Number the Stars

1. Number the Stars Historical Fiction and Historical Context

2. Historical Fiction • Set in the past and is reasonably historically accurate • Includes lots of details for contemporary readers • Often uses the lives of individuals to humanize larger historical periods, trends, or important historical events

3. Details • Small details woven into the narrative let us know about what life was like in Denmark under the Nazi occupation: • P. 6 “coffee” • P. 8 the Resistance • P. 9 cupcakes

4. Historically accurate • What does the author, Lois Lowry, tell us in the “afterward” to the book? • The Danish people smuggled almost all the Danish Jews across the sea to Sweden, they used handkerchiefs soaked in blood and cocaine to mislead the police dogs, and King Christian really did sink his own Navy to keep the Nazis from taking over their ships.

5. The Nazis occupied Denmark • On April 9, 1940, the Germans broke a treaty of non-aggression and invaded neutral Denmark, not because they saw Denmark as a threat, but because it was strategic geographically.

6. King Christian • “During the German occupation of Denmark, the King's daily ride through Copenhagen became a symbol of Danish sovereignty. This picture was taken on his birthday in 1940. Note that he is not accompanied by a guard.” (photo caption from Wikipedia). • In what ways does the King’s daily ride function as a metaphor in No. the Stars?

7. The Danes were “bodyguards” for their Jewish Population: • “The success most often alluded to in regard to the Danish policy toward Germany is the protection of the Jewish minority in Denmark. Throughout the years of its hold on power, the government consistently refused to accept German demands regarding the Jews. The authorities would not enact special laws concerning Jews, and their civil rights remained equal with those of the rest of the population.” (Wikipedia).

8. Resistance • “As the war dragged on, the Danish population became increasingly hostile to the Germans. Soldiers stationed in Denmark had found most of the population cold and distant from the beginning of the occupation, but their willingness to cooperate had made the relationship workable. The government had attempted to discourage sabotage and violent resistance to the occupation, but by the autumn of 1942 the numbers of violent acts of resistance were increasing steadily to the point that Germany declared Denmark "enemy territory" for the first time.” (Wikipedia)

9. A riot in Copenhagen in 1944:

10. Number the Stars • Where, in Number the Stars, do we learn about the resistance? • How is it presented through a child’s point of view? • Does Ann Marie become a member of the Resistance by the end of the book?

11. Protecting the Jewish Population • The greatest act of resistance on the part of the Danish people was their ability to save 99 percent of the Danish Jews from being murdered in death camps in the Holocaust. • A member of the Nazi party let them know of the Nazis’ plans to arrest Danish Jews, and the Danes acted quickly.

12. Boats to neutral Sweden:

13. Boats to neutral Sweden: • “The Jews were smuggled out of Denmark by transporting them by sea over the Oresund from Zealand to Sweden — a passage of varying time depending on the specific route and the weather, but averaging about 3–4 hours on the choppy winter sea. Some were transported in large fishing boats of up to 20 tons, but others were carried to freedom in rowboats or kayaks.” (Wikipedia)

14. Boats to neutral Sweden: • “During the first days of the rescue action, Jews swarmed into the many fishing harbours on the Danish coast for rescue, but the Gestapo became suspicious of activity around harbours (and on the night of October 1–2, about 70 Jews were caught hiding in the loft of the church at Gilleleje, their hiding place betrayed by a Danish girl in love with a German soldier). Subsequent rescues had to take place from isolated points along the coast. While waiting their turn, the Jews took refuge in the woods and in cottages away from the coast, out of sight of the Gestapo.” (Wikipedia)

15. Those who didn’t make it • Some Danish Jews committed suicide rather than be captured. • Some were in boats that capsized. • Some were captured by the Nazis. • For these, though, the Danish government worked to protect them from being murdered in the death camps . . .

16. Theresienstadt • “Only around 450 Danish Jews were captured by the Germans, and most of these were sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in occupied Czechoslovakia. After these Jews' deportation, leading Danish civil servants persuaded the Germans to accept packages of food and medicine for the prisoners; furthermore, Denmark persuaded the Germans not to deport the Danish Jews to extermination camps. This was achieved by Danish political pressure, using the Danish Red Cross to monitor frequently the condition of the Danish Jews at Theresienstadt.” (Wikipedia)

17. Theresienstadt • “Some 51 Danish Jews — mostly elderly — died of disease at Theresienstadt, but in April 1945, as the war drew to a close, the 400 or so surviving Danish Jews were turned over by the Germans.” • “The casualties among Danish Jews during the Holocaust were smaller than any other country in occupied Europe” (Wikipedia).

18. Where/How to teach? • Handout explains pros and cons for sharing Number the Stars with child readers. • Break into groups of three and discuss the handout: Why should this book be taught? Why shouldn’t it? Work through the criteria listed by Baer: Does the book meet them? Why? Or, why not?