Historical fiction has the unique power of bringing the past to life, helping readers to fully immerse themselves in different moments in time and offering a great starting point to those approaching study. To coincide with the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we’ve put together this list of brilliantly written WWII historical fiction from some of the very best writers in the field including Tom Palmer, Tony Bradman, Elizabeth Wein and more.
At Barrington Stoke, we work hard to ensure that our books are accessible to every reader. From our unique easy-read font to spacious layouts and expert editing, each of our books is carefully crafted to support reluctant and struggling readers as well as provide a satisfying short novel for keen bookworms.
Whether you’re approaching WWII as a class or you work with young history enthusiasts eager for their next fascinating read, these stories are carefully written to engage, enthrall and help educate students studying this significant chapter of the 20th century.
Operation Banana by Tony Bradman
Susan is worried about her mum. She’s struggling with long hours at her job in the factory and it’s a long time since they’ve heard from Susan’s dad, who’s on the front line in North Africa.
Everything is in short supply in London, but Susan decides she’s going to cheer her mum up by getting her a treat, and what could be more rare at that time than a sweet, delicious banana? But what lengths will Susan have to go to find one? Let Operation Banana commence!
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 7.
War Games by Terry Deary
George is an evacuee from the Blitz. He has no friends and no family to turn to. At least he has cricket.
Esther is a Jewish girl in Nazi Germany. All her freedoms have been taken away. She cannot even play football.
Can a love of sport give two young people a way to survive?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
Still Water by Chris Priestley
Evacuated from London at the outbreak of war, Rosie is taken in by kind Mrs Taylor and her daughter Mary. But all is not as it seems. Mary resents and bullies Rosie, and Mrs Taylor is hiding a dark secret. When Rosie comes across a strange girl swimming in a local pond, she hopes they will become friends. But instead her appearance leads to a horrifying revelation that will have terrifying consequences…
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
Wings: Spitfire by Tom Palmer
Greg's fed up with playing in goal. He reckons things only happen to you there. The other players get to make them happen. The summer school isn't turning out how he'd hoped at all.
The old airfield next to the school freaks Greg out … but when he starts on a model of an old Spitfire, he's propelled into an adventure that will really show him what it means to take control …
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
After the War by Tom Palmer
"The best children’s fiction book I’ve yet read about the Holocaust" – Tim Robertson, CEO Anne Frank Trust
Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Leo and Mordecai are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, they've finally reached a place of safety and peace, where they can hopefully begin to recover.
But Yossi is haunted by thoughts of his missing father and disturbed by terrible nightmares. As he waits desperately for news from home, he fears that Mordecai and Leo – the closest thing to family he has left – will move on without him. Will life by the beautiful Lake Windermere be enough to bring hope back into all their lives?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+.
Free lesson plans available from Centre for Holocaust Education.
Angel of Grasmere by Tom Palmer
July 1940 – as Tarn struggles to come to terms with the loss of her beloved brother in the chaos of the British retreat at Dunkirk, she and her friends scour the hills around their Lake District home, watching for any signs of the long-dreaded Nazi invasion.
But as the war drags on, with little good news from the front, the locals become aware of someone carrying out anonymous acts of kindness, such as saving a flock of sheep from a snowdrift and getting help for an injured farmer who might otherwise have died.
With no one claiming credit, they come to think of this unidentified stranger as a kind of guardian angel, but when his identity is finally revealed, can Tarn come to terms with the truth…?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+.
Arctic Star by Tom Palmer
Winter 1943. Teenagers Frank, Joseph and Stephen are Royal Navy recruits on their first mission at sea during the Second World War. Their ship is part of an Arctic Convoy sailing to Russia to deliver supplies to the Soviets. The convoys have to navigate treacherous waters, sailing through a narrow channel between the Arctic ice pack and German bases on the Norwegian coast. Faced with terrifying enemy attacks from both air and sea, as well as life-threatening cold and storms, will all three boys make it home again?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+.
Free downloadable poster available.
D-Day Dog by Tom Palmer
Jack can't wait for the school trip to the D-Day landing beaches. It's his chance to learn more about the war heroes he has always admired – brave men like his dad, who is a reserve soldier. But when his dad is called up to action and things at home spiral out of control, everything Jack believes about war is thrown into question. Finding comfort only in the presence of his loyal dog, Finn, Jack is drawn to the heart-wrenching true story of one particular D-Day paratrooper. On 6 June 1944, Emile Corteil parachuted into France with his dog, Glen – and Jack is determined to discover their fate …
Winner of the 2020 FCBG Children's Book Award. Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+.
Free downloadable poster available.
Resist by Tom Palmer
As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat and the population lives under the constant threat of arrest and enslavement.
After the murder of her beloved uncle and the capture of her brother by the Germans, Edda is determined to do anything she can to help the resistance fight back against their oppressors. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+.
Free discussion notes available from CLPE.
Under Cover of Darkness by Pat Thomson
The Nazis have occupied France. Michel knows that there are Resistance fighters in his town and he's desperate to join them. Will his mother agree to it? After all with his father AWOL, she needs a man around the house. But when someone's injured, Michel gets his chance. Can he help without being shot by the Nazis?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 6.5.
Firebird by Elizabeth Wein
Nastia is no traitor. She is a daring pilot, the daughter of revolutionaries, and now, as the Second World War descends on Russia, she must fight to save the glorious Motherland. But all is not as it seems, and when the battles begin, secrets are revealed and everything that she once knew is challenged…
Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 8.
The Last Hawk by Elizabeth Wein
Nazi Germany is a dangerous place for a girl with a stammer – and although her father tries to keep her safe, Ingrid can’t help feeling like she’s let him down. But in the air, soaring high as she pilots her beloved glider planes, Ingrid is free and incredibly talented.
When she gets the chance to fly in a propaganda tour alongside her hero, Germany’s daring female test pilot Hanna Reitsch, Ingrid leaps at the chance. But through Hanna, she will learn some dangerous truths about Germany’s secret missions and the plans that could change the course of the war to secure victory for the Nazi regime. When everything is at stake, Ingrid must decide where her loyalties lie …
Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 8.
White Eagles by Elizabeth Wein
Summer 1939. With Europe on the brink of war, eighteen-year-old Kristina Tomiak has been called up to join the White Eagles, Poland's valiant air force. When the Nazis reach the town where she is based, Kristina makes a daring escape, but she doesn't realise that she's carrying a stowaway in her plane. Will Kristina be able to navigate the most challenging flight of her life and reach safety amid the turmoil of war?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 8.