? What was Mama really taking to Uncle Henrik?

8
 DICTATIONS

Chapter 7:

From downstairs, they could hear Mama's voice, and Uncle Henrik's,
talking, catching up on news. Mama missed her brother when she
hadn't seen him for a while, Annemarie knew.

They were very close. Mama always teased him gently for not
marrying; she asked him, laughing, when they were together, whether
he had found a good wife yet, one who would keep his house tidier.

Henrik teased back, and told Mama that she should live with him so
that she wouldn't have to do all the chores by himself.

Chapter 8:

Annemarie, listening, recognized the odd phrase. Papa had said

something like it on the telephone. "Is the weather good for fishing,
Henrik?" Papa had asked. But what did it mean? Henrik went fishing
every day, rain or shine.

Denmark's fishermen didn't wait for sunny days to take their boats
out and throw their nets into the sea. Annemarie, silent, sitting with
Ellen under the apple tree, watched her uncle.

Mama looked at him. "The weather is right?" SHe asked. Henrik

nodded and looked at the sky.

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 DICTATIONS

Chapter 9:

Annemarie stood in the doorway, watching the mourners as they sat

in the candlelit room. Then she turned back to the kitchen and began
to help Ellen and Mama as they prepared food.

In Copenhagen, she remembered, when Lise died, friends had come

to their apartment every evening. All of them had brought food so that
Mama wouldn't need to cook.

Why hadn't these people brought food? Why didn't they talk? In
Copenhagen, even though the talk was sad, people had spoken softly
to one another and to Mama and Papa.

Chapter 10:

Peter sat alone, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. It was
clear that he was deep in thought.

On the sofa Ellen sat between her parents, one hand clasped tightly
in her mother's. She looked up at Annemarie but didn't smile.
Annemarie felt a surge of sadness; the bond of their friendship had not
broken, but it was as if Ellen had moved now into a different world, the
world of her own family and whatever lay ahead of them.

The elderly bearded man looked up suddenly as Uncle Henrik

prepared to go.

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 DICTATIONS

Chapter 11:

Annemarie realized, though she had not really been told, that Uncle
Henrik was going to take them, in his boat to Sweden. She knew how
frightened she was of the sea: its width, its depth, its cold.

She knew how frightened Ellen was of the soldiers, with their guns
and boots, who were certainly looking for them. And she knew how
frightened they all must be of the future. But their shoulders were as
straight as they had been in the past.

Chapter 12:

She thought of Papa, back in Copenhagen alone. He would be awake,

too. He would be wishing he could have come, but knowing, too, that
he must come and go as always: to the corner store for the newspaper,
to his office when morning came.

Now he would be afraid for them, and watching the clock, waiting for
word that the Rosens were safe, that Mama and the girls were here at
the farm, starting a new day with the sun shining through the kitchen
window and cream on their oatmeal.

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 DICTATIONS

Chapter 13:

Annemarie, you understand how dangerous this is. If any soldiers see
you, if they stop you, you must pretend to be nothing more than a little
girl. A silly empty-headed little girl, taking lunch to a fisherman, a
foolish uncle who forgot his bread and cheese.

"Mama, what is it in the bottom?"

But her mother still didn't answer the question. "Go", she said firmly.
"Go right now. And run! As fast as you can!"

Annemarie kissed her mother quickly, grabbed the basket from her
mother's lap, turned, and ran toward the path.

Chapter 14:

If she turned to the left, it would take her to the road, out where it
would be lighter, wider, more traveled. But more dangerous, too.

Someone could see her on the road. At this time of the dawn, other
fishermen would be on the road, hurrying to their boats for the long
day at sea. And there might be soldiers.

She turned to the right and headed deeper into the woods. It was
why Mama and Peter had needed to guide those who were strangers
here- the Rosens and the others.

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 DICTATIONS

Chapter 15:

Annemarie's mind raced. She remembered what her mother had

said. "If anyone stops you, you must pretend to be nothing more than
a silly little girl."

