Number the Stars won the Newbery Award the year I was born and it is one of the best pieces of children's literature I've ever read. I first heard this book on tape on some long ago car trip and was in great suspense. As someone who has yet to read The Diary of a Young Girl I consider this to be my World War II book, although the endings are quite different. The main character Annemarie struggles throughout the book with whether or not she is brave, but when she is called upon to help her best friend and many others she rises to the challenge.
I identify personally with Annemarie because I often struggle with bravery in my personal life. I read the book on a flight from Detroit to Omaha returning from a conference that addressed many of the things I struggle most with in my life. As we got closer and closer to my destination the suspense grew as I strained to remember the ending. The ending was realistically left open-ended but with the message of happiness and hope. The same the conference ended; once again I find that literature reflects life in amazing ways.
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