Facts about Number the Stars

1. 06

   A work of historical fiction, Number the Stars is written for a middle-grade audience and is approximately 137 pages long in its standard edition.

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2. 05

   Published in 1989, Number the Stars depicts the Danish rescue of Jews in October 1943, when thousands were ferried across the Øresund strait to neutral Sweden.

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3. 04

   Annemarie Johansen, the protagonist of Number the Stars, was modeled after Lowry's childhood friend Lois Lowry met during her family's time living in Copenhagen, Denmark in the 1940s.

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4. 03

   Ellen Rosen's family in Number the Stars was inspired by Lowry's real Danish friends who helped Jewish neighbors escape Nazi persecution during World War II.

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5. 02

   The 1989 novel Number the Stars is set during the Nazi occupation of Denmark in World War II, following a girl named Ellen who helps her Jewish friend escape to Sweden.

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6. 01

   Lois Lowry won the 1990 Newbery Medal for Number the Stars, her second major children's literature award in three years.

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