Number the Stars takes place during World War II. The main character, Annemarie Johansen is best friends with a girl who belongs to a Jewish family in Gernmany. Annemarie also has a younger sister, Kirsti, and her older sister, Lise, died two weeks before her wedding date to a boy named Peter Nielsen.
             One day, Annemarie, Kirsti, and Annemarie's best friend Ellen were walking home from school. On their way, two soldiers stopped them to ask who they were and what they were up to. Annemarie knows something is wrong, but tries to stay calm and answers the questions quickly. When she arrives home she tells her mother about the soldiers stopping them and questioning them on the walk home. Her mother doesn't tell her anything about what is going on, just to walk home a different way which makes Annemarie begin to worry.
             Neither the Johansen's or the Rosen's found out for sure what was going on until a button broke off Kirsti's coat and the girls went to the store to get a new one for her. The store was closed so the girls came home asking why it was closed in the middle of the day. Peter told the family that all the store in the city run by Jews were to be closed because the German's have put out orders to do so. The townspeople begin to get mad because the things they need are becoming harder to find with all the Jewish shops closing down.
             For the Jewish, it was time to celebrate New Year's so the Rosen family went to the synagogue to celebrate. When they get back later that night Annemarie's mother tells her that Ellen will be spending the night at their house for a few nights. She explained that the Nazis had a list of all the Jews in the town and where they lived. Peter took Ellen's parents and found a place for them to hideout for a while until things became safe for the Jews. Ellen and Annemarie were told to act like they were sisters in the case that the Nazis sol...