Number the Stars is a historical fiction novel written by American author Lois Lowry. Told from the view point of Annemarie Johansen, a ten-year-old girl living in German occupied Copenhagen, Denmark in 1943 (the third year of the Nazi occupation of Denmark). Annemarie’s best friend Ellen Rosen, who is Jewish, lives in the same building and attends the same school that she does. When the Germans start rounding up the Jews, the Johansen’s take Ellen in to their home to protect her, and she poses as their daughter Lise who passed away before the war. After multiple close encounters with the German soldiers, Annemarie understands the danger Ellen and her family, and all the Jews of Denmark are in. Mrs. Johansen, Annemarie’s mother takes the girls to her brother Henrik’s home, who is a fisherman. Annemarie later finds out that Henrik is working with the Danish Resistance (a group of non-Jews resisting Nazism and helping Jewish people) to smuggle Jewish people by boat to Sweden, Ellen’s family included. I think this is a very important novel as it teaches students about the struggles the Jewish people and the non-Jewish people faced during World War II and does so through the eyes of a brave and courageous young girl, which makes the story relatable to young audiences. I love how Lowry describes the heroism of the nation of Denmark in helping the Jewish people, and inspires readers to fight for what they believe in.