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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTen-year-old Annemarie Johansen lives in Copenhagen in 1943, three years into the German occupation of Denmark. She and her best friend Ellen Rosen walk to school past soldiers on every corner, and the city has grown used to rationed food, electricity, and even shoes made of fish skin. But when the Nazis begin closing Jewish-owned shops and Annemarie learns that the Germans plan to round up all of Denmark's Jews, the danger stops feeling distant. Ellen is Jewish, and when soldiers come to search the Johansen apartment in the middle of the night, Annemarie and her family must find a way to keep her safe.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Number the Stars
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Number the Stars. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a little girl throw a tantrum over shoes made from fish skin?
✓ Answer
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Kirsti is furious about her new green shoes, which are made from fish skin because there is no leather available during the war. She refuses to wear them until Ellen offers to have her father dye them black and shiny with ink.
- First half
In what book does a soldier twist a girl's dark hair, suspicious she doesn't match her blond family?
✓ Answer
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Nazi officer is suspicious that Ellen has dark hair while the rest of the Johansen family is blond. He twists a lock of Ellen's hair and cruelly suggests she might have come "from the milkman" or from the Rosens. Papa's quick thinking with the baby photos saves them.
- First half
In what book is a fisherman's boat named after his sister?
✓ Answer
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Uncle Henrik's fishing boat is named the Ingeborg, after his sister Inge, who is Annemarie's mother. This small detail shows how close the two siblings are.
- Second half
In what book does an officer demand that a closed coffin be opened?
✓ Answer
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
A Nazi officer orders the casket of the fictional Great-aunt Birte to be opened, suspicious about the gathering of strangers at Uncle Henrik's house. Mama bravely steps forward and says the doctor warned the body might still carry typhus, which disgusts the officer so much that he leaves it shut.
- Second half
In what book is a baby given drops of a drug so it won't cry during an escape?
✓ Answer
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Peter insists on giving baby Rachel a few drops of a tasteless sedative before the group leaves for the boat. The mother begs him not to, promising the baby won't cry, but Peter says they can't take any chances during the dangerous journey to Sweden.
- Near the end
In what book do trained dogs sniff a handkerchief and then lose their sense of smell?
✓ Answer
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The packet Annemarie carries contains a handkerchief treated with a special powder. When the soldiers' dogs sniff it, the drug temporarily destroys their ability to smell, preventing them from detecting people hidden aboard the fishing boats bound for Sweden.
