WELCOME TO AUSTRALIAN USED HOMESCHOOL BOOKS!
HISTORICAL FICTION - WORLD WARS & THE HOLOCAUST
PICTURE BOOKS
The Bantam And The Soldier (Jennifer Beck) $6 HB VGC (Ex lib) It is wartime in Europe. A young soldier rescues and brings back to health a little bantam, and in the midst of the fighting and devastation an unusual friendship is formed. Every morning the bantam lays an egg for the soldier and his friends and becomes the centre of their affection and hopes for the end of the war. Above all, Bertha gave the soldiers courage and hope. "If a bantam can live through this, and lay eggs as well," they told one another, "then perhaps we can survive this terrible war." 6-10 YO WINNER OF THE NEW ZEALAND BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD http://www.houseoftoys.co.nz/shop/books/bantam-soldier
The Angel With A Mouth-Organ (Christobel Mattingley) $5 HB GC (Ex lib), $5 PB VGC Just before the glass angel is put on the Christmas tree, Mother describes her experiences as a little girl during World War II when she and her family were refugees and how the glass angel came to symbolize a new beginning in their lives. A great, gentle introduction to war for young children. Highly recommended! 5-9 YO http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Mouth-Organ-Christobel-Mattingley/dp/0823405931
Farm Boy (Michael Morpurgo) $6 HB EC During a holiday on the farm in Devon a young lad discovers how different it was farming when his grandfather was a farm boy. His Grandpa tells the story of his own father's best horse, Joey, who was taken to pull guns in World War I, and how his Grandpa raced a tractor ploughing with horses. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/michael-morpurgo/farm-boy.htm
Casey Over There (Staton Rabin) $5 HBDJ EC Steeped in nostalgia, this affecting story of a boy's love for his brother illuminates both an era and a serious subject: war. Seven-year-old Aubrey's brother, Casey, has gone overseas to fight in the Great War. Aubrey misses his brother and the two exchange letters, but after a while Casey's letters stop coming. Concerned, Aubrey decides to go right to the top, and writes to Uncle Sam. His poignant query--"Are you done with him yet?"--garners a surprising reply, not from Uncle Sam, but from President Woodrow Wilson himself. By juxtaposing scenes of everyday life in Brooklyn (Aubrey flattening pennies under a trolley's wheels, playing kick the can, visiting Coney Island) with scenes of Casey's ordeal (shaving in a muddy foxhole, crawling across no-man's-land into enemy fire), Rabin quietly allows readers to draw their own conclusions about the hardships of war. Her gentle, straightforward prose is superbly matched by debut illustrator Shed's luminous, impressionistic gouaches. Bathed in a golden glow, his scenes intensify the tale's atmospheric setting and underscore the warmth exuded by Aubrey's close-knit family. An excellent picture-book introduction to the topic of war and its effect on families. 5-9 YO Highly recommended! http://www.amazon.com/Casey-over-There-Staton-Rabin/dp/0152531866
NOVELS & CHAPTER BOOKS
Time’s Lost Hero (Bruce Tanton) $5 HBDJ EC A gripping, fast-moving time-warp adventure in which a high-school student finds himself plunged into a heat and fear, noise and confusion of the siege of Ladysmith in the Boer War. 11+ http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/0340521767/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_all
Soldier Boy – The True Story Of Jim Martin The Youngest Anzac (Anthony Hill) $6 PB GC On 28th June 1915, young James Martin sailed from Melbourne on the troopship Berrima, bound ultimately for Gallipoli. He was just 14 years old. This is Jim's extraordinary story of how an inexperienced & enthusiastic school boy became Australia's youngest Anzac. 11+ http://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Boy-Anthony-Hill/dp/0141003308
War Horse (Michael Morpurgo) $5 PB EC (Ex lib) Sold to a drunken farmer, Joey, a beautiful red-bay foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, finds a friend in the farmer's son, Albert. His father brutally demands Joey work or be sold, so Albert gently trains him to pull the plough. But it's not enough. When war breaks out, Albert's father, needy for money for his struggling farm, sells Joey to the army, where he, like the soldiers around him, must try to cope with the horrors of the First World War. Joey and another thoroughbred horse, Topthorn, lead in a terrible cavalry charge towards the machine guns of the enemy's lines. Joey is captured by the Germans and for while he is lovingly cared for by Emilie, a young French girl and her grandfather. But he and Topthorn must pull a heavy gun, battling through the mud until Topthorn dies of exhaustion. Joey wanders in no man's land, back towards the British trench, but despite a joyful reunion with Albert, Joey is not out of danger. First tetanus threatens his life, and even then Emilie's grandfather has to bid to save him from the butcher. The old man promised his granddaughter when she died he would find the horse she loved and buy him, but recognising Albert's love for Joey, he sells Joey back to Albert on condition he will love for him all his life - for the princely sum of one English penny. 9-12 YO http://s3.daemonsmovies.com/mov/up/2010/05/WAR-HORSE.jpg
