Why the author wrote this book

I am on page 36 of the book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. So far I am really enjoying reading this book. Annemarie Johansen is best friends with Ellen Rosen, who is Jewish. This book takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark, during 1943. The Jews are just beginning to get relocated by the Nazis. Ellen is forced to hide with Annemarie's family because the Nazis have taken the list of Jewish families from the synagogue, putting Ellen, her family, and all the Jews in Denmark in great danger. I think the author, Lois Lowry wrote this book to inform more people about what the Holocaust truly was like, and how scary of a time this was for Jews all around Europe. I think it's very important for people to realize what Jews had to go through during this hard time. There were many food shortages,lives in danger, and lives taken away during the Holocaust. I appreciate Lois Lowry writing this book, especially since I am Jewish. Although I personally can not relate to this book, since I was not alive during this horrific time period, I can't imagine how scary this must have been for Jews of all ages. It is strange for me to think that Anne Frank was just 15 years old, just like me, when she had her life taken away. This book makes me proud to be Jewish, and makes me realize how grateful I am to be alive. I look forward to reading the rest of this book.

Lois Lowry

The book I have chosen to read as my independent novel is entitled Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Although I have read other books by Lois Lowry, I have not taken the time to learn anything about her. I think this will be a good opportunity to learn about her writing career, and will make reading the book more enjoyable. Lois Lowry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was the middle child of three. Her father was a career military officer - an Army dentist, so she lived in many different places, including New York,Pennsylvania, and Tokyo. She went to high school in New York, and attended Brown University in Rhode Island for college. She got married to a naval officer when she was just 19 years old and began traveling again. Her husband became a graduate from Harvard University law school. They had four kids together, two boys and two girls,and moved to Maine, where they live today. Lois returned to the University in Maine to get her master's degree in writing. Lois has always wanted to write, since she was just five years old. Sadly, her husband Martin passed away after being married to Lois for thirty years. Her youngest son Grey passed away shortly after while fighting in the United States Air Force. Lois now lives alone in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lois has won two Newberry Medals, for Number the Stars in 1990 and The Giver in 1994. Since then, Lois has won over 40 different medals for all the books she has written. The Anastasia and Sam Krupnik series are amongst her popular writings. Today Lois travels around the country, inspiring young authors to follow their dreams, just as she did when she was five years old.

Summer Reading Post- Category A (Theme)

The theme of the book, The Fault in Our Stars, is  just because you have cancer or a disease, it doesn't mean you can't have a good time with your friends or family in life. , "You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful" (Green 260). This quote supports the theme, because it shows that even with caner, if you have a best friend, it can change your outlook on your life, and make your life positive. This book is about a cancer patient Hazel Lancaster, who falls in love with Augustus Waters. The two met at a cancer support group. Augustus uses his cancer wish to take Hazel on an adventure with him to Amsterdam. They are traveling to Amsterdam to meet the author of their favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, Peter Van Houten. Once in the Netherlands, the two fall madly in love. However, Augustus is hiding something from Hazel, he's going to die soon. Once back in Indiana, the two of them meet up with Isaac, their friend from Support Group, and hold a mock funeral. But what Hazel doesn't know is that what once seemed like a joke was slowly turning into a reality.

The article, The Fault in Our Stars gets a release date, announces the release date for the movie, June 6, 2014. The movie is starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. This book has spent 75 weeks on USA Today's Bestselling Books List, and is sure to be a hit movie, with over 1 million young adult fans.