I chose essay topic number three in comparing Number the Stars main character Annemarie Johansen and Holes main character Stanley Yelnat's and taking a look at how both helped others and made a difference in some way. These two books are very different from one another, but demonstrate how a lead character is so important. .
In Number the Stars, Annemarie is a typical young girl (ten-years old) that deals with the difficulties of growing up- getting along with a sibling, understanding the way the adult world works. But these difficulties play out in a complicated and frightening way. Annemarie has been made very thoughtful and introspective due to the war. She spends much of her time reflecting on what she sees around her. In that respect, throughout the book Annemarie realizes to help save the lives of close friends and family she must risk her own. Annemarie strives to help out her best friend Ellen and her family along with many other Jews by taking a chance and helping the Jews escape to Sweden to be free. Annemarie does this by hiding many secrets from the Nazi's throughout the book because she was taught from her family and Peter that this was the noble thing to do from the family point of view. She helps out Ellen and her family many times. Her first encounter came about when the Johansens received a late night visit from Peter Nielsen, a member of the resistance, who came to warn the Rosen's that they must flee before the Nazi's captured them and take them away. So Ellen is then left with Annemarie and her family to pose as a sister. Annmarie also attempts a secret operation of carrying an important package along with cheese and bread that was left behind to her uncle Henrik who at his boat smuggling Jews to Sweden. On her way, she is stopped by soldiers who torment her and search her basket and discover the package. But when they rip it open it contains only a handkerchief, and they let her go.
