My 11 year old daughter loves reading books based in or about the war. Can anyone recommend any that are suitable? Thanks!
My 11 year old daughter loves reading books based in or about the war. Can anyone recommend any that are suitable? Thanks!
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Good night mr tom, book thief, war horse
The Boy In Striped Pyjamas.
I am David xx
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. Many of Paul Dowswell’s books. And George Layton’s short stories, based on his childhood in London during the war, are really fabulous, for adults and children. There’s a combined edition that has them all in. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fib-Swap-Trick-Other-Stories/dp/1447286731
The series by Morris Gleitzman that starts with ‘Once’. There are five in total. I’m a History teacher and we always have these on our reading lists
She loved these!
This is a great collection of short stories by lots of writers, which might give her ideas for which ones she’d like to read more of too. https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Stories-Conflict-Michael-Morpurgo/dp/1447205014
The diary of anne frank
My friend the enemy Jakob read it and really enjoyed it u can borrow if u want x
Yes please!
And a really wonderful book coming out in September – called The Red Ribbon, by Lucy Adlington. Set in the Upper Tailoring Studio in Auschwitz – a story I had no idea about, despite having read a lot about the period. I’ve been lucky enough to be working on it.
just added that to my wishlist, thank you
War Horse
I Am David
Boy in the striped Pyjames
Second Morris Gleitzman Once series
Warhorse by Michael Morpurgo
The silver sword
The Promise
When hitler stole pink rabbit
Great post! My 11 year old has exactly the same interest! Thank you
As does your younger son, no?
That’s so true @Zoe!!! Any book about Hitler would do for him…
The diary of Anne Frank
Hitler’s Canary by Sandi Toksvig
Thanks everyone! She’ll be delighted!
She could read Camille 1944, a diary of a French 7-year-old girl, it is both funny and accurate.
Salt to Sea by Ruta Sepetys but I would hit up commonsense media first to be sure. Or I can PM you. I recently read Son by Lois Lowry and CSM left a lot of details out and marked it as 11+ and I disagree. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.
The Book Thief but it has language.
Totally agree with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. But to offer one not yet mentioned (in this middle of writing this reply it came up as a recommendation haha) – Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys – though it is marked as 13+ on this site (link below). If you have a look at why it’s rated like that you can trust your judgement as to whether it would be suitable for your daughter. ?
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/salt-to-the-sea
Salt to the Sea is an amazing book, but quite dark.
Sepetys’ other book, Between Shades of Grey is also quite good, but again a bit dark. I do think they’re suitable for her age though. I would have loved them at her age.
has she read war horse by Michael morpurgo?
Private Peaceful (also Morpurgo) made me sob. The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall is good too. And others by him.
War horse
Two prayers before bedtime it is brilliant.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0993000703/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487679105&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=two+prayers+before+bedtime&dpPl=1&dpID=5128bVEuniL
Lau, has she read Sarah’s key? One of my favourites. Not sure if too adult for her.
It might be too traumatic for a kid of her age. I cried so much but loved the book.
Carrie’s War
‘back home’ (a book about coming home after being an evacuee) by michelle magorian.
Bomb. It’s the true story of the making of the atomic bomb. This book is made for young readers- my boys loved it.
Go to bookworm in temple fortune they have a great selection. X
A lot of the michael morpurgo books are war based and good for 11yr olds x
Goodnight Mr Tom. It’s about evacuation during the war.
I was just going to add this. Love it.
Across Five Aprils and My Brother Sam is Dead.
Carries war
Number the stars by Lois Lowry
My son says Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. He’s 12 and read it shortly after his birthday.
My daughter says Unbroken after she is older, but her class skipped parts and they had the teen version.
The war that saved my life
Red Berries White Clouds Blue Sky by Sandra Dallas. (Tallgrass is the adult book about Japanese internment)
Most things by Michael Morpurgo.
Salt to the Sea…. was the YA Winner goodreads 2016
Starting this today! I had no idea it was YA
@Lauren you will love it ..I hope.. I know I did.
I’m assuming we are talking about WW2 here?
I took it as any war.
I thought so at first, too, but all the suggestions seem to be WW2 so I wasn’t sure.
I suggested 3 about the civil war.
ah, ok, good! I didn’t look at all of them closely and some I didn’t recognize, but the majority are ww2
My daughter says any war! I’m going to get as many of these recommendations from the library as I can and then she can work her way through them!
Number the Stars.. it’s age appropriate.
https://www.storybookancestor.org/book-reviews/2017/1/20/book-review-number-the-stars
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Adolphus Tips, or Warhorse by Michael Morpurgo. Also When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit – I think by Judith Kerr
Two Prayers Before Bedtime is excellent and age appropriate. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prayers-Before-Bedtime-Nadine-Wojakovski/dp/0993000703
Amazing suggestions! Laura, if your daughter is a bit of a bookworm, would she be interested in reviewing some books for us on our website http://www.toppsta.com/?
I’ll ask her!!
Boat of Stone. Maureen Earl. Biography
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/40171.Best_Young_Adult_Holocaust_WWII_Books
http://voiceseducation.org/content/young-adult-fiction-vietnam-war
Gudrun pauswang’s The Final Journey was brilliant. I read it aged 12.
This is on-fiction but…Perhaps this?
Also NF but if she likes animals maybe this?
@Laura, “The Devil’s Arithmetic” by Jane Yolen. It has stayed with me since I read it in grade school. It’s about WWII. It started my love of historical fiction.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. Broke my heart at her age!
My son read The Book Thief when he was 11 and loved it ?
The War That Saved My Life
She may also like Maus. It’s a graphic novel.
Books by Judith Kerr
The Devils Arithmetic
Anna Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Anne Frank’S Diary
Private Peaceful (I believe its called) can’t remember author, sorry. I read this when I was at school. Beautiful book and stayed with me. Some kinda hard hitting bits, but it is also a war book. Highly recommend. (Also, as a child I didn’t really enjoy reading, but couldn’t read this one quick enough) hope this helps ☺
Summer of My German Soldier; Jo Walton’s Small Change trilogy of alternate history (Farthing, Ha’penny, Half a Crown); The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (also alternate history); Farewell to Manzanar (memoir); The Devil’s Arithmetic. A list from the Good Reads website: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/17000.Best_Children_s_Books_about_World_War_II_1939_1945_
Booklist on the Kindertransport (also from Good Reads): http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/kindertransport
Hi @Laura, pardon my ignorance, but which “war” or does “war” refer to “war” stories in general. I don’t want to make irrelevant suggestions 🙂
Mainly the 2nd world war. She is learning about it at school and is really interested in it
I read the sweetness of forgetting and gave it to maddy she loved it x
Not scrolled through all the posts (sorry) but I highly recommend Goodnight Mister Tom. I read it at 11. A truly beautiful book that has stayed with me to this day. It’s a tearjerker but I guess all books of this subject matter generally are. Hope she loves it.
Number the Stars. I highly recommend.
Thanks so much. I have a long list to take to the library!
I have just read “the earth is singing” by Vanessa Curtis. It’s about a Latvian girl, a dancer living in a perfect world – till everything changes dramatically and devastatingly in her home town Riga. Highly recommend. I think it’s intended from age 14 but could be suitable for some younger kids