Middle School Books about World War II

Middle School Books about World War II
Boas, Jacob. We are witnesses: five diaries of teenagers who died in the Holocaust. YA 940.5318 WE
The five diarists in this book did not survive the war. But their words did. Each diary reveals one voice,
one teenager coping with the impossible.
Boyne, John. The boy in the striped pajamas: a fable. YA BOY
Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-With" in 1942, Bruno, the son
of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence.
Cartlidge, Cherese. Life of a Nazi soldier. YA 940.5413 CAR
This examination of a German soldier’s experience begins by describing the rise of the country’s
militarized culture under Hitler and his requirements of universal military service, then describes the
army’s rigorous training, major campaigns, and final stand at the end of the war, with a focus on the
soldier’s fighting and living conditions.
Casanova, Mary. The Klipfish code. J CAS
Sent with her younger brother to Godøy Island to live with her aunt and grandfather after Germans bomb
Norway in 1940, ten-year-old Merit longs to join her parents in the Resistance and when her aunt, a
teacher, is taken away two years later, she resents even more the Nazis' presence and her grandfather's
refusal to oppose them.
Chapman, Fern Schumer. Is it night or day? YA CHA
In 1938, Edith Westerfeld, a young German Jew, is sent by her parents to Chicago, Illinois, where she
lives with an aunt and uncle and tries to assimilate into American culture, while worrying about her
parents and mourning the loss of everything she has ever known. Based on the author's mother's
experience, includes an afterword about a little-known program that brought twelve hundred Jewish
children to safety during World War II.
Cheaney, J.B. My friend, the enemy. J CHE
During World War II, a twelve-year-old girl becomes friends with a young Japanese-American boy she
discovers being sheltered and hidden by her neighbor.
Cormier, Robert. Tunes for bears to dance to. YA COR
Eleven-year-old Henry escapes his family's problems by watching the woodcarving of Mr. Levine, an
elderly Holocaust survivor, but when Henry is manipulated into betraying his friend he comes to know
true evil.

Currie, Stephen. Escapes from Nazi persecution. YA 940.5318
Escaping from one of history’s most menacing empires was no easy task, yet many brave groups
undertook the effort. Prisoners of war, targeted citizens, refugees, and those in concentrations camps all
sought their freedom from Nazi persecution.
Dahlberg, Maurine F. Play to the angel. J DAH
In Vienna in 1938, in the shadow of an increasingly dangerous Nazi Germany, twelve-year-old Greta
pursues her dream of becoming a concert pianist like her dead brother Kurt, despite a lack of support from
her widowed mother.
Dogar, Sharon. Annexed. YA DOG
Everyone knows about Anne Frank and her life hidden in the secret annex – but what about the boy who
was also trapped there with her? In this powerful and gripping novel, Sharon Dogar explores what this
might have been like from Peter’s point of view.
Engle, Margarita. Tropical Secrets: Holocaust refugees in Cuba. YA ENG
Escaping from Nazi Germany to Cuba in 1939, a young Jewish refugee dreams of finding his parents
again, befriends a local girl with painful secrets of her own, and discovers that the Nazi darkness is never
far away.
Ferrari, Michael. Born to Fly. J FER
In 1942, an eleven-year-old girl who longs to be a pilot and her family try to manage their lives in Rhode
Island when the father goes to fight in World War II.
Friedman, D. Dina. Escaping into the night. YA FRI
Thirteen-year-old Halina Rudowski narrowly escapes the Polish ghetto and flees to the forest, where she
is taken in by an encampment of Jews trying to survive World War II.
Gies, Miep & Alison Leslie Gold. Anne Frank remembered: the story of the woman who helped to hide
the Frank family. 940.5315 GIE
For the millions moved by Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, here at last is Miep's own astonishing
story. For more than two years, Miep Gies and her husband helped hide the Franks from the Nazis. Like
thousands of unsung heroes of the Holocaust, they risked their lives each day to bring food, news, and
emotional support to the victims.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Willow Run. J GIF
During World War II, after moving with her parents to Willow Run, Michigan, when her father gets a job
in the B-24 bomber-building factory, eleven-year-old Meggie learns about different kinds of bravery from
all of the people around her.
Glatstein, Jacob. Emil and Karl. J GLA
In Vienna, Austria, in 1940, two nine-year-old boys, one Jewish and one Aryan, are classmates and best
friends when events of the Nazi occupation draw them even closer together as they fight to survive and
escape together.

