Historical Fiction

o Book title: Number the Stars
o Author/illustrator: Lois Lowery
o Clip Art:

o Suggested Grade Level for the book: 6^th grade because the students need to have the background knowledge of the Holocaust in order to understand the story fully. 
o An original brief summary:  In Copenhagen, Denmark, Nazis have taken over every street corner.  The synagogue gets word that they are going to start taking the Jewish citizens to concentration camps, which leads the non-Jewish people of Copenhagen to devising plans to sneak the Jews across the waterway to Sweden where they will be safe.  The story is told through Annemarie’s eyes as she struggles to figure out what exactly is going on in the world around her while also trying to save her best friend Ellen who happens to be Jewish.  She shows her bravery when she risks her life to save the lives of others.       
o How the book could be used in the classroom to teach children skills and strategies they need to know (be specific): This book could be used in the classroom to teach students about how living situations were different for people living in different time periods, and how they should not take for granted what they have.  This book is great for teaching students the skill of putting themselves in someone else’s shoes because from reading the book one really gets the feeling that they are in the story. 
o ESOL strategies/applications:  It would be necessary to ensure that ESOL students have background information about the Holocaust and World War II.  It would be a great idea to have them look at a map to get an idea of exactly where Denmark and Sweden are. 
o Read Aloud: I would read aloud Chapter 1 because it talks about the girls getting in a scary situation of being confronted by the Nazis on the corner.  It also discusses how they do not have the food they want.  I feel that this chapter would get the students curios about why the Nazis are there and why they do not have enough food, thus they will want to find out more.   
o Personal opinions of the book or illustrations: I really enjoyed this book and felt that it was very well written.  I really connected with Annemarie and admired her courage.