Historical and War (YA)

If you like reading novels set in times gone by you might find something interesting on this list. Also included are some war books (many and varied wars! Including the American Revolution, World War II, the Iraq War). Some are more 'historical' than others!

Updated June 19, 2024
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Wellington City Libraries Youth team at Wellington City Libraries
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These violent delights
Gong, Chloe
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! A BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Book of 2020 Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai...

Historical setting: 1920s Shanghai, China

The forest of stolen girls
Hur, June
Audiobook
Suspenseful and richly atmospheric, June Hur's The Forest of Stolen Girls is a haunting historical mystery sure to keep readers guessing until the last page. 1426, Joseon (Korea). Hwani's family has never been the same since she and her younger sister...

Historical setting: 1420s Korea

The librarian of Auschwitz
Iturbe, Antonio
Paper Book
Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along...

Historical setting: World War II

Alex & Eliza : a love story
De la Cruz, Melissa
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Queen's Assassin and the Descendants series comes the love story of young Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler. 1777. Albany, New York. As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance,...
Historical setting: American Revolution, 1770s USA
Dreamland burning
Latham, Jennifer
Paper Book
A compelling dual-narrated tale from Jennifer Latham that questions how far we've come with race relations. Some bodies won't stay buried. Some stories need to be told. When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family's property, she...

Historical setting: 1920s USA

The gentleman's guide to vice and virtue
Lee, Mackenzi
Paper Book
Henry "Monty" Montague was born to be a gentleman, but even the finest boarding schools in England haven't been able to tame his roguish passions--not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men. But as Monty...

Historical setting: Victorian England

Last night at the Telegraph Club
Lo, Malinda
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND STONEWALL BOOK AWARD * From acclaimed author Malinda Lo comes a gripping, tender coming-of-age novel exploring identity, queerness, and historical upheaval set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the 1950s. ...

Historical setting: 1950s USA

The fountains of silence : a novel
Sepetys, Ruta
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray comes a gripping, extraordinary portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship. Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco...

Historical setting: 1950s Spain

Between shades of gray
Sepetys, Ruta.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the award-winning author of Salt to the Sea comes a "superb" (The Wall Street Journal), "eye-opening" (Los Angeles Times) novel of survival and hope in the darkest of places--the inspiration for the major motion picture Ashes in the...

Historical setting: World War II Lithuania

Code name Verity
Wein, Elizabeth.
Paper Book
The beloved #1 New York Times bestseller, a "fiendishly plotted" (New York Times) "heart-in-your mouth adventure" (Washington Post) that "will take wing and soar into your heart" (Laurie Halse Anderson). October 11th, 1943--A...

Historical setting: World War II England

The book thief
Zusak, Markus
Paper Book
The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier...

Historical setting: World War II Germany


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