Grabowski, John F. Josef Mengele. YA B MEN
Profiles the Nazi war criminal who was personally responsible for deciding which inmates of the
concentration camp at Auschwitz would work, which would be subjected to experimentation, and which
would die.
Greene, Bette. Summer of my German soldier. YA GRE
When German prisoners of war are brought to her Arkansas town during World War II, twelve-year-old
Patty, a Jewish girl, befriends one of them and must deal with the consequences of that friendship.
Hahn, Mary Downing. Stepping on the Cracks. J HAH
In 1944, while her brother is overseas fighting in World War II, eleven-year-old Margaret gets a new
view of the school bully Gordy when she finds him hiding his own brother, an army deserter, and decides
to help him.
Isaacs, Anne. Torn Thread. J ISA
In an attempt to save his daughter's life, Eva's father sends her from Poland to a labor camp in
Czechoslovakia where she and her sister, Rachel, are forced to make blankets and uniforms for the
German army.
Kacer, Kathy. The diary of Laura’s twin. J KAC
Laura is about to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah, when she is “twinned” with Sara Gittler, a young girl her
own age who was imprisoned by the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Laura is to learn
about Sarah’s life and then share her story at the ceremony.
Kadohata, Cynthia. The Weedflower. J KAD
After twelve-year-old Sumiko and her Japanese-American family are relocated from their flower farm in
southern California to an internment camp on a Mojave Indian reservation in Arizona, she helps her
family and neighbors, becomes friends with a local Indian boy, and tries to hold on to her dream of
owning a flower shop.
Kerr, Judith. When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit. J KER
Anna was only nine years old in 1933, and thought that being Jewish was just something you were
because your parents and grandparents were. But then one day her father went frighteningly missing, and
she and her brother were hurried out of Germany by their mother. Reunited in Switzerland, Anna and her
family embark on an adventure that would go on for years, in several different countries.
Kerr, M.E. Slap your sides. YA KER
Life in their Pennsylvania hometown changes for Jubal Shoemaker and his family when his older brother
witnesses to his Quaker beliefs by becoming a conscientious objector during World War II.
Kor, Eva Mozes & Lisa Rojany Buccieri. Surviving the angel of death: the story of a Mengele twin in
Auschwitz. YA B KOR

Levitin, Sonia. Room in the heart. YA LEV
After German forces occupy Denmark during World War II, fifteen-year-old Julie Weinstein and fifteenyear-old
Niels Nelson and their friends and families try to cope with their daily lives, finding various
ways to resist the Nazis and, ultimately, to survive.
Lieurance, Suzanne. The Lucky Baseball: my story in a Japanese-American internment camp. J LIE
In 1942 after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, twelve-year-old Harry Yakamoto and his family are forced
to move to an internment camp where they must learn to survive in the desert of California under the
watch of armed guards.
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. J LOW
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and
courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
Matas, Carol. After the War YA MAT
After being released from Buchenwald at the end of World War II, fifteen-year-old Ruth risks her life to
lead a group of children across Europe to Palestine.
Mazer, Norma Fox. Good Night, Maman. J MAZ
After spending years fleeing from the Nazis in war-torn Europe, twelve-year-old Karin Levi and her older
brother Marc find a new home in a refugee camp on Lake Oswego, New York.
Mazur, Harry. Heroes Don’t Run. J MAZ
To honor his father who died during the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor, seventeen-year-old Adam
eagerly enlists in the Marines in 1944, survives boot camp, and faces combat on the tiny island of
Okinawa.
McClafferty, Carla K. In defiance of Hitler: the secret mission of Varian Fry. YA B FRY
At a time when most Americans ignored the atrocities going on in Europe in 1940, American journalist
Varian Fry put himself in great danger to save strangers in a foreign land. He was instrumental in the
rescue of more than 2,000 refugees, including novelist Heinrich Mann and artist Marc Chagall.
Means, Florence. The Moved Outers. J MEA
After the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor in 1941, life changes drastically for eighteen-year-old Sumiko
Ohara and her family when they are sent from their home in California to a series of relocation camps.
Meserole, Mike. The great escape: the longest tunnel. YA 940.5472 MES
Spring, 1943; Stalag Luft III, Germany: every prisoner in the Nazi camps had one thought in mind—to
get out. The stakes were high, however: anyone caught would be executed.
Myers, Walter Dean. The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins. J MYE
A seventeen-year-old soldier from central Virginia records his experiences in a journal as his regiment
takes part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and subsequent battles to liberate France.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Fire in the Hills. J NAP
Upon returning to Italy, fourteen-year-old Roberto struggles to survive, first on his own, then as a
member of the resistance, fighting against the Nazi occupiers while yearning to reach home safely and for
an end to the war.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Stones in Water. J NAP
After being taken by German soldiers from a local movie theater along with other Italian boys and his
Jewish friend, Roberto escapes into the Ukrainian winter, before desperately trying to make his way back
home to Venice.
Park. Linda Sue. When my name was Keoko. J PAR
With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly oppressive occupation
of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to suppress Korean culture entirely.
Paulsen, Gary. The Cookcamp. J PAU
During World War II, a little boy is sent to live with his grandma, a cook in a camp for workers building a
road through the wilderness.
Pausewang, Gudrun. Dark Hours. YA PAU
Several days before Gisel's 16th birthday, the family must flee their small village as the Russian army
advances and the American forces approach.
Pausewang, Gudrun. Traitor. YA PAU
During the closing months of World War II, a fifteen-year-old German girl must decide whether or not to
help an escaped Russian prisoner of war, despite the serious consequences if she does so.
Peck, Richard. On the wings of heroes. J PEC
A boy in Illinois remembers the homefront years of World War II, especially his two heroes--his brother
in the Air Force and his father, who fought in the previous war.
Rinaldi, Ann. Keep smiling through. J RIN
A ten-year-old girl living in middle-class America during World War II learns the painful lesson that
doing what's right is not always an easy thing to do.
Roy, Jennifer. Yellow Star. J ROY
From 1939, when Syvia is four and a half years old, to 1945 when she has just turned ten, a Jewish girl
and her family struggle to survive in Poland's Lodz ghetto during the Nazi occupation.
Sachs, Marilyn. Lost in America. YA SAC
Follows the experiences of Nicole, a teenaged French Jew, from 1943 to 1948, as she loses her parents
and sister to the concentration camps and then leaves her native France to make a new life for herself in
New York City.