She stared at the soldiers. She remembered how she had stared at
the others, frightened, when they had stopped her on the street.

Kirsti hadn't been frightened. Kirsti had been - well, nothing more
than a silly little girl angered because the soldier had touched her hair
that afternoon. She had known nothing of danger, and the soldier had
been amused by her.

Chapter 16:

Annemarie was startled. "Peter is in the Resistance? Of course! I

should have known! He brings Mama and Papa the secret newspaper.
And he always seems to be on the move. I should have figured it out
myself!"

"He is a very, very brave young man," Uncle Henrik said. "They all are."
Annemarie frowned, remembering the empty boat that morning.

"Where the Rosens and the others there, then, underneath when I
brought the basket?"
Uncle Henrik nodded.

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 DICTATIONS

Chapter 17:

The war would end. Uncle Henrik had said that and it was true. The
war ended almost two long years later. Annemarie was twelve.

Churchbells rang all over Copenhagen, early that May evening. The
Danish flag was raised everywhere. People stood in the streets and
wept as they sang the national anthem of Denmark.

Annemarie stood on the balcony of the apartment with her parents

and sister, and watched. Up and down the street, and across the other
side, she could see flags and banners in almost every window.

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 Questions QUESTIONS

THINK AND CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

Chapter 1: Why Are You Running?

1. In what city and country does the story take place?

2. What are the names of the three girls? What is the relationship among
them?
3. What are the girls doing?
4. What happens to them on their way home from school?
5. Where are the soldiers from?
6. How do the girls feel about the soldiers?
7. What do the girls call one of the soldiers?
8. What makes Annemarie angry?
9. How old are Ellen and Annemarie at the beginning of the book?
10. How long have the German soldiers been in Denmark when the girls are
stopped on their way home from school?
11. What happens when the girls tell their mothers about being stopped by
the soldiers?
12. What is “De Frie Danske”? Who brings it and why?
13. Explain why the girls were afraid of the soldiers.
14. Why did Mama tell the girls to walk another way to school?
15 Why do you think Kirsti faced the soldiers?
16. In what ways are Ellen and Annemarie similar? In what ways are they
different?
17. How is the German occupation affecting life in Annemarie’s
neighborhood, city, and country as a whole?
18. What kind of relationship do the Johansens and the Rosens have? What
importance do you think this will have as the story progresses?
19. What kind of friendship do Annemarie and Ellen have?
20. How does the encounter with the Nazi soldiers on the way home from
school affect Annemarie and Ellen? How would it make you feel to be in a
similar situation?
21. What does Mrs. Rosen mean when she tells the girls, “It is important to be
one of the crowd, always”?
22. The Nazi soldier who stroked Kirsti’s hair and said that she reminded him
of his own little girl makes him less cruel. Why did the author do that? What
is she saying about soldiers in general?

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 QUESTIONS

Chapter 2: Who is the Man Who Rides Past?

1. Who was Lise?

2. What happened to her?
3. How has the Nazi occupation changed the lives of the citizens in
Copenhagen?
4. Who is King Christian X? Why doesn’t he have any bodyguards?
5. What is Sweden free from?
6. What is the only thing that hasn’t changed according Annemarie?
7. How old was Lise, Annemarie’s sister, at the time ofher death?
8. Why did King Christian allow the Germans to enter Denmark?
9. Explain why the king of Denmark surrendered to Germany.
10. What did the Danish do to their ships after the Nazis took over to
Denmark? Why?

Chapter 3: Where is Mrs. Hirsch?

1. Who is Mrs. Hirsch?

2. What do the girls see on the door?
3. What does it represent?
4. Who is Peter?
5. What does he do?
6. What are the Germans doing?
7. What religion are the Rosens? Why is this a problem?
8. Why is Annemarie worried about the Rosens?
9. Why are the winter nights so cold in the Johansens’ apartment?
10. Why does Annemarie find it frightening to see Peter at her home
late at night?
11. What was unusual about Mrs. Hircsh’s shop?
12. Why was Annemarie frightened that evening?
13. What role does Peter play in Annemarie’s family?

