Reviews by Tag: world war II

Teen Review
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See

By Anthony Doerr
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Cherry Y
Jan 21, 2025

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a heart-wrenching story told from two perspectives during World War II. The book follows Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl, and Werner Pfennig, a German orphan. While trying to escape ongoing German occupation, Marie-Laure and her father reside on the coast of France. Meanwhile, Werner’s intrinsic talent for engineering radios ultimately causes the two characters to cross paths in Saint-Malo. 

Teen Review
Refugee

Refugee

By Alan Gratz
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
IR
Jan 12, 2025

Refugee by Alan Gratz is an exciting and emotional book that tells the stories of three young refugees from different times and places: Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba and modern-day Syria. Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud as protagonists face tough challenges, like escaping danger and crossing dangerous waters to find safety and refuge. Gratz does a great job of mixing action with deep emotion, making the characters’ struggles feel real.

Teen Review
The Rose Code book cover

The Rose Code

By Kate Quinn
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Mahek
Sep 25, 2024

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is a historical fiction novel set in England. It alternates between the years 1940 - WW2 - and 1947 - Post World War normalcy. The book features three British women - Osla, Mab, and Beth - working as code breakers in 1940 at the secretive estate of Bletchley Park. They are part of a big mission and crucial to the outcome of the war. Recruited for their unique abilities and minds, they work all day cracking German codes, including the infamous Enigma machine.

Teen Review

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

By Laura Hillenbrand
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Aug 30, 2024

This nonfiction war novel was beyond impressive. This book will help you change the way you view the people involved in World War II and give you insight into the scary world of war. Louis Zamperini is the main character and the story goes in depth to tell you his background, accomplishments and role within the war. The major turn events occur when Zamperini goes from the Olympics to the military and he arrives upon difficult foreign land. I think that the most compelling aspect of this book was the continuous feeling of not knowing what will happen next.

Teen Review
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The War I Finally Won

By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Theresa Korte
Aug 9, 2024

The War I Finally Won is the sequel to the Newbery Honor winning book The War That Saved My Life. This is a WWII novel following 11 year old Ada as she receives surgery for her clubfoot and learns who she wants to be in a world immersed in war. Ada was always told she was damaged, but since moving in with Susan she’s discovered she can be as capable as anyone.

Teen Review
The Hunger Between Us by Marina Scott

The Hunger Between Us

By Marina Scott
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Aisha
Aug 9, 2024

It’s the summer of 1942 and Liza Kaganova more than anything, wants her best friend Aka to come home. Liza's searched all over Leningrad, Russia, even the headquarters of the militia. However, after a messy run in with the militia, Liza can’t go back to there. She runs into two former classmates, one of which is now working for the militia and another who lives in the tunnels. Liza attempts to get them help her. In all the desperation, Liza doesn’t think to look at what is right in front of her. 

Teen Review
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Salt to the Sea

By Ruta Sepetys
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Zamir
Jul 2, 2024

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is a historical fiction novel set in the final months of World War II, centered around the tragic sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a real-life maritime disaster that claimed over 9,000 lives. The story follows four young refugees—Joana, a Lithuanian nurse, Florian, a Prussian art restorer, Emilia, a Polish girl, and Alfred, a German soldier—each harboring their own secrets and traumas.

Teen Review
Catch-22

Catch-22

By Joseph Heller
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Z.
Jun 21, 2024

Summary: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is a satirical novel set during World War II, focusing on the absurd and paradoxical experiences of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. bomber pilot stationed on the fictional island of Pianosa.

Teen Review
The Silver Blonde by Elizabeth Ross

The Silver Blonde

By Elizabeth Ross
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Greta K.
Jun 14, 2024

Working her way up in the Hollywood film industry after World War II, Clara’s predictable life takes a turn when she discovers the unthinkable: the studios biggest star dead in the film vault. And along with this bad news, her refugee parents want to return to Germany after many years, uprooting Clara from Las Angeles. As Clara becomes more invested in the mystery, the secrets revealed are dangerous for her and her fellow colleague, and love interest, Gil. Will Clara crack the case and bring the justice that the victim deserves?

Teen Review
Girl in the Blue Coat book cover

Girl in the Blue Coat

By Monica Hesse
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Jun 7, 2024

Hanneke Bakks is still grieving over her lost lover, Bas, when she decides to turn to stealing goods from the black market and selling them in order to gain money for herself and her family. It’s a nasty business that she ensures her parents and friends don’t find out about.  She decides to keep her methods secret to make sure that her job is done skillfully and without prying eyes, especially in Amsterdam in 1943, which is filled with German occupation.

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