Lois Lowry didn’t set out to write a "history lesson." Honestly, when you look at the 1989 Newbery winner Lois Lowry and her legacy, it’s clear she was just trying to tell a story about a friend. That friend was Annelise Platt. Annelise had grown up in Denmark during the Nazi occupation, and her memories of those cold, terrifying years became the bones of Number the Stars. It’s a slim book. You can finish it in an afternoon. But the weight of it? That stays for decades.
It won the Newbery Medal in 1990, but we often associate it with that 1989 publishing year because that's when the world first met Annemarie Johansen.
If you grew up in the nineties or early 2000s, you probably read it in a dusty classroom. Maybe you remember the "Star of David" necklace. Or the scene with the hidden compartment in the boat. But what most people get wrong about this book is thinking it’s a simple "introductory" Holocaust story. It isn't. It’s a masterclass in tension and the specific, vibrating fear of childhood.
The 1989 Newbery Winner Lois Lowry and the "Difficult" Topic
Before Number the Stars, Lowry was already a known name. She’d written A Summer to Die and the Anastasia Krupnik series. She was funny. She was relatable. Then, she pivoted to the darkest chapter of the 20th century. People worry about "age-appropriateness" now more than ever, but Lowry understood something vital back in the late eighties. She knew kids can handle the truth if you give it to them through the eyes of a peer.
Annemarie Johansen isn't a superhero. She’s ten. She’s scared of the "Death's Head" soldiers on the street corners of Copenhagen. Lowry uses these soldiers—tall, shiny-booted, and anonymous—to create a sense of claustrophobia that feels visceral even to an adult reader.
Lowry's genius lies in the mundane. She doesn't start with the camps. She starts with the lack of butter. She starts with the "sand and foam" soap that doesn't lather. By the time the 1989 Newbery winner Lois Lowry gets to the real danger—the escape across the sea to Sweden—the reader is already so grounded in Annemarie’s world that the stakes feel personal. It’s not about six million people yet. It’s about Ellen Rosen. It’s about one best friend.
Why Denmark Was the Perfect (and Only) Setting
History is messy. Usually, when we talk about World War II, it’s a saga of crushing defeat or total devastation. Denmark was different. Lowry tapped into a very specific historical anomaly: the Danish Resistance.
📖 Related: Howie Mandel Cupcake Picture: What Really Happened With That Viral Post
In October 1943, when the word went out that the Jews were to be "relocated," the Danish people didn't just look away. They acted. Within a few weeks, they smuggled nearly 7,000 people across the water to neutral Sweden. It’s one of the few bright spots in a very dark era.
The Realism of the Handkerchief
Remember the handkerchief? The one soaked in a mixture of rabbit blood and cocaine? Most kids think that’s some spy-movie invention. It wasn't. Lowry did her homework. She spoke to survivors and historians who confirmed that the Swedish scientists developed this specific concoction to temporarily dull the sense of smell in German dogs.
If the dogs couldn't smell the people hidden under the floorboards of the fishing boats, the people lived.
It’s a tiny, gritty detail. But that’s what makes the 1989 Newbery winner Lois Lowry so effective. She doesn't rely on magic or coincidences. She relies on the terrifying reality of chemistry and courage. The scene where Annemarie has to run through the woods to deliver that "packet" to her Uncle Henrik is arguably one of the most stressful sequences in children's literature. It’s the Red Riding Hood trope, but the wolf has a Luger and a uniform.
Challenging the "Safe" Narrative
There is a common critique that Number the Stars is too "gentle." Some educators argue that because it focuses on the successful rescue, it softens the blow of the Holocaust.
I disagree.
👉 See also: Austin & Ally Maddie Ziegler Episode: What Really Happened in Homework & Hidden Talents
Lowry includes Peter Neilsen. Peter is the fiancé of Annemarie’s late sister, Lise. He’s a resistance fighter. He’s brave, he’s kind, and by the end of the book, he’s dead. He is executed by the Nazis in a public square. Lowry doesn't show the execution, but she makes the reader sit with the aftermath. She makes you feel the empty chair. By killing off the "hero" character, she signals to young readers that bravery doesn't always guarantee a happy ending.
It’s this nuance that allowed the 1989 Newbery winner Lois Lowry to stand the test of time while other historical fiction from that era has faded into obscurity. She treats children like thinking, feeling citizens of the world.
The Shift to The Giver
You can't talk about Lois Lowry's Newbery legacy without mentioning her "double dip." Just a few years after Number the Stars, she won again for The Giver.
While they seem like totally different books—one historical, one sci-fi—they are actually two sides of the same coin. Both explore what happens when a society tries to "protect" its citizens by removing their choices or their identities. In Number the Stars, the threat is external (the Nazis). In The Giver, the threat is internal (the Community).
Lowry’s work in 1989 paved the way for the dystopian boom of the 2010s. Without Annemarie Johansen's quiet rebellion, we might not have Katniss Everdeen. Lowry proved that "Young Adult" or "Middle Grade" literature could be deeply philosophical without being pretentious.
What This Means for Readers Today
So, why are we still talking about a book from thirty-five years ago?
✨ Don't miss: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
Because the themes are becoming uncomfortably relevant again. We live in a world where "othering" people is back in style. Lowry’s exploration of what it means to be a "bystander" versus an "upstander" isn't just a 1940s thing. It’s an every-day thing.
The 1989 Newbery winner Lois Lowry teaches us that bravery isn't the absence of fear. It’s being "kinda" terrified but doing the right thing anyway because your friend is in trouble. It’s about the fact that Annemarie didn't have to understand the geopolitics of the war to know that Ellen deserved to be safe.
Actionable Insights for Reading and Discussing Lowry’s Work
If you are a parent, a teacher, or just someone revisiting this classic, here is how to get the most out of the 1989 Newbery winner Lois Lowry and her most famous historical work:
- Compare the "Afterword" to the Story: Always read the author’s note at the end of Number the Stars. Lowry explicitly details which parts are fact (the sinking of the Danish Navy, the King riding his horse through the streets) and which are fiction. It's a great lesson in how authors "stitch" history together.
- Discuss the Concept of "Small Bravery": Ask yourself—or your kids—about the small risks the characters took. Not just the boat ride, but the hidden necklace or the lies told to the soldiers. Bravery is rarely one big explosion; it’s a series of small, difficult choices.
- Explore the Geography: Open a map. Look at the distance between Copenhagen and Malmö, Sweden. It’s only about 15 to 25 miles depending on where you start. Seeing how close—yet how far—safety was adds a whole new layer of tension to the narrative.
- Look for the "Lise" Subplot: Pay attention to the backstory of the older sister. It’s the most "adult" part of the book and deals with the grief of a family trying to remain normal while their world is literally being torn apart.
Lois Lowry didn't just win a medal in 1989; she gave us a blueprint for how to talk to children about the things that scare us most. She didn't condescend. She didn't lie. She just told the story of a girl, a friend, and a yellow star. And honestly? That's more than enough to make it a masterpiece.
To truly understand the impact of the 1989 Newbery winner Lois Lowry, your next step should be to pick up a copy of her Newbery acceptance speech. It is a profound look at how "human memory" functions and why we are doomed to repeat history if we don't find ways to make the past feel personal to the next generation. Check your local library for the "Newbery Medal Books" anthology or search for the transcript online through the American Library Association archives. Reading her own words on why she wrote the book provides a layer of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) that you won't get from a summary alone.