World War II has been an inspiration for writers for decades, with events that spanned continents and impacted people from every culture. These books explore the determination and perseverance of the people that survived the travesty of war.
For Adult Readers
All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton
In this novel set in Australia in 1942, young Molly finds herself burdened by both the loss of her mother and an unshakeable family curse. Heeding her mother’s final words, Molly looks to the sky for answers. The first sky gift, a pan inscribed with a cryptic riddle, sets her on a quest for answers. But the second sky gift, a fallen Japanese pilot, changes her life as the two become unlikely friends on their mutual quest for answers and fight for survival.
Angels of the Pacific by Elise Hooper
Inspired by the Angels of Bataan, this book paints a vivid picture of life in the Philippines in 1941 through the eyes of its dual heroines. Tess Abbott is an American nurse who finds herself trapped when the Japanese occupation of the Philippines begins in 1941. Tess bonds with Filipina university student Flor Dalisay, and they work together to survive, endure the brutality of war, and ease the suffering of those around them.
Churchill’s Secret Messenger by Alan Hlad
Embark on an emotional rollercoaster as you follow the story of Rose Teasdale, codename: Dragonfly. After losing her brother and parents to a bombing raid, Rose puts her talents to a new and dangerous use when she leaves her clerical job and joins Churchill’s Special Operations Executive, who deploy her as a spy to Nazi-occupied France. From there, Rose’s journey leads her to love, torture, loss, hope, and imprisonment in a vivid telling that spares no details.
The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman
Set in two different decades, this story starts in 1943 in Pearl Harbor’s “Dungeon,” where codebreaker Isabel Cooper seeks to avenge her brother’s death by using her skills to unlock the enemy’s coded messages. To protect the ones she loves, Isabel buries her own secrets along the way. Those secrets begin to resurface in 1965 when reporter Luana “Lu” Freitas investigates the death of a famous singer and uncovers connections that go back to Isabel’s codebreaking days.
Dear Little Corpses by Nicola Upson
The latest mystery in Upson’s Josephine Tey series is set against the backdrop of the earliest days of World War II. As war breaks out in 1939, children file onto trains in London to evacuate to the safety of the countryside. As one Suffolk village prepares to welcome the children, one of their own goes missing. During the search, the townsfolk learn that two evacuees are missing as well. The search uncovers new secrets, and the answers are not without heartbreak.
The Fervor by Alma Katsu
Historical fiction takes on a supernatural twist in this story about a Japanese American mother, Meiko and daughter, Aiko, in an Idaho internment camp. The pair form an unlikely alliance with a reporter and a missionary to counter threats greater than they could have imagined. The evils of injustice and disease intertwine with the threat of a folklore-inspired spider-demon to weave together a harrowing and cautionary allegory.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
When the Nazis marched into France in 1939, life changed in even the quietest places. Based on the true account of the American Library in Paris, this novel follows the story of Odile Souchet as she bands with her fellow librarians to preserve and share the books in their care. Together they risk their lives to defy the strict orders of the occupying forces and equip the Resistance with their most powerful weapon: knowledge.
A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear
British ferry pilot Jo Hardy is delivering a fighter when her plane comes under attack from friendly soil. Her investigation leads her to a Black American soldier held captive in a barn, an unsolved murder, and another mysterious ferry pilot crash. When she calls on investigator Maisie Dobbs, they uncover even more mysteries threaded with racial injustice, international complications, and even a plot against U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who is preparing for a trip to Britain.
Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson
Based on the true story of the 6888th Postal Battalion, Sisters in Arms depicts what life was like for the only all-Black, female U.S. battalion serving overseas during World War II. Before even joining the fight, Grace and Eliza must battle bureaucracy, regulations, and people who are hoping that they fail. Though this book spends less time with combat than other World War II fiction, it reveals the persistence and determination of its protagonists through a fight of a different kind.
Three Sisters by Heather Morris
Based on the true account of three Slovakian sisters, this story follows the lives of Cibi, Magda, and Livia as war separates and then reunites them. First, the Nazis order 15-year-old Livia to Auschwitz, disrupting their childhood promise to stay together. Cibi follows her while Livia escapes for a short time before the three sisters reunite in the death camp. After their escape, their collective fight for survival takes them on a death march back to their war-torn homeland, and ultimately to new beginnings in Israel.
A Valiant Deceit by Stephanie Graves
Olive Bright is a young pigeoneer using her talents to aid the Belgian resistance against the Nazis. During her training at a top-secret facility in rural England, Lieutenant Beckett, an instructor at the school, turns up dead. When the police rule his death an accident, Olive remains unconvinced. As she pieces together clues about the officer’s mysterious death, she uncovers threats to her pigeons and the entire Belgian resistance.
For Young Readers
Pass on the stories of the Greatest Generation to the latest generation of readers with these two titles aimed at teen and pre-teen audiences.
Our Castle by the Sea by Lucy Strange
Pet is an 11-year-old girl enjoying life in a lighthouse in Kent, England. When war breaks out, her carefree life of secret seaside tunnels and sea monster stories gives way to the grim reality of bombing raids and sirens. Worst of all, her family is torn apart when her German-born mother is sent to an internment camp and her father joins the war effort. Even her older sister withdraws to secrecy, leaving Pet and the mysterious standing stones of ancient legends to protect their lighthouse.
Resistance by Jennifer Nielsen
After losing her sister and brother, teenager Chaya Lindner decides to do something about the Nazi occupation of her homeland, Poland. She quickly rises from simple smuggler to resistance fighter. Despite losses and failed missions, she presses on to help others survive, and even find hope, in the midst of the war-torn ghettos of Poland.
Jac F., Quakertown branch
