Number the Stars: Chapter 15 Summary & Analysis

Annemarie remembers her mother’s advice to act like a “silly little girl” should she run into any Nazis. She tries to imagine herself as Kirsti on the day the two of them and Ellen ran into soldiers on the street—a silly little girl who knows “nothing of danger.” Annemarie politely greets the soldiers, and when they ask her what she’s doing in the woods, she tells them she’s bringing lunch to her uncle, a fisherman.

Annemarie notices that the soldiers’ dogs are looking at her basket and growling with hunger. She tries to think of how Kirsti would respond to the fear and danger of the moment, and decides to chatter on and on, attempting to bore the soldiers. One of them, however, reaches into her basket, takes the loaf of bread, and breaks it apart. After inspecting it, he tosses the halves onto the ground for the dogs, amidst Annemarie’s protests.

The soldiers continue rifling through Annemarie’s basket, laughing at the brown spots on the apple and the meager piece of cheese. They taunt her for not bringing her uncle any meat—Annemarie, thinking like Kirsti, petulantly responds that the German army “eats all of Denmark’s meat.” Annemarie’s sassiness is just a front, though—internally, she is praying that the soldiers won’t lift the napkin, the only thing left in the basket. The dogs sniff the bottom of the basket hungrily, and the soldier tells Annemarie that his dogs can smell meat inside. The soldier reaches in and lifts up the napkin to Annemarie’s horror.

The soldier, seeing the paper packet at the bottom, asks Annemarie what it is. She insists she doesn’t know, and even scolds the soldier for making her late and ruining her uncle’s lunch. The soldier lifts the packet from the basket and tears it open, asking what’s inside, but Annemarie insists she doesn’t know. She finds herself thinking of how grateful she is for her ignorance—she genuinely doesn’t know what’s inside. The soldier pulls a simple handkerchief out of the package, and throws it to the ground. The dogs sniff at it, but leave it alone. Having found nothing, the soldiers push past Annemarie into the woods, urging her to “go on to [her] uncle and tell him the German dogs enjoyed his bread.”

Annemarie collects the apple and the handkerchief, the only things left intact, and puts them back into the basket. She rushes down to the dock, and is relieved to find that Uncle Henrik’s boat is still there. She rushes aboard and delivers the basket to him, telling him briefly of her encounter with the solider. Uncle Henrik, visibly relieved, thanks Annemarie for bringing the handkerchief to him, though he doesn’t explain what it is, or why it’s important. He tells her to return home, and assures her he’ll be back later that evening. As she turns to go, she overhears Uncle Henrik saying that he hopes the German soldiers “choke” on the bread they stole.