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 LibrariesYouth team at Wellington City Libraries
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The calling
Beale, Fleur
Paper Book
'Dreams were dangerous things.' It was the dream of Molly's dying mother that she would become a nun. It isn't, however, the dream of her Methodist father, who wants her to marry. But what is her true calling and how can she follow it? As the 19th...
Historical setting: 1890s New Zealand
Earth dragon, fire hare
Catran, Ken.
Paper Book
The ultimate tale of New Zealand's forgotten war -- Malaya 1948 -- and two men's linked destinies, foretold by horoscope and forged in battle. the conflict in Malaysia during and after World War two, as seen from the perspectives of a Kiwi soldier (Peter) and a Chinese Malay freedom...
Historical setting: 1940s New Zealand and Malaya
Freedom swimmer
Chim, Wai
Paper Book
This incredible tale about two boys' swim from mainland China to Hong Kong in search of freedom from poverty and oppression is inspired by a true story.
Historical setting: Maoist China
A northern light
Donnelly, Jennifer.
Paper Book
Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has a word for everything, and big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. She collects words, stores them up as a way of fending off the hard truths of her life, the truths that she can't write down in stories.The fresh pain of her mother's death. The burden...
Historical setting: 1900s USA
The sparrow
Duder, Tessa
Paper Book
An exciting new novel from the author of Alex. In September 1840, two ships arrive on the shores of the Waitemata Harbour to establish Auckland, the new capital of New Zealand. Among the settlers on board the Platina is young Harry, travelling alone and determined...

Historical setting: 1840s New Zealand

The Count of Monte Cristo
Dumas, Alexandre
Paper Book
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of the Ch teau d'If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and becomes determined not only to escape but to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the...

Historical setting: 1800s France

1917 : machines of war
Falkner, Brian
Paper Book
17-year-old Bob Sunday has stolen his brother¿s identity to enlist in WW1. Keith was killed at Gallipoli, so doesn¿t need it any more, anyway. But Bob is keen to join the Royal Flying Corps, and soon finds himself flying patrols over the front line in France, up against the likes of the Red Baron ¿...

Historical setting: World War I

The secret life of Kitty Granger
Falksen, G. D.
Paper Book
Sixteen-year-old Kitty Granger has always known that others consider her peculiar. She hates noise and crowds, tends to fixate on patterns, and often feels acutely aware of her surroundings even as she struggles to interpret the behavior of people around her. As a working-class girl in London's...

Historical setting: 1960s London

These violent delights
Gong, Chloe
Paper Book
'Deliciously dark' Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and FireIn glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens . . .The brilliantly imaginative New York Times bestselling fantasy retelling of Romeo and Juliet set against the immersive backdrop of...

Historical setting: 1920s Shanghai, China

The weight of our sky
Hanna Alkaf
Paper Book
A music loving teen with OCD does everything she can to find her way back to her mother during the historic race riots in 1969 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in this heart-pounding literary debut. Melati Ahmad looks like your typical movie-going, Beatles-obsessed sixteen-year-old....
Historical setting: 1960s Malaysia
Enemy camp
Hill, David
Paper Book
When of hundreds of Japanese captives arrive at Featherston POW camp, the tiny town is divided. Tensions run high and then, on 25 February 1943, disaster strikes. Three boys witness it all. A compelling new novel by an award-winning author. 'We knew straightaway that something...

Historical setting: World War II New Zealand

The forest of stolen girls
Hur, June
Paper Book
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 went missing...

Historical setting: 1420s Korea

The librarian of Auschwitz
Iturbe, Antonio
Paper Book
Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezín ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight...

Historical setting: World War II

The raging quiet
Jordan, Sherryl.
Paper Book
Marnie comes to the remote fishing hamlet of Torcurra as the reluctant bride of Isake Isherwood, a lord of her parents' farm. But two days later, while thatching the roof, Isake falls to his death. Marnie's only kindness comes from Father Brannan, the village priest, and Raver, the strange mad boy...