Farm Boy (Michael Morpurgo) $4 PB GC During a holiday on the farm in Devon a young lad discovers how different it was farming when his grandfather was a farm boy. His Grandpa tells the story of his own father's best horse, Joey, who was taken to pull guns in World War I, and how his Grandpa raced a tractor ploughing with horses. Gorgeous illustrations! Recommended! 8-11 YO http://www.booksunlimited.ie/bookcover/9780006754121/Farm-Boy.jpg
Dear America “When Christmas Comes Again – The World War I Diary Of Simone Spencer, New York City To The Western Front, 1917” (Beth Seidel Levine) $6 HB EC In April of 1917, Simone Spencer's world changes. Her beloved brother Will goes off to war, and Simone seeks a way to help. The passionate daughter of a feisty French mother and a rebellious upper-class father, Simone is not cut out for the society life she is meant to lead. So, when General Pershing calls for French-speaking American girls to operate the switchboards on the Western Front, Simone becomes one of the first brave "Hello Girls" whose courage helped lead the Allies to victory. In the end, Christmas brings the Spencers back together again. Great historical fiction written in diary format with a historical note and original illustrations/newspaper clippings in each at the back. Highly recommended! 10+ http://www.amazon.com/When-Christmas-Comes-Again-Spencer/dp/0439439825/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190345188&sr=1-1
My Story "Flying Ace: John Fairfax, Royal Flying Corps, 1915-1918" (Jim Eldridge) $6 PB GC (Ex lib, a couple of pages becoming loose but retaped) Jack Fairfax is the 19-year old second son of Lord and Lady Fairfax. The Fairfaxes are steeped in the military tradition, and don't approve of Jack's volunteering for the Royal Flying Corps. New-fangled flying machines are nothing to do with 'proper' warfare. Nevertheless, Jack takes to the skies in his Bleriot plane, and faces the skills of the German ace pilots over the Somme. When his best friend is shot down by one of them, he vows to avenge him. 11+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Story-Flying-Fairfax-1915-1918/dp/0439977371
No Peace for Amelia (Siobhan Parkinson) $4 PB VGC It's 1916 but Amelia Pim's thoughts are on Frederick Goodbody and not on the war in Europe. Then Frederick enlists. The pacifist Quaker community is shocked but Amelia is secretly proud of her hero and goes to the quayside to wave him farewell. For her friend MaryAnn, there are problems too, with her brother's involvement in the Easter Rising. What will become of the two young men and what effect will it have on the lives of Amelia and MaryAnn? A story of conflict, hope and courage. 11+ http://www.amazon.com/No-Peace-Amelia-Siobhan-Parkinson/dp/086278378X (Cover different)
A Farewell To Arms (Ernest Hemingway) $4 HB EC With much of the material loosely based on the author’s own personal experiences as an ambulance driver during World War I, the story captures in great detail the conflict in all of its horror and barbarism. The book invites us to imagine all of the brave soldiers who went into the war in search of glory. What they found instead was the endless stalemate and hideous prospect of trench warfare. Hemingway, who was there himself, serves as a perfect instrument to portray what it was really like. 13+ http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Arms-Ernest-Hemingway/dp/0684801469 (Cover different)
Fly Away Peter (David Malouf) $3 PB VGC a short novel written by David Malouf in 1982, set in 1914 in Queensland, Australia, where two young men, an Australian and an Englishman go to war and experience the horrors and misery of World War One. The book deals with various Australian cultures and identities which cover patriotism, war, and Australia-England relationships. 11+ http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/bookcovers/flyawaypeter.jpg
