Number the Stars Chapter 10 Summary
Let Us Open the Casket
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Henrik heads out, but everyone else is quiet and subdued.
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Annemarie stays up even though she doesn't have to, and they all wait quietly. She
and Ellen are exhausted.
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The group is interrupted by the arrival of Nazi soldiers. They saw that the lights
were on and too many people were in the house, which made them suspicious. Not
good.
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Mrs. Johansen explains that they're having a pre-funeral gathering—there's nothing
wrong with that.
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Man, the soldiers are scary.
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One of them makes Annemarie say who's in the casket. She knows what to do: she
says Birte.
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The officer asks why the coffin isn't open, and Mrs. Johansen lies and says that it's
because Birte had typhus and so she's full of germs.
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The officer hits Mrs. Johansen on the face, tells everyone they should "open it after
[they] leave" (10.27), and then takes off with the rest of the soldiers. (Take a sec and
think about how terrible that scene was.)
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Everyone's stunned, but they have to act normal so they don't draw any further
attention to themselves.
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To buy some time, Peter reads from the Bible—pretty common at a funeral. In
particular, he reads the psalm that talks about numbering the stars. (Sound familiar?
Yeah, that's where the title of the book comes from.)
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The reading really makes Annemarie think. She worries that "[t]he
whole worldwas too cold, too big. And too cruel" (10.38).
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Peter reads aloud for a long time, and then finally goes to reveal what's in the
coffin.
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Cliffhanger!
