Number the Stars

Written by: Lois Lowry

First line: "I'll race you to the corner, Ellen!"

Why you should read this book: Annemarie, like all the people she knows in Denmark, loves her family, her king, and her neighbors, especially her best friend, Ellen, with whom she does everything. Even though the Nazis have invades their country, the two girls and their families do their best to continue their lives uninterrupted, until the day that they learn that the Nazis will be sending all Jews somewhere else. Now Annemarie and her entire family are willing to risk their own lives to help the people they love stay safe.

Why you shouldn't read this book: This is one of those books that you don't get a pass on unless you are actually a Nazi, in which case you presumably don't understand literature anyway.