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 QUESTIONS

Chapter 4: It Will Be a Long Night

1. How did Mrs. Johansen calm down Kirsti when the navy was blown
up?
2. What is Annemarie’s mother’s favorite book?
3. What makes Mr. and Mrs. Johansen begin to talk about Lise?
4. Why is Kirsti so upset about her new shoes? Why did she have to
buy new ones?
5. How is Kirsti’s problem solved?
6. Why did the Rosens go to the synagogue?
7. Who comes to stay with the Johansens? Why?
8. Who are the Nazis taking away?
9. Who will Ellen pretend to be?
10. Where did Ellen’s parents go?
11. How did Ellen feel? What did Papa do to make feel better?
12. Why do you think it was so hard for the people to buy things in
Denmark?
13. What things were they not able to buy?
14. How does age affect the different ways in which Kirsti and
Annemarie view life?
15. What impact has Lise’s death had on her family?

Chapter 5: Who is the Dark Haired One?

1. What does Ellen’s father want her to be when she grows up?
2. What happened in the middle of the night?
3. Who were the soldiers looking for?
4. Who does Ellen pretend to be when the soldiers come to the
Johansens’? Why?
5. What called the soldiers’ attention?
6. What did Papa show the soldiers? What did he do that for?
7. Why does Papa tear the pictures out of the photograph album?
8. How did Papa “save the day”?

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 QUESTIONS

Chapter 6: Is the weather good for fishing?

1. On the morning the soldiers come to the Johansens’, Mr. Johansen

tells Helen she should not go to school. Why does he say so?
2. Why does Papa call Uncle Henrik so early in the morning?
3. Where are Ellen, Annemarie, Kirsti and Mrs. Johansen going? Why?
4. Who stays in Copenhagen? Why?
5. What does Papa’s words “Is the weather good for fishing” mean?
6. What code word does Papa use to refer to Ellen?
7. How did Mrs. Johansen and the girls get to Uncle Henrik’s house?
8. How does the soldier on the train try to trick Mrs. Johansen?
9. Describe Uncle Henrik and his life.
10. How are Kirsti’s youth and innocence both an advantage and a
disadvantage for Annemarie and her family?
11. What sacrifices do the adults in this novel make? What sacrifices are
the children making?

Chapter 7: The House by the Sea

1. What country is across from Denmark?

2. Where did Annemarie put Ellen’s Star of Davidnecklace?
3. Does Ellen know where her parents are?
4. How were Uncle Henrik and Mama feeling? Why?
5. Why is Uncle Henrik’s boat named the Ingeborg?
6. What does Ellen say her mother feels about the ocean?
7. Why did Annemarie hide Ellen’s necklace?
8. What does it symbolize? Where might Annemarie have hidden it?
9. What importance does the sea have for the different characters in
this novel?
10. How does life in the country compare with life in the city for
Annemarie and her family? How do the Germans affect life in both
places?

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 QUESTIONS

Chapter 8: There Has Been a Death

1. Who is Thor? What does Thor mean?

2. What two things haven’t the girls eaten for a long time?
3. Who is Blossom?
4. Why is there usually no butter at Uncle Henrik’s place now?
5. Whose funeral will take place at Uncle Henrik’s house?
6. Why is Annemarie so confused about the funeral?
7. Does Annemarie consider herself a brave person?
8. In what ways does the trip to Uncle Henrik’s cause Annemarie to
grow up a little?
9. Sometimes the adults in the book don ́t always tell the truth. Why
do they lie? What ́s dangerous about the truth in their situation?

Chapter 9: Why Are You Lying?

