World War II is perennially interesting and not just to history buffs! We’ve focused on church history the past couple of years during October, first on the early church and general church history in 2016 and then Reformation church history in 2017. This year, we’re honing in on Christians–and other heroes–during World War II in this World War II Book List.
Some of the people below came to know the Lord during their experiences in war time. Some risked everything precisely because they already rested in Christ. And some of the stories below are simply interesting stories of people who bravely followed their convictions. May they all be an example to us of ordinary people who stood for their convictions. And may we, like Corrie Ten Boom, trust in our Lord in all things.
Heroes of World War II: A Book List for Tweens and Teens
Of special note: any story that tries to be “authentic” and “realistic” for a war-time experience, particularly one as brutal as the Holocaust, carries necessary cautions of violence at minimum. Please read reviews to confirm whether a given book sounds like a good fit for the young readers you have in mind!
*indicates starred review; all titles linked to RR reviews, where applicable
Nonfiction: Christians in WWII
- The Plot to Kill Hitler: Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Patricia McCormick (Ages 10-15)
- *The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix (Ages 10 and up)
- Unbroken: Young Readers Edition by Laura Hillenbrand (Ages 12 and up)
- Lost in the Pacific, 1942: Not a Drop to Drink by Tod Olson (Ages 10-12)
- Corrie Ten Boom by Kaylena Radcliff (Torchlighters Series) (Ages 8-12)
- The Hiding Place (Young Readers Edition) by Corrie Ten Boom (Ages 10 and up)
- The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (Ages 14 and up)
Nonfiction: Ordinary Heroes in WWII
- Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors and Submarines by Deborah Hopkinson (Ages 10 and up)
- Bomb! The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Powerful Weapon by Steve Sheinkin (Ages 10-15)
- Voices of the Second World War: Stories of War as Told to Children of Today by Jeremy Vine (Ages 10 and up)
- Krysia: A Polish Girl’s Stolen Childhood by Krystyna Mihulka (Ages 8-12)
- You Can Fly: the Tuskegee Airmen by Carole Boston Weatherford (verse; Ages 8-12)
- Pearl Harbor Child: An Interview with Dorinda Nicholson
- We Will Not Be Silent by Russell Freedman (Ages 15 and up)
- D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944 by Rick Atkinson (Ages 10 and up)
- Courage Has No Color: The Story of the Triple Nickles by Tanya Lee Stone (Ages 10-14)
- Soldier Bear by Bibi Dumon Tak (Ages 10-12)
- The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Philip Hoose (Ages 10 and up)
- Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus (Ages 10-14)
- Home Front Girl by Joan Wehlan Morrison (Ages 12 and up)
Historical Fiction
- Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes (Ages 10-14)
- Odette’s Secrets by Marianne MacDonald (novel in verse; ages 10-14)
- Code Word Courage by Kirby Larson (Dogs of History series; ages 8-12)
- Dash by Kirby Larson (Dogs of History series; ages 8-12)
- Duke by Kirby Larson (Dogs of History series; ages 8-12)
- Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz (Ages 12 and up)
- Resistance by Jennifer Nielson (Ages 12 and up)
- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Ages 14 and up)
- Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (Ages 14 and up)
- The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (Ages 14 and up)
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Ages 15 and up)
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (Ages 15 and up)
- My Friend the Enemy by J. B. Cheaney (Ages 8-12)
What are YOUR favorite World War II resources for tweens and teens? Tell us in the comments!
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I have a nine year old son who is very interested in WW2 and has read Bomb! and I Survived: The Nazi Invasion. Thanks so much for compiling this list (I know there are many on the list he’ll want to read), you are an invaluable source for parents.
Thanks, Jamie! Your encouragement means the world to us!
Snow Treasure https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Treasure-Marie-McSwigan/dp/0142402249/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29BXVT0FE9NMG&dchild=1&keywords=snow+treasure+by+marie+mcswigan&sprefix=snow+treasure%2Caps%2C641&sr=8-1
Snow Treasure is great!
The Borrowed House by Hilda van Stockum. How a young woman educated by Hitler’s youth movement comes to a realization of what is really going on during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands.
Thank you for mentioning this, Jeannette! I remember reading it several years ago (originally published in 1975) and was struck by how God-honoring it was.
Thank you for this wonderful list! My 12 yo daughter has read a few but many titles are new to us. Looking forward to reading them this summer!
Don’t forget the classic Landmark books from the 50s which can be found on ebay- Battle of Britain, Guadalcanal Diary, Aces of the 8th, etc.
Thanks for the reminder, Kirt! I remember those Landmark books–we had a bunch of them, like 30 Seconds over Tokyo.
Depending on the child, probably age 7+
no bad language, no s.scenes, etc
I read it to my (under 10) daughter so I could selectively edit out sections if necessary but it wasn’t needed
Title/Author
Selected to Live by Johanna Ruth Dobschiner
Forward by Corrie Ten Boom
Jewish teen.
She miraculously escaped (more than once)
Her entire family perished. She was saved by a
Dutch underground
She became a christian as a result of all of her
experiences
An amazing story