Children's Books About World War II

             This School Library Journal feature provides a curated list of books on World War II covering under-explored events, figures, regions, and angles: 

Picture books: 

• Twist, Tumble, Triumph: The Story of Champion Gymnast Agnes Keleti by Deborah Bodin Cohen and Kerry Olitsky, illustrated by Martina Peluso, grade 1-3
• Violin of Hope by Ella Schwartz, illustrated by Juliana Oakley, grade 2-4 

Middle grades:

• Scattergood by H.M. Bouwman, grade 4-7
• Fighter in the Woods: The True Story of a Jewish Girl Who Joined the Partisans in World War II by Joshua Greene, grade 3-7
• When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman, grade 3-7
• Lifeboat 5 by Susan Hood, grade 4-8
• At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom by Erin Entrada Kelly, grade 4-8
• Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan, grade 5 and up
• The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri, grade 3-7
• The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, grade 6-10
• Wolves at the Door by Steve Watkins, grade 5 and up 

Young adult: 

• The Ballerina of Auschwitz: Young Adult Edition of the Choice by Edith Eva Eger, grade 8 and up
• The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candace Fleming, grade 8 and up
• Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros, grade 9 and up 

Graphic novels:

• Pearl by Sherri Smith, illustrated by Christine Norrie, grade 7 and up 
• Song of a Blackbird by Maria Van Lieshout, grade 10 and up 

“Life During Wartime: A Curated List of Untold World War II Stories” in School Library Journal, June 2025 (Vol. 71, #6, pp. 42-45)

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1092 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.

H.454 "While some damage may be irreversible..."

         "While some damage may be irreversible, the midterm elections might be a place where an electoral message could be delivered, and seriously ought to be. The legislative vote was close enough and unpopular enough with much of the general public that the leg might feel the need to reconsider if people lost their seats as a result of their actions. This was the problem with opposition to Act 46. Very few legislators lost their seats over their votes, even when they were against the interests of their constituents. This atmosphere of impunity is a broad problem and needs rectification."

                                                                                                Jack Bryar, 

                                                                                                Grafton, VT

                                                                                                June 18, 2025