Historical setting: Medieval Britain

In our own backyard
Kayes, Anne
Paper Book
It's March 2020 and Liza, her husband and two teenage children are at home in Auckland in level-four lockdown due to Covid-19. Reflections with her family around the dining table inspire Liza to reflect on another challenging time in history nearly forty years before when the South African Springbok...

Historical setting: 1980s New Zealand, Springbok Tour

Alex & Eliza : a love story
De la Cruz, Melissa
Paper Book
The love story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler - based on the story that inspired the bestselling musical Hamilton. 1777. Albany, New York. As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of...
Historical setting: American Revolution, 1770s USA
Courting darkness
LaFevers, Robin
Paper Book
When Sybella accompanies the Duchess of Brittany to France, she expects trouble, but she isn't expecting a deadly trap. Surrounded by enemies both known and unknown, Sybella searches for the undercover assassins from the convent of St. Mortain who were placed in the French court years ago. Genevieve...

Historical setting: 1400s France

Butterfly yellow
Lai, Thanhha
Paper Book
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction! Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Ibi Zoboi, and Erika L. Sánchez, this gorgeously written and deeply moving novel is the YA debut from the award-winning author of Inside Out & Back Again. 4 starred reviews! In the...

Historical setting: Vietnam War, 1950s - 1970s

The gentleman's guide to vice and virtue
Lee, Mackenzi
Paper Book
A Kirkus Prize nominee and Stonewall Honor winner with 5 starred reviews! A New York Times bestseller! Named one of the best books of 2017 by NPR and the New York Public Library! "The queer teen historical you didn't know was missing from your life."--Teen...

Historical setting: Victorian England

Luck of the Titanic
Lee, Stacey
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes the richly imagined story of Valora and Jamie Luck, twin British-Chinese acrobats traveling aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage. Valora Luck has two things: a ticket...

Historical setting: 1912 North Atlantic

Last night at the Telegraph Club
Lo, Malinda
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE; THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR YOUTH LITERATURE; THE STONEWALL BOOK AWARD (YA); THE PRINTZ HONOR _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Historical setting: 1950s USA

This rebel heart
Locke, Katherine
Paper Book
A tumultuous tale of the student-led 1956 Hungarian revolution--and an all too timely look at the impact of Communism and the USSR in Eastern Europe--set in a fabulist, colorless post-WWII Budapest from Sydney Taylor Honor winner Katherine Locke.   "A haunting, beautiful...

Historical setting: Hungarian Revolution of 1956

Evie's war
Mackenzie, Anna
Paper Book
They offered up the innocence of a generation . . . Evie is 18, straight out of school and excited by the prospect of a tour of Europe. Instead, she finds herself immersed in war; first in the Home Counties - where the young New Zealander is confronted not only by society's...

Historical setting: World War I New Zealand, UK, Belgium

An emotion of great delight : a novel
Mafi, Tahereh
Paper Book
From bestselling author of the Shatter Me series and the National Book Award-nominated A Very Large Expanse of Sea, Tahereh Mafi, comes a stunning novel about love and loneliness, navigating dual-identity as a Muslim teenager in America, and reclaiming your right to joy. It's 2003. It's...

Historical setting: Iraq War (2003-)

Daughters of a dead empire
O'Neil, Carolyn Tara
Paper Book
"This fresh, thrilling take on Anastasia establishes that O'Neil is a debut author to watch." --Buzzfeed From debut author Carolyn Tara O'Neil comes a thrilling alternate history set during the Russian Revolution. Russia, 1918: With the execution of...

Historical setting: 1918 Russia

Mr Godley's phantom
Peet, Mal
Paper Book
Its 1945 and Martin Heath, like many men at that time, is struggling to settle, to find his place again after the horrors of war. But an old comrade sends him a letter, telling of a position thats just come up with an aging chap called Mr Godley in the deepest and loneliest part of Devon. Martin...