Trooper Jackson’s Story (Brian Thompson) $2 PB GC (Light tanning, name on inturn) Set in WWI, Sam Jackson finds himself in a crack cavalry regiment fighting Germans. He is forced to grow up very rapidly and cope with situations way beyond his 18 year old experience. 11+ http://www.librarything.com/work/1197743
Flambards In Summer (K.M. Peyton) $2 HBDJ GC (Ex lib) Widowed during the First World War at the age of 21, Christina returns to Flambards in the hope of picking up the threads of the life she knew before her marriage. But the Flambards Christina returns to is not the same - the paddocks are a jungle, the house buried in ivy, and the once busy stables empty and desolate. Christina sets herself to the task of returning Flambards to its former glory. 12+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flambards-Summer-K-M-Peyton/dp/0192750542 (Cover different)
My Side Of The Story “Escape From War” (James Riordan) $7 PB EC Frank lives in London's East End. When his father is drafted and his neighbourhood is bombed, Frank is evacuated to the countryside. There, he meets a German Jewish girl named Hannah and learns how much is at stake in the war with Nazi Germany. Each flip book contains two short novels that showcase different perspectives and opinions of the same situation. Frank and his sister, Violet, are evacuated from London to the countryside to stay with widow Pittaway, who has also taken in Hannah, a Kindertransport participant. Riordan successfully portrays the historical period from two sides, acquainting readers with the major events of World War II in Europe. The instruction to read Frank's version of events first is quite helpful; his story intentionally leaves holes in the narrative that make Hannah's recitation fresher and more interesting. A good choice for history students or for English classes studying point of view. Highly recommended! 9+ http://www.amazon.com/Escape-War-My-Side-Story/dp/0753457946
My Story “Desert Danger: Tim Jackson, North Africa WWII” (Jim Eldridge) $7 PB VGC Tim is living in England during the time of the Blitz when he is called into the military. Because he’s worked as a mechanic at his uncle’s garage, he does well at mechanical tasks during military training, and is chosen to go to North Africa as a sapper. His extremely dangerous job is to clear out enemy land mines so the Allied forces can proceed. The problem is that the mined land is right between two battling forces, the British 8th Army and the German army under General Rommel – the dreaded Desert Fox. Rommel believed that his minefields around Alamein were invincible — an area so heavily mined it was called “The Devil’s Garden,” with over half a million land mines in one section alone. The sappers’ success was crucial in allowing Allied forces to proceed. When they did, Rommel’s forces were routed. Rommel later said that the defeat of the German armies by Montgomery’s forces resulted in Germany losing the war. 10+ http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/images/0545994152/ref=dp_image_text_0/191-9204991-2373132?ie=UTF8&n=916520&s=books
My Story “Spy Smuggler: Paul Lelaud, France, 1942-1944” (Jim Eldridge) $7 PB VGC (Ex lib) Paul Leland is a 13-year-old boy living in rural France. He has been living under Nazi occupation since 1940. Working with the Resistance cell in his village, Paul is a crucial figure in the 'escape route' for allied POWs and agents. 10+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spy-Smuggler-Lelaud-France-1942-1944/dp/0439968844
My Story “D-Day: Lieutenant Andy Pope, Normandy, 1944” (Bryan Perrett) $6 PB GC (Ex lib) Jim Dodd is an 18-year-old Second Lieutenant in an infantry battalion, a former Territorial unit. He is younger than many of the men in his platoon, but earns their respect by handling the men well on exercise and looking after their welfare. At the beginning of 1944, his battalion is mobilised and a veteran of the desert war and former POW is sent in as commander. He drives the company mercilessly, flaying them with criticism. After rehearsing its role in the landings on the Normandy coast, Jim's battalion joins the huge armada crossing the Channel, fighters and bombers accompanying them overhead to pound the coastal defences as the landing crafts go in. 11+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Day-My-Story/dp/0439967899
Double Take “Desert Duel” (Jim Eldridge) $6 PB VGC This is the story of two of the greatest warlords in history. When the Second World War begins, both men are commanders in their respective armies. They are destined to meet in the blistering heat of the North African desert in one of the most crucial battles of the War. Tells the story of the battle from each General's viewpoint in a 'flipbook' format. 10+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/0439967902/ref=dp_image_text_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books
