Kids and Families

Twentieth Century Wars: Novels for Teens

Books vary in reading level from children's books to adult. They are divided according to war or location of the war. Because there are so many historical novels that cover the period of WWII, none are listed here (see our adult booklist, World War II Fiction.) Recommended reading levels are provided by grade level in parentheses.

WORLD WAR I

Dank, Milton. Khaki Wings. (7-12)
In the summer of 1914, 17-year-old Edward applies to the Royal Flying Corps and soon finds himself in the thick of war.

Forsyth, Frederick. The Shepherd. (7-10)
On Christmas Eve, a young war pilot is forced to crash land and finds a mysterious salvation.

Frank, Rudolf. No Hero for the Kaiser. (7-10)
Fourteen-year-old Jan, the only survivor of a Polish town caught between Russian and German armies, joins the German army and learns about war.

Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. (9-adult)
A tragic romance between a WWI soldier and the English nurse who tends him when he is wounded.

Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. (8-adult)
Paul and his classmates enthusiastically enlist to fight in the War, but soon find out the realities of war.

Trumbo, Dalton. Johnny Got His Gun. (10-adult)
An anti-war novel telling the story of a young soldier who survives WWI but is terribly maimed.

Van Raven, Pieter. Harpoon Island. (6-9)
The island's new teacher and his son struggle to find acceptance, particularly after the war begins and their German background is discovered.

VIETNAM

Emerson, Zack. Hill 568. (7-10)
Hill 568 was a nightmare that none of the guys in Echo Company would ever forget.

Emerson, Zack. Welcome to Vietnam. (7-10)
Eighteen-year-old Michael is sent to Vietnam where he becomes a member of the Echo Company.

Jones, Adrienne. Long Time Passing. (9-12)
Seventeen-year-old Jonas comes to question his attitude toward the Vietnam War, where his father is serving, when he meets Adrienne.

Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels. (8-12)
Five young men are fighting together in Vietnam-all came for different reasons, but all have one common goal-to get out alive.

Nelson, Theresa. And One for All. (7-12)
Three teens struggle to keep their pact of eternal friendship and everlasting love when the war, and the disagreements it brings, threaten to tear them apart.

O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. (9-adult)
Twenty-two stories of men who fought in Vietnam told by looking at the personal items they carried with them.

Rostkowski, Margaret. The Best of Friends. (6-12)
Three friends struggle to understand themselves and the world around them during the turmoil of the Vietnam War.

GULF WAR

Cooney, Caroline B. Operation: Homefront. (8-12)
The Herrick family struggles to cope when the mother's reserve unit is sent to fight in the Gulf War.

Iverson, Marc. Persian Horse. (9-adult)
In this Tom Clancy style thriller, a U. S. Navy frigate in the Gulf War is hijacked by Iranian commandos who want the Americans out of the Gulf.

Westall, Robert. Gulf. (6-10)
A thrilling story of a young British schoolboy who seems to have a mental illness because of which he assumes the identity of an Iraqi soldier during the Gulf War.

THAILAND-1970s UPRISING

Ho, Minfong. Rice Without Rain. (7-12)
17-year-old Jinda finds herself a part of village and student uprisings as she attempts to hold on to who she is.

KOREAN WAR

Potok, Chaim. I Am the Clay. (10-adult)
Three refugees thrown together by chance learn about love in a world torn by war.

KOREA-JAPAN

Choi, Sook Nyul. Year of Impossible Goodbyes. (6-10)
A Korean family struggles to stay together and find freedom when their country is torn apart by war and occupied by foreign troops.

AFRICA

Dickinson, Peter. AK. (7-10)
Although this story of Paul, who must flee enemy soldiers after a military coup, is set in a fictional African country, it is reflective of many real African nations.

IRAN-IRAQ: 1984

Laird, Elizabeth. Kiss the Dust. (7-9)
12-year-old Tara and her Kurdish family must escape the Iraqi government and soldiers.

ARAB-ISRAELI WARS

Banks, Lynne Reid. One More River. (7-9)
14-year-old Lesley, whose family moves from Canada to a border kibbutz in Israel, doesn't see how she'll ever adjust until she experiences the 6 Days War and learns about understanding herself, her family, and her people.

Foreman, James D. My Enemy, My Brother. (8-12)
Four teenage refugees journey to an Israeli kibbutz where they are again caught in a war.

Matas, Carol. The Garden. (7-10)
16-year-old Ruth joins the Haganah, the Jewish Army, to help fight for a homeland.

IRELAND

Hill, Niki. Death Grows on You. (10-adult)
Belle is a woman torn in her loyalties in the continuous unrest of war in Ireland.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

Jenkins, Lyll Becerra de. So Loud a Silence. (7-10)
17 year old Juan, struggling to find a place in his family, goes to visit his grandmother in rural Colombia and gets caught up in the guerrilla warfare.

Moeri, Louise. The 43rd War. (6-10)
12-year-old Uno is forced to fight with the revolutionary army in a country fighting for its freedom.

CAMBODIA

Ho, Minfong. The Clay Marble. (6-9)
12-year-old Dara and her family flee war, trying to find safety and to remain together.

GREEK CIVIL WAR: 1940s

Foreman, James D. Ring the Judas Bell. (7-10)
The lives of Nicholos and his family are forever changed by the confusing and often horrible events of the civil war.

Rosen, Billi. Andi's War. (6-9)
While her parents are away fighting in the civil war, Andi must fight her own battles of survival in the village at home.

Compiled by Kristy Glashagel, student intern at Meadowridge Branch Library, 1999.

---