Schroder. Monika. The dog in the wood. J SCH
As World War II draws to an end, Russian soldiers occupy Schwartz, Germany, bringing both friendship
and hardship to the family of ten-year-old Fritz, whose grandfather was a Nazi sympathizer, eventually
forcing them to leave their farm, then arresting Fritz's mother and her hired hand.
Sharenow, Rob. The Berlin Boxing Club. YA SHA
In 1936 Berlin, fourteen-year-old Karl Stern, considered Jewish despite a non-religious upbringing, learns
to box from the legendary Max Schmeling while struggling with the realities of the Holocaust.
Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed. YA SPI
A street child, known to himself only as Stopthief, finds community when he is taken in by a band of
orphans in Warsaw ghetto which helps him weather the horrors of the Nazi regime.
Streissguth, Thomas. Raoul Wallenberg: Swedish diplomat and humanitarian. J B WAL
The life story of the Swedish diplomat who risked his life to save Jews from the horrors of Nazi rule
offers young adults an inspiring example of the power of individual courage in the face of even the most
oppressive evil.
Thompson, Bruce, ed. Oskar Schindler. YA 362.8781 SCH
During the Holocaust, Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives by providing a sanctuary for
them directly under the noses of the German executioners. This anthology considers who Schindler was,
why he did so much while others did so little, and what his example tells us about the nature of moral
virtue.
Toksvig, Sandi. Hitler’s canary. J TOK
Ten-year-old Bamse and his Jewish friend Anton participate in the Danish Resistance during World War
II
Tunnell, Michael. Brothers in valor. J TUN
Three German teenagers who are members of the Mormon Church join forces to create a youth resistance
movement during World War II, putting their lives at risk.
Wiseman, Eva. No one must know. YA WIS
Alexandra's world is turned upside down when she discovers a secret that her parents have kept. They are
not Catholic, as Alexandra believes. They are Jewish. Alexandra's view of her parents, of her friends, and
of the society in which she lives is turned upside down by her discovery. Who is she and where does she
really belong?
Wood, Adam. Anne Frank. YA B FRA
A biography of Anne Frank, including the historical events which forced her to hide with her family in an
attic in Nazi-occupied Holland for two years.

Zassenhaus, Hiltgunt. Walls: resisting the Third Reich – one woman’s story. YA 943.086 ZAS
Hiltgunt Zassenhaus was 17 when she first resisted the Third Reich by refusing to give the "Heil Hitler"
salute in her high school. Later, as the terrible events of wartime Germany swirled around her, she risked
death to smuggle food, medicine, and emotional support to hundreds of political prisoners, ultimately
saving them from mass execution by the Nazis.
Additional titles can be found in the Juvenile and Young Adult Non-fiction sections by browsing 940.5.
Please don’t hesitate to ask a librarian for help!
Compiled by SPPL Librarians
April 2013