All quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque
Told by a young 'unknown soldier' in the trenches of Flanders during the First World War. Through his eyes we see all the realities of war; under fire, on patrol, waiting in the trenches, at home on leave, and in hospitals and dressing stations. Contains adult themes
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Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks
Set in France and capturing the drama and destruction of First World War era. Stephen, a young Englishman, experiences a traumatic clandestine love affair and then the grim insanity of the Great War. Contains adult themes
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Blitz, by Vince Cross
Little does Edie know when she starts writing her diary that the summer is going to become one of air-raid sirens, bombs, leading to the evacuation of herself & her brother to Wales - away from everything she knows and loves
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Carrie's War, by Nina Bawden
A young girl is evacuated to Wales during the Second World War.
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Goodnight Mister Tom, by Michelle Magorian
As Britain stands on the brink of WWII, Willie Beech is evacuated to the country. Thomas Oakley is the most unlikely refuge you could imagine - gruff and resentful, he is forced to take on the young evacuee. Together they form a wary bond, that grows into love and trust. Willie begins to flourish; but the day comes when his mother demands that he return home, and his happiness is shattered. A powerful, heart-rending, unforgettable story.
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Goodnight Mister Tom, by Michelle Magorian
Young Willie Beech is evacuated to the country as Britain stands on the brink of WW2. A sad, deprived child, he slowly begins to flourish under the care of old Tom Oakley - but his new-found happiness is shattered by a summons from his mum back in London.
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Hitler's canary, by Sandi Toksvig
Based on true-life events during the Second World War, this novel is a funny and gripping account of a childhood spent under occupation and a daring rescue.
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Once, by Morris Gleitzman
Not for the faint hearted, this is the first in a trilogy that will have you laughing and crying - sometimes at the same time. Yes, it's another holocaust story. But if you only ever read one, make it this one. Felix spends almost 4 years in an orphanage, convinced his Jewish Bookseller parents are still alive, and coming back for him. When Nazi soldiers come to burn the nuns' books, Felix escapes from the orphanage to find and save his parents. His perilous journey through Nazi occupied Poland finds him befriending orphan Zelda, and coming into the care of the kindly Barney. All three of these books are very slim, but they really pack a punch.
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Private Peaceful, by Michael Morpurgo
A poignant story of war and its many life-changing effects on those involved--and about the brutality of the commanding regimes of the First World War and the relentless squalor of trench warfare. Difficult and emotionally draining.
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Schindler's Ark, by Thomas Keneally
More than a thousand Jews were saved from death in the Holocaust by a womanizing, heavy-drinking, German-Catholic industrialist and member of the Nazi Party, Oskar Schindler. Contains adult themes
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Sharpe's company, by Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe's company are attacked by the French with heavy losses. Sharpe is faced with ruin and to save his honour Sharpe must lead his men to glory in the narrow streets of Fuentes de Oñoro. Contains adult themes.
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The Silver Sword, by Ian Serraillier
The night the Nazis come to take their mother away, three children escape in a terrifying scramble across the rooftops. Alone in the chaos of Warsaw, they have to learn to survive on their own.
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The boy in the striped pyjamas, by John Boyne
Although suitable for quite a young age, this is potentially one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. The inevitability of the ending, the innocence of the main character, and the unstoppable pace of the story combine to create a heartwrenching vision of the horror of the holocaust.
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The burning mountain, by L.J. Adlington
AD79 Vesuvius erupts, and Gaius Justinius Aquila struggles to help the citizens of Herculaneum. 1943 Peter Schafer, under-age, joins the German Paratroopers and enters Hell. Vittoria, Italian, steals to keep a ragtag bunch of orphans alive. Present day, Denise and Craig - father killed in war, brother a soldier in Afghanistan, mother working all hours in a local hospital - find themselves alone much of the time. Their neighbours, the Shepherds, struggle with dementia, ill health, and a past that won't stay buried. These worlds race towards each other in a tense, unputdownable, tale of the crushing machinery of war, the heart of the soldier, and the bravery of civilians.
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The diary of a young girl, by Anne Frank
A timeless story rediscovered by each new generation, 'The Diary of a Young Girl' stands without peer. For both young readers and adults it continues to bring to life this young woman, who for a time survived the worst horror the modern world had seen.
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The eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff
The ninth legion disappears into the mists of northern Britain. Marcus Aquila embarks on a quest to discover the fate of his father and the legion.
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The ghost road, by Pat Barker
Based on a mix of real and imagined characters and events, this book tells the story of Sarah, a young woman working in a munitions factory, and the poet Wilfred Owen. Contains adult themes
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The machine gunners, by Robert Westall
"Some bright kid's got a gun and 2000 rounds of live ammo". Chas McGill has the second-best collection of war souvenirs in Garmouth, and he desperately wants it to be the best.
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