1. What is Uncle Henrik lying about?

2. When did Annemarie realize she was brave?
3. What was put in the living room? Why?
4. What do you think was in it?
5. Annemarie notices that the “mourners” who come to Uncle Henrik’s
house that evening do not act like mourners. How does she expect
mourners to act? How are these mourners acting?
6. What clues tell Annemarie that her mother and her uncle are lying
to her?
7. Where is Uncle Henrik going?
8. Who arrives just as Uncle Henrik is about to go to his boat that
night?

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 QUESTIONS

9. Why did Annemarie think that Mama and Uncle Henrik were lying
to her?
10. Do you agree with Uncle Henrik that it ́s easier to be brave when
you don’t know all the facts? Why or why not?
11. How did he explain the lies to Annemarie?
12. Why did Annemarie not tell Ellen the truth about Great-aunt Birte?
13. What characters in this story are keeping information from others?
Are all of them justified?
14. As the people are gathering, Mama and Annemarie exchange looks.
The author says they have become equals. How has Annemarie begun
to change?

Chapter 10: Let Us Open the Casket

1. Why were the soldiers suspicious about the funeral?

2. The officer in charge notices that the casket is closed. Why does this
arouse his suspicion?
3. How does Mama keep from having to open the casket in front of the
soldiers?
4. What is the real reason they don ́t want to open the casket?
5. What did the soldier do to Mrs. Johansen?
6. Why did the soldiers come to the house?
7. How did Mama “save the day”?
8. Why is Mrs. Johansen’s response so clever?
9. As Ellen sits on the sofa with her parents, Annemarie feels a surge of
sadness. To Annemarie, Ellen has moved into a different world. What
do you think the author means by saying that?

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 QUESTIONS

10. The psalm Peter reads is Psalm 147. It is a psalm of praise which is
meant to give glory and thanks to God. Read the entire psalm, and
then answer the following questions:

In Psalm 147 we reads that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds
up their wounds.”
a) In Number the Stars, whose wounds need healing?

In Psalm 147, we read: “He determines the number of stars and calls
them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his
understanding has no limit. The Lord sustains the humble but casts
the wicked to the ground.”
b) Which words from these verses tell you that God, who is so
powerful and knowledgeable that He can count and name every star
in the universe, is also powerful enough to care for us in times of need?
c) Which words tell you that the same God punishes those who do
great wrong?

11. How do you think it is possible for the Rosens and the Johansens to
celebrate God in such difficult circumstances?

12. Would you, in such circumstances have the peace and courage that
these families have? Would you find comfort in this psalm? If so,
explain what you would find comforting about this psalm. If not, why
not.

13. Why do you think Lois Lowry entitled this book Number the Stars?

14. Annemarie and her family lied several times in the book. Was it
right for them to lie to the soldiers?

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 QUESTIONS

Chapter 11: Will We See You Again Soon, Peter?

1. What was in the casket?

2. Why did they have to put on all the clothes?
3. What does Peter give to the baby? What for?
4. Where is Uncle Henrik taking the Rosens?
5. How do you think the Rosens were feeling when they left the house.
How is Annemarie feeling now that Ellen is leaving?
6.What was in the casket?
7. Why was Peter there too?

Chapter 12: Where Was Mama?

1. Who took the Rosens to the boat?

2. What happened to Mr. Rosen as he left the house?
3. What did Annemarie do after the Rosens left?
4. Where did Annemarie find her mother?

Chapter 13: Run! As Fast As You Can!

1. Why do you think Mama sent Annemarie with the packet for Uncle
Henrik instead of taking it herself?
2. Where were the Rosens hiding?
3. What does being brave mean according to Uncle Henrik?
4. What does being a Resistance member mean?
5. Why was it so important that the handkerchief be delivered to the
boat?

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 QUESTIONS

Chapter 14: On the Dark Path

1. What season do you think it is in this chapter? Why do you think so?
2. What story does Annemarie compare her journey to?
3. Why do you think Annemarie tells herself the story as she is walking
in the woods?
4. What was the noise she heard when she was almost at the last turn?
5. How does the story of Little Red Riding Hood create a parallel to
Annemarie’s own story?

Chapter 15: My Dogs Smell Meat!

