50 Fun Facts About Number the Stars

In Number the Stars, to which country does Uncle Henrik's fishing boat carry the Rosen family?

Sweden stayed neutral and unoccupied, and Annemarie can point out its coast from the beach near her uncle's house. That short crossing made it the refuge for Denmark's Jews.

In Number the Stars, which disease does Mama claim killed the woman in the closed casket?

Typhus is the lie that works: Mama says the doctor warned that the body might still be contagious, then offers to open the lid anyway. The officer slaps her and leaves without looking.

In Number the Stars, what are Kirsti's new shoes made of because Denmark has run out of leather?

Fish skin is the only substitute Mama can find, and Kirsti flatly refuses to wear the green pair. She gives in once Ellen offers to make them black.

In Number the Stars, which fairy tale does Annemarie recite to herself on the dark forest path?

Little Red Riding Hood is the story she has told Kirsti many times, and reciting it keeps her fear in check. Near the harbour she meets her own wolves: soldiers with two snarling dogs.

In Number the Stars, what does the drugged handkerchief in Annemarie's basket do to search dogs?

The drug dulls their sense of smell for a while after one eager sniff. Soldiers bring dogs aboard Uncle Henrik's boat soon after Annemarie's delivery and find nothing.

In Number the Stars, which invented relative supposedly lies in the casket at Uncle Henrik's house?

Great-aunt Birte never existed, and Annemarie knows it because she loves hearing every family story. The fake wake gives a houseful of strangers a reason to gather after dark.

In Number the Stars, what were the 'fireworks' that Mama told little Kirsti were for her birthday?

Denmark scuttling its navy lit up the sky in August 1943, when crews blew up their own ships so the Germans could not use them. Mama's fib turned the blasts into a present for a five-year-old.

The title Number the Stars comes from which book of the Bible, read by Peter beside the casket?

Psalms gives the book its name: Psalm 147 says God can number the stars one by one. Peter reads it aloud so that any soldier still listening outside hears an ordinary funeral.

In Number the Stars, what does Annemarie tear off Ellen as soldiers reach the bedroom door?

A Star of David necklace would have marked Ellen as Jewish, and she cannot undo its clasp in time. Annemarie grips it so tightly that the star is imprinted on her palm.

In Number the Stars, what does Papa show an officer to prove dark-haired Ellen is his daughter?

Baby photos from an album show that the real Lise had dark hair as an infant. Papa tears the pictures out so the officer cannot read the birth dates written beneath them.

In Number the Stars, in which Danish city do the Johansens and Rosens share an apartment building?

Copenhagen has had German soldiers on its street corners for three years when the story opens. The Rosens live on the second floor and the Johansens one flight above them.

In Number the Stars, which bestselling novel gives Annemarie and Ellen names for their paper dolls?

Gone with the Wind is Mama's favourite book, so the dolls borrow its characters' names. The game ends when Kirsti comes home in a tantrum over her new shoes.

In Number the Stars, what does Peter lift out of the casket once the soldiers have left?

Coats and blankets fill the box, and Peter hands them to the hidden refugees for the cold night ahead. No coat is small enough for the infant, so Mama brings one of Kirsti's sweaters.

In Number the Stars, what injury leaves Mama crawling home after she guides the Rosens to the boat?

A broken ankle, from tripping over a root in the dark, turns a short walk into hours of dragging herself up the path. It is why ten-year-old Annemarie has to run the last errand alone.

In Number the Stars, why does Peter put drops on the tongue of the infant Rachel before the escape?

To stop her crying, Peter insists on a sedative even though her mother objects. One wail from the hiding place during a search would give away everyone on board.

Number the Stars won which American prize, given yearly to the most distinguished children's book?

The Newbery Medal went to Number the Stars in 1990, a year after publication. By 2001 the novel had sold more than two million copies in the United States.

Lois Lowry, who wrote Number the Stars, also wrote which dystopian novel about a boy named Jonas?

