Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. Lowry does it again--taking an important topic and making it meaningful for children. This book addresses the holocaust and how the Danish people succeeded in saving most of their Jews from "relocation" by sneaking them over to Sweden where they would be safe. It recounts the bravery required of 10-year-olds Annemarie and Ellen. The two girls are best friends, living in the same apartment complex when Denmark is occupied by the Nazis. Upon learning that the Danish Jews are to be relocated, Annemarie's family undertakes to help Ellen's family escape. Along the way, Annemarie learns what it means to be brave, and the readers learn of an ingenious trick used by the Danes to throw off the dogs who the Nazis used to sniff for hidden humans: a handkerchief, scented with rabbit's blood and cocaine. The blood attracted the dogs, but the cocaine numbed their olefactory sense so that they missed the scent they were searching for.
Wonderful story about a weighty topic.
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