Best World War 2 Books

In Nazi Germany, a young girl falls in love with books and words. From stealing books from book burnings to the mayor's wife's library, Liesel's love affair with literature blooms with the help of her foster father. But when her family hides a Jew in their basement, the danger intensifies. Markus Zusak's superbly crafted writing tells a timeless story of love and loss in a tumultuous era.

Set against the backdrop of World War II, this beautiful and moving novel follows the intertwined lives of a blind French girl and a German boy. When Marie-Laure and her father must flee Paris for the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, they carry with them a valuable and dangerous jewel from the Museum of Natural History. Meanwhile, Werner Pfennig grows up enchanted by a radio he finds in a mining town in Germany, and becomes enlisted to track down the resistance. As their paths converge, they must try to be good to each other in the midst of the devastation of war. With stunning detail and captivating prose, this National Book Award finalist is a must-read for lovers of historical fiction.

Set in WWII France, The Nightingale follows the stories of two sisters who embark on their own dangerous paths towards survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France. Vianne and Isabelle's lives take different turns during the war, but both must make impossible choices to stay alive. Kristin Hannah's heartbreakingly beautiful novel illuminates the rarely seen stories of women's war and celebrates the resilience and durability of the human spirit. It's a novel for everyone, a must-read for a lifetime.

Take a journey with a nine-year-old boy named Bruno, but beware of the fence he eventually reaches - one you hope to never have to cross. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a difficult story to describe, with a mystery that makes it best to start without any prior knowledge. Although not written for nine-year-olds, this tale will capture anyone's heart.

Set in Nazi-occupied France, this gripping novel follows a British spy plane crash that leaves its pilot and passenger, best friends, in a game of survival. One is arrested by the Gestapo and faces a life-or-death choice: reveal her mission or be executed. As she weaves her confession, the story reveals the girls' past and the strength of friendship. This harrowing and beautifully written novel will keep you on edge until the very end.

A powerful memoir, Night delves into the memories of Elie Wiesel, a Jewish teenager taken from his home and sent to concentration camps during WWII. Wiesel recounts the anguish of losing his family and his faith, and his despair in coming face to face with the unimaginable evil of humanity. This moving and unforgettable testimony serves as a stark reminder of the need to fight against such atrocities ever occurring again.

Discover a world classic and timeless testament to the human spirit in this extraordinary diary, written by a teenage girl who hid with her family from Nazis for two years in Amsterdam. With new passages originally withheld by her father, meet Anne Frank: stubbornly honest, touchingly vulnerable, in love with life, and facing hunger, fear, death, and frustrations few teenagers have ever known. Explore her secret world of soul-searching, rebellious clashes, romance, newly discovered sexuality, and candid observations of companions. Imparting adult wisdom beyond her years, Anne's story is that of every teenager.

The Complete Maus is a captivating graphic novel that tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman and his wife's survival during Hitler's Europe. Through the use of cartoons, the author conveys the everyday struggles and fear of the Holocaust while exploring the emotional journey of guilt, relief, and survival. This contemporary classic sheds light on how the trials of survivors affect their children and is of immeasurable significance.

Discover the story of the Battle of Stalingrad, the psychological turning point of World War II that changed modern warfare forever. Historian Antony Beevor's Stalingrad is hailed as the definitive account of this harrowing battle where Hitler's Sixth Army met the city bearing Stalin's name, engaging in a five-month siege that cost over a million lives. Beevor's interviews with survivors and his findings in multiple archives provide unparalleled insight into the horror experienced by soldiers and civilians alike. From cruelty to courage to unimaginable human suffering, Stalingrad provides an unforgettable look at the human cost of war.

Discover an eccentric world of book lovers in the aftermath of WWII with a remarkable conversation in letters. Join Juliet Ashton as she discovers the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi for breaking curfew under German occupation. As she learns about the impact of the war on the Society's members, she finds herself drawn to the story of Elizabeth and sets sail for Guernsey, changing her life forever. A celebration of the written word in all its guises, this debut novel is a collaboration between Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.