1. What did Annemarie do so as not to be afraid?

2. What did she tell the soldiers she had in her basket?
3. What happened when the soldier found the special packet?
4. How did Annemarie decide to act with the soldiers?
5. What was in the packet at the bottom of the basket?
6. Did she make it safely to the boat?
7. Who dis Annemarie see on the boat?
8.What gives Annemarie the courage to deliver the lunch basket to
her uncle? What would you have done in the same situation?
9. How does Annemarie use what her uncle has taught her and her
observations of Kirsti ́s earlier behavior to deal with the German
soldiers?
10. How did Annemarie show her bravery?

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 QUESTIONS

Chapter 16:

1. Why was the handkerchief so important?

2. When Henrik returns from taking the Rosens to Sweden, how does
he show that he now regards Annemarie as an equal?
3. Did the Rosens arrive safely with Uncle Henrik?
4. What happened to Mrs. Johansen?
5. What did Annemarie find outside the house?
6. How did it get there?
7. What must Annemarie do with the packet?
8. Do we know if Annemarie will see Ellen again?

Chapter 17:

1. Select a part from the book that you really liked and read it aloud.
What is it about this passage that made you remember it?
2. What do you predict the future for Ellen and Annemarie? Where will
their lives take them?
3. How soon after Annemarie delivered the handkerchief did the war
end?
4. How did people celebrate the end of the war?
5. What happened to Peter?
6. How had Lise actually died?
7. What had Annemarie hidden in the chest? What was she going to
do with it?

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 DISCUSSION

MORE QUESTIONS...
1. What parts of this story are true?
2. What did you know about the Holocaust or the Danish Resistance
before reading this book? Did reading this book inspire you to learn
more?
3. What does the title of the book, “Number the Stars,” mean? Is it a
fitting title for this book? Why?
4. This book won the Newbery Award in 1990. What about it makes you
think it is Newbery worthy?
5. According to Number the Stars, why would growing up in a time of
war make the normal process of maturing more complicated?
6. Discuss how a war might be compared to a fairy tale or fictional
story.
7. Why do you think that Annemarie’s parents didn’t want to talk
about Lise?
8. In what ways are fairy tales different from real life stories?
9. Discuss Lowry’s idea that fear does not make bravery impossible.
10. Annemarie and her family lied several times in the book. Was it
right for them to lie to the soldiers.
11. Annemarie was forced to go without many things during the war.
Does this make you appreciate the things you have more than you did
before? What would you have most hated to go without if you were
Annemarie?
12. Do you think of yourself as a brave person? Why or why not? What
is your definition of bravery? Think of different kinds of bravery and
give examples for each. (physical, performance,...)
13. Do you think the Johansens are brave? What about the Rosens?
14 Why might Lowry have included so many references to people
stumbling, tripping, and falling? Why are these references important
to the plot? How can they contribute to the story’s mood and
message?
15. Overall, did this book make you feel optimistic or pessimistic about
human nature?
16. Annemarie has an important and frightening mission. She has her
own tactics to cope with this situation. How do you prepare yourself
when you have to face or accomplish something difficult?
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 ACTIVITIES

Activities
CHAPTERS 1 - 5
The two families are introduced in this section of the book - the
Rosens and the Johansens. As you read Chapter 1 through 5, you will
see how close the two families are. On the diagram below, list actions,
facts, and events that illustrate their closeness and friendship.

Annemarie and Ellen are friends and schoolmates.

The The
Rosens Johansens

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 ACTIVITIES

CHAPTERS 6 - 11
In this section of the novel, characters often speak in secret code or
say the opposite of what they mean to prevent the Nazi soldiers from
uncovering their plans. As you read, keep track of times when
characters disguise what they really mean. Fill out the chart below,
telling who the person is, what he or she says, and what he or she
really means.

Name of What the What the Character

Character Character says really means

Papa Is the weather good for fishing? Is it a good time for helping

refugees escape?

