Number the Stars

            

     Ellen is hiding. But at her friend’s house? Number the Stars by Luis Lowry is about the Holocaust, and Annemarie was not a Jew. But her friend Ellen was. Ellen comes to hide with Annemarie’s family as Annemarie’s sister, Lise, who died from a car accident. The Germans come to Annemarie’s house and ask why Ellen has brown dark hair. Her “pretend” father tears out some pages of their family album. The real Lise had dark curls when she was a baby. After the soldiers leave, Mama takes Annemarie, Ellen, and Kirsti to her brother's house. There Ellen goes with her family to Sweden, one of the free countries left in the world. 

Annmarie character traits are bravery and her loyalty to her friends and family.  I really like this book because friendship prevails over ethnic differences and the war.

Pages: 137

Lily's Crossing

    

Lily is in for the surprise of her life. A boy from Hungary! Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff, is the story about Lily, a 5^th grade girl during the summer, meeting a boy named Albert, from Hungary. They go on many adventures with each other; including saving a few week old kitten that was tossed into the ocean on the Eastern beach of America, called Rockaway. That moment when Lily dove in to save the kitten was the moment they became friends. But lies set the two friends apart, especially one that Lily tells: Someday Albert, you and I are going to row out into the night and get close to the ships going to Europe. Then we’ll swim the last couple feet onto the boat. And you can get Ruth, your sister and I can get Poppy. At the end Albert tries to see the ships and almost gets killed. Lily saves him and they part for the end of summer. They meet back together at the end of the book. Lily’s character traits are brave and naughty because she saved Albert.

I liked the book because it is a young American girl's perspective of the war and its effect on her personal friendship with Albert.

Pages: 180