YA World War II & Holocaust novelsLike this list

11 items

• The Book Thief

  Zusak, Markus

  Add The Book Thief to your for later shelf

  In World War II Munich, a girl steals to get by. She shares stolen books with her foster father, with her neighbors during bombing raids, and with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. 1939 Nazi Germany. Ages 13 and up.

• Salt to the Sea

  a Novel

  Sepetys, Ruta

  Add Salt to the Sea to your for later shelf

  The greatest maritime disaster was not the Titanic, but the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner carrying wartime personnel and refugees to safety at the end of World War II. This tale follows four refugees through that dark night. 1945. Ages 13…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Number the Stars

  Lowry, Lois

  Add Number the Stars to your for later shelf

  As the Germans prepare to "relocate" the Jews of occupied Denmark, the Danish resistance organizes a mass evacuation, smuggling nearly 7,000 people across the sea to safety. 10-year-old Annemarie helps to hide her best friend. 1943 occupied Denmark.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Between Shades of Gray

  Sepetys, Ruta

  Add Between Shades of Gray to your for later shelf

  15-year-old Lina is an ordinary Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life. Until Soviet officers force her and her family onto a train to the Siberian work camps. A side of World War II history not often explored. 1939 Lithuania. Ages 12 and up.

• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

  a Fable

  Boyne, John, 1971-

  Add The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to your for later shelf

  When Bruno's father gets a promotion, they move to a new place surrounded by endless fences. He befriends a boy who lives on the other side of the fence, the boy in the striped pajamas. 1942 Berlin - the horrors of the holocaust from an unsuspecting…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Code Name Verity

  Wein, Elizabeth

  Add Code Name Verity to your for later shelf

  When a British spy plane crashes in occupied territory with two survivors, the captured spy doesn't have a chance. Her Gestapo interrogator offers a simple choice: confess, or face the consequences. Her scribbled story is a tale of friendship,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Prisoner of Night and Fog

  Blankman, Anne

  Add Prisoner of Night and Fog to your for later shelf

  Gretchen has been raised in the National Socialist Party, where her uncle Dolf keeps her protected. But when a Jewish reporter whispers tales of violence and murder, she'll have to look beyond her sheltered life and discover the truth for herself.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Devil's Arithmetic

  Yolen, Jane

  Add The Devil's Arithmetic to your for later shelf

  Hannah has heard the stories of Holocaust survivors before. This Passover, she finds herself transported back to a small village at the beginning of the war, to live the stories for herself. 1940s Poland. Ages 12 and up.

• The Boy Who Dared

  Bartoletti, Susan Campbell

  Add The Boy Who Dared to your for later shelf

  Helmut Hubner was a Hitler youth. But when he dares to tell the truth about what Germany is doing, he is sentenced to treason. His life story emerges in flashbacks as he awaits his sentence. 1942 Nazi Germany. Ages 10 and up.

• The Berlin Boxing Club

  Sharenow, Rob

  Add The Berlin Boxing Club to your for later shelf

  Karl has never thought of himself as a Jew, but the bullies at his school think differently. When the German hero, Max Schmeling, teaches him to box, Karl increasingly finds himself playing the role of family protector. As violence escalates, he'll…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Milkweed

  a Novel

  Spinelli, Jerry

  Add Milkweed to your for later shelf

  He's an orphan with no past on the streets of Warsaw during World War II. When the Germans come to empty the Jewish ghettos onto the trains, it's safest to be no one. 1939 occupied Poland. Ages 11 and up.