War Stories: Books on WWII

If you were to search World War Two books online, you’d find you were in a pickle. There are wayyyyy too many books out there to even begin to make a dent in war literature. But luckily, we took the guesswork out of it for you and present you with these three books/series we think you’ll like.

My Secret War

By Mary Osborne

Summary: Madeline (Maddie) Beck has lived in many places and spent a lot of time apart from her career navy officer dad, but "this time feels different from the other times. It feels ominous." And so it is. Less than three months after Maddie and her mother move to Mrs. Hawkins's Mansion-by-the Sea on Long Island, New York, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and the United States is thrust into World War II. Her dad is no longer "on assignment to just 'safeguard' the Pacific anymore. Now he's there to fight." Maddie's thoughts turn from trying to fit in with the popular girls in her eighth grade class to doing something for the war effort, or as her dad says, "to keep the home fires burning." Her efforts to help the war turn into a frightening journey when she accidentally stumbles across a dangerous mission that may lead to dire consequences.

What we like about this book: This is one of the few books we found on the 1942 Long Beach landing. It’s witty, humorous and thoughtful, often giving you a real feel on what it would be like to be a girl during one of the darkest times in history.

Age Range: 13-17

Audience: Girls and Boys

Cautions: Maddie does get a boyfriend halfway through the story, and they do kiss. Other than that, there really isn’t any inappropriate interactions between them, but the girls talk about boys throughout the book. Younger kids may be scared by a scene towards the end of the book, but the story concludes well and nothing comes of the ‘scary threat’.

Era: 1941-1942

Special Notes: None.

Someone Named Eva

by Joan M. Wolf

On the night Nazi soldiers come to her home in Czechoslovakia, Milada's grandmother says, "Remember, Milada. Remember who you are. Always." Milada promises, but she doesn't understand her grandmother's words. After all, she is Milada, who lives with her mama and papa, her brother and sister, and her beloved Babichka. Milada, eleven years old, the fastest runner in school. How could she ever forget?

Then the Nazis take Milada away from her family and send her to a Lebensborn center in Poland. There, she is told she fits the Aryan ideal: her blond hair and blue eyes are the right color; her head and nose, the right size. She is given a new name, Eva, and trained to become the perfect German citizen, to be the hope of Germany's future — and to forget she was ever a Czech girl named Milada.

Inspired by real events, this fascinating novel sheds light on a little-known aspect of the Nazi agenda and movingly portrays a young girl's struggle to hold on to her identity and her hope in the face of a regime intent on destroying both.

What we like about this book: If you want to know what Marin’s life was like when she was younger, this is the book to read. It details the real events of what it was like to be a young Czech girl swept away in the pursuit for a perfect Aryan nation, as well as how hard it was to keep yourself when all you’ve ever known has been taken away from you. A true work of literature.

Age Range: 13 and up

Audience: Girls, but boys would get something out of this also

Cautions: There are several older references and themes throughout this book. What takes place in this story really did happen, and the author doesn’t hide the fact of the horrors that happened to people during the Nazi takeover. Children who are easily frightened by things like this should steer away from this particular book.

Era: 1942

Special Notes: Marin highly recommends this book if you want to know what it really was like in Europe during WWII. “This story doesn’t take anything lightly, it tells the truth,” she says. “If you want to see what it was like from a kid’s eyes- particularly a Czech girl like me, this is the book to read.”

Shadows on the Sea

by Joan Harlow

The U.S. is at war with Germany. Fourteen-year-old Jill Winter's mother is traveling to Newfoundland and must pass through the treacherous North Atlantic, where German submarines -- U-boats -- stalk like wolves. Jill's father, a famous pop singer, is on tour, so Jill is sent to Winter Haven, Maine, to stay with Nana.

Quarry, a local boy, says that "gossip ain't never been so good," and Jill soon discovers he's right -- Winter Haven is full of secrets and rumors. It seems everyone has something to hide -- even Nana! Jill doesn't know whom to trust, and she's worried for her mother's safety. And things get even worse when she finds a wounded carrier pigeon with a coded message attached to its leg.

Jill is determined to get to the bottom of all these mysteries, but when she uncovers the biggest secret of all, she finds herself in grave danger -- and must run for her life!

What we like about this book: So far, this is the only children’s fictional account of the 1944 submarine landing in Maine. Intriguing, fast-paced and full of adventure, there’s a mystery at every bend in this book!

Age Range: 12-16

Audience: Girls, but boys would like it too

Cautions: One of the girls in the story is rumored to have been born without married parents. This is later confirmed. Also, towards the end of the book there is one bad word spouted off by an angry father who is tired of the war and that their boys are off fighting. Younger kids might be frightened by a scene towards the end of the book, but like all kids books the heroine ends up okay.

Era: 1942

Special Notes: None.

Come back next week when we bring you to Maine to watch a historic landing- that goes really wrong!