Theme: War

Winter in Wartime

Near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Michiel becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel comes of age and learns the start difference between adventure fantasy and the ugly realities of war.

Descriptors: Europe, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Netherlands » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

An Elephant in the Garden

Lizzie and Karl’s mother is a zoo keeper; the family has become attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene, who will be destroyed as a precautionary measure so she and the other animals don’t run wild should the zoo be hit by bombs. The family persuades the zoo director to let Marlene stay in their [...]

Descriptors: Europe, Germany, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Other Half of Life

A heartbreaking novel based on the true story of a World War II voyage.In May of 1939, the SS St. Francis sets sail from Germany, carrying German Jews and other refugees away from Hitler’s regime. The passengers believe they are bound for freedom in Cuba and eventually the United States, but not all of them [...]

Descriptors: Caribbean, Cuba, Germany, Historical Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Lily Pond

A year after Stephie Steiner and her younger sister, Nellie, left Nazi-occupied Vienna, Stephie has finally adapted to life on the rugged Swedish island where she now lives. But more change awaits Stephie: her foster parents have allowed her to enroll in school on the mainland, in Goteberg. Stephie is eager to go. Not only [...]

Descriptors: Europe, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Sweden » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Auslander

When Peter’s parents are killed, he is sent to an orphanage in Warsaw, Poland. But Peter is Volksdeutscher-of German blood. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he looks just like the boy on the Hitler Youth poster. The Nazis decide he is racially valuable. Indeed, a prominent German family is pleased to adopt such [...]

Descriptors: Europe, Germany, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Poland » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Guardian of the Green Hill

After the Midsummer War ends, Meg Morgan faces a madman in the battle for control of the last bastion of fairies in England, aided by her siblings Rowan, Silly, and James, and American neighbors Dickie Rhys, and Finn Fachan.

Descriptors: England (UK), Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

The Lost Boys of Sudan

This book presents accounts of narrow escapes executed by oppressed individuals and groups while illuminating social issues and the historical background that led to wars in Sudan and the orphaned refugees known as the ‘Lost Boys’.

Descriptors: Africa, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Nonfiction, Sudan, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Beyond Bullets: A Photo Journal of Afganistan

Award-winning photographer Rafal Gerszak spent a year embedded with the American military in Afghanistan, where he used his camera to document everyday life in the war-torn country. While there, he developed a deep affection for the land and its people, and he later returned on his own. Despite the dangers around him, he continued taking [...]

Descriptors: Afghanistan, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Nonfiction » Other Themes: , » Leave a comment

Life: An Exploded Diagram

In 1960s Norfolk, England, seventeen-year-old Clem Ackroyd lives with his mother and grandmother in a tiny cottage, but his life is transformed when he falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy farmer in this tale that flashes back through the stories of three generations.

Descriptors: England (UK), Historical Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

The Unbreakable Code

John’s mother is geting married and he has to leave the reservation. John’s grandfather tells him he has the special unbreakable code to take with him. This story portrays the quiet pride of a Navajo code talker as he explains to his grandson how the Navajo language, faith and ingenuity helped win World War II.

Descriptors: Historical Fiction, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), United States of America » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment