Book Review of "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry

 Annemarie Johansen is a young blonde-haired girl who lives in Copenhagen during WWII with her parents and her little sister. Annemarie’s closest friend is Ellen, a Jewish girl her own age. Despite food rations and other inconveniences brought about by the war and the fact that Nazis walk the streets of Copenhagen, the girls live fairly happy and secure lives. The first signs that Annemarie and Ellen’s lives are about to be transformed come when the Nazis began to relocate the Jews who live in their town. It will not be long before they will relocate Ellen and her family. Annemarie must do all she can to protect her best friend from the merciless actions of Hitler.

Alone, Annemarie can do nothing to save her friend, or any other Jewish people. Further, how can anyone stand up to the terrifying power of the Nazi regime? It is only by working and standing together that the world was able to at last defeat the Nazis. I believe this principle can be used in any sort of conflict against evil. If people stand firm and labor together for a common cause, they can accomplish almost anything.

Story Prompters

Write a story in which an individual discovers that one cannot fight against evil alone. That person can also discover that he or she is significant in the overarching scheme of the resistance. Are the evil forces that the characters fight a real struggle from history? Or is it an imaginary situation, based either in the future or in an imaginary land?