World War II Non-Fiction for Young Adults

Allen, Thomas B. Remember Pearl Harbor: American and Japanese Survivors Tell Their Stories (National Geographic 2001).

First person accounts and archival images paint a vivid portrait of what it was like to have witnessed and lived through the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

Bradley, James, Ron Powers, & Michael French. Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima (Delacorte Books for Young Readers 2003).

Based on James Bradley's Flags of Our Fathers for adults, this abridged version for younger readers retains the somewhat terse drama, intense heartbreak, and bittersweet triumph of the original narrative. Through his research on the event and the soldiers (three of the men were killed in combat within days of the flag raising), Bradley explores the dubious nature of heroism and the devastating effects of war.

Drez, Ronald J. Remember D-Day: The Plan, the Invasion, Survivor Stories (National Geographic 2004).

Illustrated with remarkably clear historical black-and-white photos and color images, this well-written, accurate, and detailed account of the Allied invasion of Nazi-controlled Europe skillfully uses primary and secondary documents to describe the operation that became "the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany." The narrative includes firsthand accounts of Allied soldiers who survived.

Hipperson, Carol Edgemon. The Belly Gunner (Twenty-first Century 2001).

Basing her text on interviews with Dale Aldrich, a GI in World War II who flew many missions over Nazi-occupied Europe and who was shot down and imprisoned in a German POW camp, the author relates in the first person an unusually readable and involving account of a true American hero. Black-and-white photos, a map, timeline, and sidebar summaries effectively complement the text.

Ippisch, Hanneke. Sky: A True Story of Courage During World War II (Sagebrush Education Resources 1999).

From the moment she agreed to work for the underground Dutch resistance forces against the Nazis, Hanneke Eikema had only two goals--to protect the persecuted and not to get caught. After two years the teenaged Hanneke was discovered by the Germans and sentenced to life in prison. Now, Henneke tells her story in a powerful narrative.

Lawton, Clive. Hiroshima: The Story of the First Atom Bomb (Candlewick 2004)

Discusses the events that led up to the disaster at Hiroshima in 1945, the aftermath, and the consequences we are living with today.

Nelson, Peter. Left For Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice on The USS Indianapolis (Delacorte Press 2002)

Recalls the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis at the end of World War II, the navy cover-up and unfair court-martial of the ship's captain, and how a young boy helped the survivors set the record straight fifty-five years later.

Nicholson, Dorinda Makanaonalani. Remember World War II: Kids Who Survived Tell Their Stories (National Geographic 2005)

Explores World War II with first-person accounts, maps, and a timeline.

Mazer, Harry. A Boy No More (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing 2004)

After witnessing the USS Arizona sink in Pearl Harbor -- with his father aboard -- fifteen-year-old Adam Pelko, along with his mother and young sister, moves from Hawaii to California. In this riveting follow-up to his acclaimed book A Boy at War, Harry Mazer explores questions of friendship and loyalty against the backdrop of World War II, a time when boys had to grow up fast.

Salisbury, Graham. Island Boyz: Short Stories (Random/Lamb 2002) fiction, ages 12 and up

Ten short stories feature boys whose distinctive voices attest to both the variety of their backgrounds and their individuality as characters. In two of the strongest entries, teenage protagonists get a look at war through the eyes of new recruits--one going off to World War II and one returning from Vietnam. Salisbury's Hawaiian settings are lovingly described, and he realistically captures the feelings--both universal and unique--of his island boys.

Samuel, Wolfgang W.E. German Boy: A Child in War (Ulverscroft Large Print 2003)

As the Third Reich crumbled in 1945, scores of Germans scrambled to flee the advancing Russian troops. Among them was a little boy named Wolfgang Samuel, who left his home with his mother and sister. German Boy is the vivid, true story of their fight for survival as the tables of power turned and, for reasons Wolfgang was too young to understand, his broken family suffered arbitrary arrest, rape, hunger, and constant fear.

Uchida, Yoshiko. The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography (Beech Tree 1995).

The author describes her experiences growing up as a Nisei in Berkeley and her family's internment in Nevada.

Van der Rol, Ruud & Rian Verhoeven. Anne Frank Beyond the Diary: a Photographic Rememberance. (Viking 1993).

Photographs, illustrations, and interviews providing an insight into Anne Frank.

Vande Velde, Vivian. A Coming Evil (Houghton 1998) fiction, ages 12 and up.

Thirteen-year-old Lisette feels unwanted when her parents send her to the French countryside to live with her aunt, her cousin, and five other refugee children during World War II. But when she encounters a ghost, curiosity replaces homesickness. The fantasy incorporates a good amount of humor, and the climax, in which the ghost helps Lisette hide Jewish and Gypsy children, is filled appropriately with tension.

Wilson, John. Flames of the Tiger (Kids Can 2003) fiction, ages 12 and up.

On the run during the waning days of World War II, German teenager Dieter and his younger sister encounter a wounded Canadian soldier. As Dieter tells Joe his story, a series of flashbacks depict his transformation from an average middle-class boy to a young soldier with the SS. Though some of the characterizations are strong, the dialogue is often awkwardly contrived to reveal factual information about the war.

Wobbe, Rudi, & Jerry Borrowman. Three Against Hitler: The Award-Winning True Story of Three LDS Teens’ Fight for Freedom (Covenant Communications 2002)

In this award-winning true story, three LDS teens fight for freedom in World War II.