Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
- Lexile
- 670L
- Grade range
- Grades 4–7
- Age range
- Ages 9–12
- Pages
- 137
- First published
- 1989
- Genre
- Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)
- ISBN-13
- 9780547577098
About this book
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen helps her family smuggle her Jewish friend out of Nazi-occupied Denmark. Lowry's Newbery Medal novel is a near-universal 4th-6th grade Holocaust-introduction text and appears on Common Core exemplar lists for grades 4-5.
Themes
- courage
- friendship
- Holocaust
- resistance
- family
Content notes
- war themes
- peril
- Holocaust references
Common Sense Media recommends age 9+.
Where this book is assigned
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
- required· 5th gradesource: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 4-5 exemplar
- required· 5th grade · Californiasource: CA CCSS ELA grade 5 Newbery-aligned required text
- recommended· 5th grade · Floridasource: Miami-Dade Summer Reading — grade 5
Similar grade-level books
Common questions
- What grade level is Number the Stars?
- Number the Stars is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–7, with a Lexile measure of 670L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of Number the Stars?
- Number the Stars has a Lexile measure of 670L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- What curricula assign Number the Stars?
- Number the Stars appears on reading lists for Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Number the Stars banned in schools?
- Number the Stars does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does Number the Stars explore?
- Central themes in Number the Stars include courage, friendship, Holocaust, resistance, family. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.