Historical setting: 1950s UK

Dodger
Pratchett, Terry
Paper Book
A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage, in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's... Dodger!

Historical setting: Victorian London

The ruby in the smoke
Pullman, Philip
Paper Book
Sally Lockhart's father was an unconventional man. When he dies suddenly on a voyage to the Far East, Sally receives a mysterious letter containing a strange warning. Soon Sally finds herself at the heart of a deep and dangerous mystery, one she is determined to solve at all costs.

Historical setting: 1800s England

Banquo's son
Roxborogh, Tania Kelly
Paper Book
'Do you think that fate controls our lives or that we have the freedom to choose our own path?' For Fleance, the only son of Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, the time has come to make a choice. Since his father's brutal murder ten years ago, he has hidden in the woods of Northern England,...

Historical setting: 900s - 1000s Scotland

The fountains of silence
Sepetys, Ruta
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times Bestselling AuthorMadrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into the country under the welcoming guise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel...

Historical setting: 1950s Spain

Ashes in the snow
Sepetys, Ruta
Paper Book
An international bestseller, a #1 New York Times bestseller, and now a major motion picture! Ruta Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray is now the film Ashes in the Snow! This special movie tie-in edition features 16 pages of color movie stills starring Bel...

Historical setting: World War II Lithuania

Flygirl
Smith, Sherri L.
Paper Book
Ida Mae Jones dreams of flight. Her daddy was a pilot and being black didn't stop him from fulfilling his dreams. But her daddy's gone now, and being a woman, and being black, are two strikes against her. When America enters the war with Germany and Japan, the Army creates the WASP, the...

World War II USA

Milkweed
Spinelli, Jerry.
Paper Book
This is the true story of Jews and Gypsies in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. But it is also the story of a street orphan who survives on quick thinking schemes to find food: who believes in bread, mothers and angels. A tragic but beautiful account through the eyes of the innocent.

Historical setting: World War II Poland

Jo & Laurie
Stohl, Margaret
Paper Book
Bestselling authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz bring us a romantic retelling of Little Women starring Jo March and her best friend, the boy next door, Theodore "Laurie" Laurence. 1869, Concord, Massachusetts- After the publication of her first novel, Jo March is...

Historical setting: 1860s USA

Black dove, white raven
Wein, Elizabeth
Paper Book
A story of survival, subterfuge, espionage and identity. Rhoda and Delia are American stunt pilots who perform daring aerobatics to appreciative audiences. But while the sight of two girls wingwalking - one white, one black - is a welcome novelty in some parts of the USA, it's an anathema in...

Historical setting: World War II Ethiopia

Code name Verity
Wein, Elizabeth
Paper Book
'I have two weeks. You'll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.' Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, Code Name Verity is a bestselling tale of friendship and courage set against the backdrop of World War Two. Only in wartime could a stalwart lass from...

Historical setting: World War II England

The telegram
Werry, Philippa
Paper Book
Fourteen-year-old Beatrice Thomas lives with her widowed mother and younger sister Tilly in a small country town overshadowed by the events of World War One. Many of the local boys, including Beaty's friend Caleb, are away fighting. When Beaty has to leave school, she gets a job as a telegram girl...

Historical setting: World War I New Zealand

Kemosha of the Caribbean
Wheatle, Alex
Paper Book

Historical setting: 1600s Jamaica

White Rose
Wilson, Kip
Paper Book
"In a searing indictment of silent complicity, White Rose shines a light on one remarkable young woman's insistence on the power of truth, no matter the cost. A timely call to resistance." - Joy McCullough, author of Blood Water Paint "White Rose is a resonant...

Historical setting: World War II Germany

The book thief
Zusak, Markus
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME * A NEW YORK TIMES READER TOP 100 PICK FOR BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY The extraordinary, beloved novel about the ability of books to feed the soul even in the darkest of times...

Historical setting: World War II Germany


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