The Giver appeared in 1993 and has sold more than 12 million copies. Its community has traded away pain, memory and deep feeling for a peaceful life called Sameness.

In Number the Stars, which real king rides his horse through the city each morning unguarded?

Christian X really did ride out daily and unguarded during the occupation, and Danes read it as quiet defiance. In the novel, seven-year-old Annemarie declares she would die to protect him.

In Number the Stars, what does Mrs. Hirsch sell in the little shop that the Germans padlock?

Buttons and thread are the Hirsch family's trade, and the girls only want a replacement for Kirsti's jacket. The padlock and a sign in German show Annemarie that Jewish shops are being shut.

In Number the Stars, where on Uncle Henrik's boat do the Rosens hide while soldiers search it?

A secret space below deck holds the refugees, reached by lifting the right boards. Annemarie handed her basket across from the dock that morning and never guessed anyone was hidden beneath.

In Number the Stars, what nickname does Annemarie give the tall soldier on her street corner?

The Giraffe is her private name for the tall soldier who questions the girls for running. He softens when Kirsti, who slaps his hand from her hair, reminds him of his own daughter.

In Number the Stars, which treat does Kirsti wish for when Mama has only bread without butter?

A cupcake with pink frosting is what Kirsti sighs for, and Mama laughs at the fancy. She promises such treats will come back once the war is over and the soldiers have left.

In Number the Stars, what do Mama and Mrs. Rosen drink now that real coffee has vanished?

Herbs in hot water have stood in for coffee since the occupation began, yet the two mothers still call the ritual by its old name. Sugar has vanished from the shops as well.

In Number the Stars, what does Ellen offer to use to turn Kirsti's hated green shoes black?

Her father's ink is Ellen's fix, and the offer ends Kirsti's tantrum. The newly black shoes come up again on the train, when Kirsti boasts about them to a soldier instead of giving Ellen away.

In Number the Stars, what does Papa's coded phone call say Mama is bringing Uncle Henrik?

A carton of cigarettes stands for Ellen, the one refugee travelling that day. Annemarie sees through it at once, because no shop in the city has cigarettes to sell.

In Number the Stars, which Norse god does Kirsti name the stray kitten after at Uncle Henrik's farm?

Thor, the god of thunder, is a grand name for a small grey kitten found in the meadow. The pet later ends a tense chapter on a light note by falling into the milk.

In Number the Stars, what is the name of Uncle Henrik's cow, which Annemarie tries to milk alone?

Blossom needs milking while Mama is away seeing the doctor, so Annemarie has a go at it herself. Her uncle later gives her a proper lesson in the barn.

In Number the Stars, which career does Ellen Rosen, a schoolteacher's daughter, dream of?

An actress is what Ellen means to become, and she is a regular in school productions. The gift is tested the night she has to pass as a Johansen girl in front of armed officers.

In Number the Stars, what gift does Peter bring Annemarie and Kirsti when he visits after curfew?

Seashells are an odd present from a city man, and a hint that Peter's missions take him to the coast. He brings the girls' parents beer, and news that Jewish shops are being closed.

In Number the Stars, how do the Germans learn the names of the Jews they plan to arrest?

Lists from the synagogues, taken by the Germans, give them every member's name. Papa explains this the night Ellen comes to stay, posing as a third Johansen girl.

In Number the Stars, which famous amusement park do Annemarie and Ellen remember for its fireworks?

Tivoli Gardens opened in 1843 and inspired Walt Disney's own park a century later. In the novel the girls send their paper dolls there instead, because fire has destroyed part of the real one.

In Number the Stars, the Rosens flee on which Jewish holiday, when Ellen expected a chicken dinner?

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, and in the novel the rabbi's warning comes at that morning's service. The Johansens end up sharing the Rosens' holiday chicken with Ellen at their own table.

In Number the Stars, what happens to Peter Neilsen before Denmark is liberated?

The Germans execute him in a public square after capturing him. He is buried where he died, against the wish he had sent the Johansens in a final letter.

In Number the Stars, what does Annemarie finally learn about how her sister Lise died?

