Number The Stars Chapter Summaries

Austin Goodman

Coach Tyler

American History

15 November 2016

Number the Stars

Number the Stars begins in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1943. Annemarie Johansen and one of her best friends Ellen Rosen are ten years old, growing up in Copenhagen, Denmark. Nazi Germany invaded their country and have been there for the past three years. One day, Annemarie, Ellen, and Annemarie’s five-year-old sister Kirsti were walking home from school. Annemarie and Ellen decided to race, but two German soldiers stopped them on the corner of their apartment building. The Germans questioned Annemarie about why she was running, but Kirsti managed to disrupt the moment with her rude behavior. When the girls got home, Mrs. Johansen and Mrs. Rosen were very upset to hear

Johansen (Mama) sends Annemarie, Ellen, and Kirsti to take to jacket to Mrs. Hirsch, who owns a button-and-thread store. When they get there, they find out that German soldiers have closed down Mrs. Hirsch’s store because she is Jewish. Mama becomes very worried, after hearing this. Mama brings Annemarie into the living room to talk with Mr. Johansen and Peter during that night. Peter tells them that life will only get more difficult for the Jews. Annemarie wonders what could happen to Mrs. Hirsch and the Rosens, but her parents assure her that they will be

Kirsti gets really mad when Mama buys her shoes made of fish scales, but Ellen fixes this massive problem by dying the shoes black. Ellen gets very excited about the Jewish New Year and nothing really goes wrong until…. the day of the Jewish New Year, Mama announces that Mr. and Mrs. Rosen had to leave Copenhagen and Ellen will have to stay with the Johansens. Mr Johansen (Papa) explains that the Germans have started arresting the Jews. Ellen must pretend to be Annemarie’s sister.

During the night, three officers come to the Johansens' apartment to try and find the Rosens. Mama and Papa pretend like they don’t know anything, but the Gestapo officers insist on searching the house. While they are lying in bed, Annemarie tears off Ellen’s Star of David necklace and hides it, so that the officers will not find it. The officers are still suspicious of Ellen because of her dark hair, but Papa uses Lise’s baby pictures to “prove” that Ellen could really be a member of the Johansen family, because Lise had black hair as a