Remembering World War II
Bring History to Life with These Great Reads
Put yourself on the front lines with powerful fiction and nonfiction about World War II. To ensure you get the most from these gripping and informative books, pair your reading with one of our accompanying word lists.
TorpedoedThe True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship"This work of nonfiction tells the story of a German attack on a British ship carrying a group of children during World War II.
UprootedThe Japanese American Experience During World War IIIn this meticulously researched book, Albert Marrin contextualizes the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II within the broader history of racial prejudice in the United States.
Code Name VeritySet during World War II, this historical novel tells the story of Julie, a British spy, and Maddie, a pilot. When the friends' plane goes down, Julie must fight to survive in Nazi-occupied France.
Projekt 1065A Novel of World War IIDuring World War II, thirteen-year-old Michael and his family infiltrate Nazi organizations to help the Allies defeat Hitler.
Salt to the SeaThrough the alternating perspectives of four fictional teens, best-selling author Ruta Sepetys dramatizes the experiences of refugees searching for a safe haven during World War II. Learn key vocabulary from this engrossing historical novel based on a true story.
Number the StarsDuring World War II, ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her family take part in a courageous effort to protect the Jewish citizens of Denmark from the Nazis.
UnbrokenLaura Hillenbrand recounts the tumultuous and amazingly true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who, after surviving 40 days adrift at sea, became a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II.
Code TalkerBased on the true story of Navajo code talkers, this novel recounts the exploits of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo soldier in World War II. Ned's language skills prove to be invaluable as the Americans work to send secret messages to help them in their fight.
They Called Us EnemyIn this graphic memoir, actor and activist George Takei recounts the internment of his Japanese-American family during World War II. The book was cowritten by Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott, with art by Harmony Becker.
We Are Not FreeDuring World War II, a group of Japanese-American teens and their families are incarcerated in an internment camp.
The War That Saved My LifeDuring World War II, ten-year-old Ada and her brother are sent from London to the countryside, where Ada experiences freedom and kindness for the first time.
Maus I: My Father Bleeds HistoryA celebrated classic of the graphic novel form, Maus explores a man's relationship with his Holocaust-survivor father and with history itself.
Maus II: And Here My Troubles BeganIn the second part of his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, Art Spiegelman explores his strained relationship with his father and recounts Vladek's experiences in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.
Under a War-Torn SkySet during World War II, this novel tells the story of a pilot who attempts to find his way home after his plane is shot down.
Slaughterhouse-FiveLoosely based on the author, the narrator sets out to write a book about his experiences during World War II, but ends up telling about Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who gets "unstuck in time" and travels throughout moments of his life both on Earth and the planet Tralfamadore.
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them AllSisters Frankie and Toni struggle to survive on their own in the shadow of World War II.
Between Shades of GrayDuring World War II, a Lithuanian girl named Lina is detained by Soviet soldiers and taken to a work camp in Siberia, where she must fight to survive.
White BirdA Wonder StoryIn this companion to Wonder, Julian's grandmother tells the story of her life in France during World War II.
Surviving HitlerA Boy in the Nazi Death CampsThis nonfiction narrative tells the story Jack Mandelbaum, who was imprisoned in Nazi-led concentration camps during World War II.
Catch-22In this dark comedy, a World War II bombardier struggles to keep his sanity while following the increasingly dangerous orders of his commanders.
Milkweed"Stop! Thief!" are the words often shouted at him, so a young orphan takes that as his name as he struggles to survive in Warsaw during World War II.
The Faithful SpyDietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill HitlerUsing both text and graphics, John Hendrix details the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a spy who attempted to bring down the Nazi regime.
Prisoner B-3087Based on a true story, this novel tells the story of a boy who survived imprisonment in multiple Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
The Boy Who DaredThis novel, based on true events, recounts the story of Helmuth Hübener, a 16-year-old German boy who created and distributed leaflets to counteract Nazi propaganda.
A Place to BelongLike many Japanese-Americans, Hanako and her family are imprisoned in an American internment camp during World War II. After the war ends, they emigrate to Japan — but they struggle to make a home in a country that is unfamiliar to them.
Farewell to ManzanarJeanne Wakatsuki Houston was only seven when her Japanese-American family was forced to leave their home in Long Beach, California for an internment camp during World War II. This is her story.
Girl in the Blue CoatAs World War II rages, Hanneke is hired to find a Jewish teenager who disappeared from the house in which she was hiding. In the course of her search, Hanneke is drawn into the Dutch resistance movement secretly fighting the Nazis.
The Devil's ArithmeticDuring a Passover Seder, 12-year-old Hannah is mysteriously transported from 1980s New York to Poland during World War II. When Hannah is forced into a concentration camp, her survival depends on understanding the depraved arithmetic the Nazis use to keep track of their prisoners.
All My SonsIn the aftermath of World War II, two families come to terms with their involvement in the manufacture of faulty airplane parts that caused the deaths of many soldiers.
NightIn this unflinching memoir, Elie Wiesel describes his experience as a young man imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. 2006 Hill and Wang edition.
The Diary of a Young GirlWhile in hiding with her family in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, 13-year-old Anne Frank kept a diary of her experiences. Published after Anne's death in a Nazi concentration camp, the diary remains a powerful testament to the everyday horrors of the Holocaust.
The Diary of Anne FrankThis dramatic adaptation of the diary of a young Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis won both a Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
The Boy on the Wooden BoxHow the Impossible Became Possible...on Schindler's ListIn this memoir, Leyson details how he and his family survived the Holocaust with the help of Oskar Schindler.
White RoseIn this historical novel-in-verse, German teenager Sophie Scholl joins a secret resistance group called the White Rose in order to oppose the Nazi regime.
The Boys Who Challenged HitlerKnud Pedersen and the Churchill ClubIn 1940, a group of Danish teens formed a secret resistance group called the Churchill Club in order to oppose the Nazi regime. In this nonfiction account, Phillip Hoose traces the development and accomplishments of the club.
The Boy in the Striped PajamasIn this novel, a boy imprisoned in a concentration camp and the son of a Nazi commandant develop an unlikely friendship.
The Plot to Kill HitlerDietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Unlikely HeroThis biography chronicles the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a clergyman who resisted Adolf Hitler's regime.
DisplacementIn this graphic novel, which draws on the author's family history, a teenage girl is transported back in time to a World War II incarceration camp for Japanese Americans.
HiroshimaThis novella tells the story of a young survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan.
All the Light We Cannot SeeMarie-Laure is a blind French girl who flees the Nazi occupation of Paris. Werner Pfennig is a young orphan living in a German mining town. In this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, their lives intertwine in unexpected ways as they try to survive the havoc of war.
The War I Finally WonIn this sequel to The War That Saved My Life, Ada continues to weather World War II in a crowded house in the English countryside.
This Light Between UsA Novel of World War IIA Japanese-American boy and a French girl become unlikely pen pals during World War II.
A Light in the DarknessJanusz Korczak, His Orphans, and the HolocaustThis biography details the life of Janusz Korczak, a Polish doctor who refused to abandon the orphaned children in his care during the Holocaust.
The Librarian of AuschwitzBased on a real-life events, this novel tells the story of Dita Kraus, who secretly ran a small lending library while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp.
ResistanceA Jewish teenager joins the resistance movement against the Nazis during World War II.
They Went LeftAfter being liberated from a Nazi concentration camp, a teenager embarks on a quest to find her brother.
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