Soldiers ran her down with a car as she fled a raided Resistance meeting. For years her parents had called it an accident, and Annemarie learns the truth only in the final chapter.

In Number the Stars, why does Uncle Henrik say he lied to Annemarie about the funeral?

Knowing less aids courage, he explains, and he admits that he and Mama are told only what they need to know as well. Annemarie applies the idea that night by keeping the truth from Ellen.

In Number the Stars, why does Papa not travel with Mama and the girls to Uncle Henrik's?

It would look suspicious if he skipped work, Mama argues, so she and three girls set off alone as if on a holiday. Papa had wanted the whole family to go together.

Number the Stars mentions which real Danish castle, the Elsinore of Shakespeare's Hamlet?

Kronborg guards the narrow strait at Helsingør, the town Shakespeare called Elsinore. In the novel, little Kirsti insists that kings and queens still live in the castle she sees on the trip.

In Number the Stars, which real fishing village on Denmark's north coast is home to Uncle Henrik?

Gilleleje sits at the northern tip of Zealand, and a fishing boat from the village now stands at Yad Vashem to honour the rescue. Lois Lowry visited the town while researching the novel.

The afterword to Number the Stars says real handkerchiefs held rabbit's blood and which drug?

Cocaine was mixed with rabbit's blood by scientists working to protect the escape boats. The afterword counts the mixture among the story's true details, so Annemarie's packet is no invention.

In Number the Stars, what does Mama cook on the girls' first evening at Uncle Henrik's farm?

Applesauce is a treat after city rations, sweet even without sugar, and Uncle Henrik brings home fish to go with it. His cow means real cream and a little butter at breakfast the next morning.

In Number the Stars, which bland word do the Germans use for taking Denmark's Jews away?

Relocation is the official word, and nobody in the Johansen flat knows what it really means. At the farm the girls turn it into a joke, saying the army has relocated Denmark's butter.

Lois Lowry has said Number the Stars grew out of which source?

A Danish friend's memories were the seed: Annelise Platt grew up in occupied Denmark, and the novel is dedicated to her. Lowry then interviewed others who had lived through those years.

Who took the cover picture of a young girl used on many editions of Number the Stars?

The book's own author, Lois Lowry, took it, having worked as a freelance photographer in the 1970s. Her portrait of a ten-year-old girl went on the first edition and stayed on many later ones.

The real rescue behind Number the Stars carried roughly how many Danish Jews to safety by sea?

About 7,000 people, nearly all of Denmark's Jews, crossed in fishing boats, rowing boats and even kayaks. Most of the few hundred who were caught and deported lived to come home as well.

Lois Lowry, who wrote Number the Stars, was born an Army dentist's daughter in which American city?

Honolulu was her birthplace in 1937, and the family left for New York when she was three. Her poetry collection On the Horizon returns to those island years and to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In Number the Stars, which illegal newspaper does Peter bring the Johansens on his night visits?

De Frie Danske, meaning The Free Danes, was a real underground paper printed about monthly from 1941. By the end of the war its issues were reaching a circulation of 20,000.

The afterword to Number the Stars credits which German official with leaking the roundup plan?

Georg Duckwitz, a shipping attaché at the German embassy, tipped off Danish politicians days before the roundup. Israel later honoured him as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.

In Number the Stars, how does Mama explain Ellen's sudden absence to little Kirsti?

Her parents fetched her in the night, Mama says, which is true as far as it goes. Kirsti grumbles that Ellen left before sewing a dress for her doll, so Mama offers to help make it.

In Number the Stars, why is Annemarie sprinting along the pavement in the opening scene?

Training for a school race is her reason for challenging Ellen, who would rather walk. The sprint ends at the corner, where two armed soldiers demand to know why the girls are in such a hurry.

In Number the Stars, what does Ellen Rosen see up close for the first time at Uncle Henrik's?

The open sea is new to Ellen because her mother fears it, finding the ocean too large and too cold. From the shore Annemarie points out the far coast where the Rosens will soon be safe.