Heck, the soldiers even come into Henrik's house during (what looks like) a funeral. Jewish families like Ellen's are not safe-not out on the streets, not in school, not even in their own home. Not here, on the train, too? They were everywhere' (6.39).

That's just life in Denmark in 1943.īut as the story goes on, the soldiers become a little more, well, intrusive: 'two German soldiers appeared. Young kids like Kirsti can't even remember a time when the soldiers weren't there: 'For Kirsti, the soldiers were simply part of the landscape, something that had always been there, on every corner, as unimportant as lampposts, throughout her remembered life' (1.40). When the book begins, the Nazis are already ingrained in the story's setting. This historical reality seeps into all the cracks of Number the Stars. It's a great place to start, and it can lead you to some other awesome resources. If you want to learn more about the whole historical hoopla, check out the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum site's description of the Danish Resistance. They decide how late people can stay out, whether or not they can use artificial light, what kind of food they can eat, and even if they can keep their jobs. Sound crappy? It was.Īt first, the Nazis didn't make too many changes in Denmark, but by the time the book's action gets underway, the Nazis are affecting daily life in Denmark more and more. This means that Denmark, a smaller and more peaceful country, had fallen to the control of a larger and more aggressive political group, the Nazis. Like most other parts of Europe during World War II, the country was under German occupation. Denmark, 1943 Not-So-Glamorous Historical Backgroundĭenmark in 1943 wasn't the happiest place in the world.

Number the stars cover