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 ACTIVITIES

CHAPTERS 12 - 17
The climax, or point of highest tension, of Number the Stars occurs
in the third section. As you read, note the events that are part of the
rising action (the events leading up to the climax), the climax, the
falling action, and the denouement or resolution.

Rising Action
Mrs. Johansen breaks her ankle.

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

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 CHARACTERS

Characters Description
Annemarie Johansen

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 CHARACTERS

Ellen Rosen

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 CHARACTERS

Kirsti

Lise

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 CHARACTERS

Mr. and Mrs. Johansen

Mr. and Mrs. Rosen

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 CHARACTERS

Peter Neilsen

Uncle Henrik

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 CHARACTERS

The German Soldiers

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 LITERARY TERMS

Literary Terms
CHARACTER: a person, an animal or a creature in a story.

MAIN CHARACTER: is the principal character in a story.

SECONDARY CHARACTER: secondary characters interact with the

main characters.

FLAT CHARACTER: flat characters do not change much throughout

the story; they are simple; they are types.

ROUNDED CHARACTER: rounded characters are like real people; they

are more realistic and have a complex personality.

CHARACTERIZATION: is the process by which an author introduces

and describes a character. A character can be described directly by
the author or indirectly through what he / she says, thinks or does.

HERO / HEROINE: is the central figure of a story; faces challenges and

mental dilemmas.

SETTING: the time and place of the events of the story.

MOOD: is the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the
reader.

PLOT: is the sequence of events in a story.

METAPHOR: is the comparison of two unlike objects without using

“as” or “like”.

SIMILE: is the comparison of two unlike objects using “as” or “like".

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 LITERARY TERMS

ONOMATOPOEIA: when a word imitates a the sound it describes.

Personification: when an object or an animal are given human
attributes.

PERSONIFICATION: when an object or an animal are given human

attributes.

SYMBOL: is a concrete thing that represents a more abstract idea.

IMAGERY: is the language that appeals to the reader’s senses of smell,

sight, taste, touch or hearing. The writer creates mental images so
that the reader can visualize more realistically what he is describing.

MORAL: is the teaching the reader gets after reading a literary work.

CLIMAX: is the part of the story that reaches the highest moment of
tension, excitement; it is a decisive moment or turning point.

CONFLICT: is the problem or challenge that the main character faces.

The character can face an internal conflict or an external conflict.

POINT OF VIEW: is the position or perspective from which a writer

chooses to tell a story. The narrator can be a character in the story or
an observer of the action.

FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW: the action is told through a first

person narrator; the actions and the feelings of this narrator influence
the story; this narrator is limited because he cannot tell what other
characters think.

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW: the story is told by an observer of

the action.

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 LITERARY TERMS

OMNISCIENT POINT OF VIEW: the reader is given full information of

feelings and thoughts of all the characters (third person narrator).

LIMITED OMNISCIENT POINT OF VIEW: the story is told through the

eyes of a single character, usually the protagonist, but is not told in first
person.

FLASHFORWARD: is a jump forward in time, usually used to eliminate

unnecessary events.

FLASHBACK: is an interruption in the action to refer to the past.

Flashback gives background information about the present situation,
the setting or the characters.

CLIFFHANGER: is a moment of excitement, tension or uncertainty

placed at the end of a chapter or book section; it is used to encourage
the reader to go on reading.

THEME: is the main idea of the story; there can be more than a theme
in most literary works; there can be a principal theme and secondary
themes.

FORESHADOWING: the clues or hints the writer fives about what is

going to happen.

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 SYMBOLS

Symbols
Symbols are objects or events that have special meanings that go
beyond their literal meaning. For example, in the United States, an
eagle is nit just a bird, it is also a symbol for freedom. Some things are
symbolic only in certain stories. These things do not always have the
same symbolism in other stories. What might these objects represent
in the story?

- the seashell

- the Star of David

- the wood

- the swastika

- Sweden

- the coffin

- the stars in the book's title

Can you think of any other symbols in Number the Stars?

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