War Stories for Teen Readers

Books based on and in times of war, some fictional and some true. Suitable for teen readers.
Updated January 22, 2023
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Code Name Verity
Elizabeth Wein
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...
Rose Under Fire
Elizabeth Wein
Paper Book
Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning World War II thriller where a young female pilot will have to confront the realities of hope and bravery if she wants to survive capture. 
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
Paper Book
*NOW A NETFLIX LIMITED SERIES--from producer and director Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) starring Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie, and newcomer Aria Mia Loberti* Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, the beloved instant New York Times bestseller...
All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque
Paper Book
The masterpiece of the German experience during World War I, considered by many the greatest war novel of all time--with an Oscar-winning film adaptation now streaming on Netflix.   "[Erich Maria Remarque] is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank."--...
Black Angels
Linda Beatrice Brown
Paper Book
The compelling story of three young orphans who must survive on their own during the Civil War. It's near the end of the war, and rumors of emancipation are swirling. Eleven-year-old Luke decides to run away to freedom and join the Union Army. But he doesn't find the Yankee troops he was hoping...
Black Dove, White Raven
Elizabeth Wein
Paper Book
Don't miss Elizabeth Wein's stunning new novel, Stateless Emilia and Teo's lives changed in a fiery, terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt pilot mothers were flying. Teo's mother died immediately, but Em's...
The Boy at the Top of the Mountain
John Boyne
Paper Book
The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne, the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, is another extraordinary historical fiction about World War II and innocence in the face of evil. When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a...
Code Talker
Joseph Bruchac
Paper Book
Throughout World War II, in the conflict fought against Japan, Navajo code talkers were a crucial part of the U.S. effort, sending messages back and forth in an unbreakable code that used their native language. They braved some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with their code, they saved...
Fallen Angels
Walter Dean Myers
Paper Book
An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a...
Crossing Stones
Helen Frost
Paper Book
Maybe you won't rock a cradle, Muriel. Some women seem to prefer to rock the boat. Eighteen-year-old Muriel Jorgensen lives on one side of Crabapple Creek. Her family's closest friends, the Normans, live on the other. For as long as Muriel can remember, the...
Girl in the Blue Coat
Monica Hesse
Paper Book
"A beautiful combination of heartbreak, loss, young love, and hope."―Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale   ★ NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ★ Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Mystery Novel...
The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi
Neal Bascomb
Paper Book
A thrilling spy mission, a moving Holocaust story, and a first-class work of narrative nonfiction. This Sydney Taylor Book Award- and YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award-winning story of Eichmann's capture is now a major motion picture starring Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley, Operation Finale<...
Nazi War Criminals (Understanding the Holocaust)
Don Nardo
Paper Book
Between 1938 and 1945 Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime murdered more than 6 million Jews. This virulent campaign, Hitler's so-called Final Solution, began with hatred and exclusion but steadily escalated to encompass persecution, expulsion, and finally, annihilation. Understanding the Holocaust...
Salt to the Sea
Ruta Sepetys
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! "Masterfully crafted"--The Wall Street Journal For readers of Between Shades of Gray and All the Light We Cannot See, Ruta Sepetys returns to WWII in this...

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