Sunday was Remembrance Day so we thought now was a good time to share a list of children's/YA novels about war and conflicts. This is one of Little M's favourite genres too.
Some of these novels are probably best suited to older readers because of the.....uh, violence. Some of these novels are historical fiction, others use the topic of war more loosely to create a different kind of novel. A couple of these books are memoirs.
We have read some of these books and if we've read them recently, there is a link to our review. We've also included a list of books that we haven't read but that have been recommended to us.
Some of these novels are probably best suited to older readers because of the.....uh, violence. Some of these novels are historical fiction, others use the topic of war more loosely to create a different kind of novel. A couple of these books are memoirs.
We have read some of these books and if we've read them recently, there is a link to our review. We've also included a list of books that we haven't read but that have been recommended to us.
Please feel free to include any other books that have war or conflict as a theme in the comments section.
Books we have read:
World War I
War Horse –
Michael Morpurgo
World War II
Code Name Verity
– Elizabeth Wein (review)
The Silver Sword
– Ian Serraillier (review)
The Book Thief –
Markus Zusak
Hitler’s Angel –
William Osborne (review)
Once – Morris
Gleitzman
Carrie’s War –
Nina Bawden
Goodnight Mister
Tom – Michelle Magorian
The Diary of a Young
Girl – Anne Frank (non-fiction/only part read)
The Seeing –
Diana Hendry (post-WWII) (review)
Hitlers Canary –
Sandi Toksvig
Civil Wars &
Conflicts
Never Fall Down
– Patricia McCormick (review)
Now Is the Time
For Running – Michael Williams (review)
A World Between
Us – Lydia Syson (review)
A Soldier’s
Secret – Marissa Moss (review)
Afghanistan
This Is Not
Forgiveness – Celia Rees (review)
Billie Templar’s
War – Ellie Irving (review)
Shadow – Michael
Morpurgo
Futuristic/Speculative Wars
Insignia – SJ
Kincaid (review)
Other Recommendations
We have not read these books. They have
been recommended by various people.
World War I
World War II
Far
From My Home, Never to Return - Nadia
Seluga (Polish child’s WWII Memoir)
The
Endless Steppe
- Esther Hauzig’s (memoir)
The Upstairs
Room – Joanna Reiss (autobiography, Dutch occupation)
When Hitler
Stole Pink Rabbit – Judith Kerr (Jewish girl in Germany)
At the Firefly
Gate – Linda Newbury (romantic ghost story)
The Machine
Gunners – Robert Westall
Blitzcat –
Robert Westall (about a cat)
Tamar – Mal Peet
(Dutch resistance)
Once, Then , Now,
After – Morris Gleitzmann quartet (We’ve read Once. It's brilliant!)
Waiting for Anya
– Michael Morpurgo
A Medal For
Leroy – Michael Morpurgo (inspired by first black officer in British army)
The Chalet
School in Exile – Elinor Brent-Dyer
The Great Escape - Megan Rix (pets left by evacuees)
The Great Escape - Megan Rix (pets left by evacuees)
I Am David –
Anne Holm (escapee from a communist camp)
The Rabbit Girl
– Mary Arrigan (evacuees)
Afghanistan
The Breadwinner
– Deborah Ellis (11 year old who becomes a breadwinner in Afghanistan)
A Million Angels
– Kate Maryon
Zimbabwe
Out of Shadows –
Jason Wallace
India
The Wheel of
Surya – Jamila Gavin
Futuristic/Speculative
How I Live Now –
Meg Rosoff
Non-Fiction: Britain & World War I
Here's a list of non-fiction titles on The Guardian website.
There are more suggestions from Alex Baugh (The Children's War blogger) on her Remembrance Day guest post for us.
Non-Fiction: Britain & World War I
Here's a list of non-fiction titles on The Guardian website.
There are more suggestions from Alex Baugh (The Children's War blogger) on her Remembrance Day guest post for us.
Have you read any of these books?
Can you recommend any other books with war and conflict as a theme?
What a great list! I always think that it'd be great to highlight some interesting books about war in the run up to Remembrance Sunday, but I've never done it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Clover; Alex from The Children's War helped me out with a great post on Remembrance Day this year :)
DeleteThis is a very nice list. There are a few that are new to me, so I'll have to find them. I am always open to new books and you have reviewed a few that I really enjoyed - like Hitler's Angel by William Osborne.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex, I'm always amazed when we read a children's 'war' novel before you do ( I think you're the specialist on that one!); probably because we get the UK published ones before they're out in the US.
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