Module 3: Number the Stars & Monster

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Summary:  Two girls, Annemarie and Ellen, are best friends living in Denmark during the time of the Holocaust War.  To avoid relocation, Ellen moves in with Annemarie’s family and pretends to be a part of it.  Annemarie is delighted at first to have her best friend home, but the happiness fades in the face of danger.

Citation: Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. New York: Sandpiper.

Impressions:  I enjoyed how well an adult subject was presented to young readers.

Reviews:  Publishers Weekly

Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl who undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend. Ages 10-14.

(1997). Number the stars [Review of the book Number the stars by Lois Lowry]. Publishers Weekly.

Use in Library Setting:  This book is a great recommendation to a teacher wanting to let her students view the world outside their safe havens.  It is a great history introduction to the Holocaust.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Summary: Sixteen year old Steve Harmon is involved in a store robbery.  During the robbery Mr. Nisbitt is killed.  Steve is incarcerated and could face the death penalty.  The book is written in a movie script format.

Citation: Myers, W. D.  (1999).  Monster.  New York:  Amistad.

Impressions:  I was impressed with the way this book is written.  Steve writes this book as a movie script and the vocabulary used is unique to a script.  Needless to say I learned a bit about movie scripts.

Reviews:  School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Steve Harmon, 16, is accused of serving as a lookout for a robbery of a Harlem drugstore. The owner was shot and killed, and now Steve is in prison awaiting trial for murder. From there, he tells about his case and his incarceration. Many elements of this story are familiar, but Myers keeps it fresh and alive by telling it from an unusual perspective. Steve, an amateur filmmaker, recounts his experiences in the form of a movie screenplay. His striking scene-by-scene narrative of how his life has dramatically changed is riveting. Interspersed within the script are diary entries in which the teen vividly describes the nightmarish conditions of his confinement. Myers expertly presents the many facets of his protagonist's character and readers will find themselves feeling both sympathy and repugnance for him. Steve searches deep within his soul to prove to himself that he is not the "monster" the prosecutor presented him as to the jury. Ultimately, he reconnects with his humanity and regains a moral awareness that he had lost. Christopher Myers's superfluous black-and-white drawings are less successful. Their grainy, unfocused look complements the cinematic quality of the text, but they do little to enhance the story. Monster will challenge readers with difficult questions, to which there are no definitive answers. In some respects, the novel is reminiscent of Virginia Walter's Making Up Megaboy (DK Ink, 1998), another book enriched by its ambiguity. Like it, Monster lends itself well to classroom or group discussion. It's an emotionally charged story that readers will find compelling and disturbing.

Sullivan, E. (1999). Monster [Review of the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers]. School Library Journal.

Use in Library Setting:  This book would be an excellent book to use in a book talk.  Steve makes a wrong choice and ends up with terrible consequences.  This book can make a strong impression on young teenagers tempted with peer pressure.