The Silver Donkey (Sonya Hartnett) $6 HBDJ EC (Ex lib) One bright spring morning in the woods of France, a soldier, blinded by the war, is found by a little girl named Coco, and her older sister Marcelle. In return for their kindness, the soldier tells the sisters marvellous tales, each story connected to the keepsake he carries in his pocket: a perfect, tiny silver donkey. As the days pass and they struggle in secret to help the soldier reach home, Coco and Marcelle learn the truth behind the silver donkey, and what the precious object means: honesty, loyalty, and courage. 10+ CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA SHORT-LISTED BOOK http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/The-Silver-Donkey/Sonya-Hartnett/book_9780143301578.htm
The Divine Wind (Garry Disher) $6 PB EC In the pearling town of Broome, against the backdrop of World War II, a young man and a young woman fall in love. Hart is the son of a pearling master, Mitsy the daughter of a Japanese diver. Can their love survive as Japan enters the war and Mitsy encounters prejudice and hate? In this beautifully written new novel, Garry Disher evokes a war-devastated Australia and its effects on young adults forced to leave their childhood behind. 12+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Divine-Wind-Garry-Disher/dp/0733605265
The Boy In Striped Pajamas (John Boyne) $4 PB GC (A little dog-earring and cover wear) A vividly descriptive tale that clearly shows the atmosphere in Nazi Germany during the early 1940s that enabled the persecution of Eastern European Jews. Through the eyes of Bruno, a naive nine-year-old raised in a privileged household by strict parents whose expectations included good manners and unquestioning respect for parental authority, the author describes a visit from the Fury and the family’s sudden move from Berlin to a place called Out-With in Poland. There, not 50 feet away, a high wire fence surrounds a huge dirt area of low huts and large square buildings. From his bedroom window, Bruno can see hundreds (maybe thousands) of people wearing striped pyjamas and caps, and something made him feel very cold and unsafe. Uncertain of what his father actually does for a living, the boy is eager to discover the secret of the people on the other side. He follows the fence into the distance, where he meets Shmuel, a skinny, sad-looking Jewish resident who, amazingly, has his same birth date. Bruno shares his thoughts and feelings with Shmuel, some of his food, and his final day at Out-With, knowing instinctively that his father must never learn about this friendship. 11+ http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Striped-Pajamas-John-Boyne/dp/0385751060#reader_0385751060
Number The Stars (Lois Lowry) $6 PB VGC The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbours her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country. 9+ An excellent read – highly recommended! http://www.amazon.com/Number-Stars-Lois-Lowry/dp/0440227534
Sally & Rebecca (Mary Baylis-White) $4 PB VGC The dark clouds of war are gathering. People are escaping from Germany. Rebecca is among them. When Rebecca arrives in Sally's class after being smuggled out of Germany in 1938, Sally knows little about Hitler's persecutions; but when she is given special responsibility for the young Jewish refugee, the two quickly become close friends. A vivid and moving recreation of life in Britain before and during the Second World War. These events have a far-reaching effect on Sally and Rebecca, extending across generations, even to Australia. . . 10+ http://www.qbd.com.au/product/9780947241155-Sally_And_Rebecca_by_Mary_Bayliss-White.htm
All on a Summer’s Day (Judy Gardiner) $4 PB VGC A saga which shows how the lives of two young girls are altered irrevocably by the horrors of World War II. It opens in Liverpool and moves to blitzed London, Nazi-occupied Paris and exposes the terrors of life in a concentration camp. 11+ http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/m/mWnEJsYncJ39QV_z5NAwqdA/140.jpg
The Prisoner: A Tale About a Prisoner of War (Penny McKinlay) $4 HB EC (Ex lib) S compassionate story of an Italian prisoner of war who is befriended by a local family. Bright, page turning stories that bring history to life, with historically accurate information and fact sections to reinforce learning. Great illustrations. 6-10 YO http://prism.talis.com/ynysmon/items/402538?query=subject%3A%28World+War%2C+1939-1945+Great+Britain+Juvenile+fiction%29&resultsUri=items%3Fquery%3Dsubject%253A%2528World%2BWar%252C%2B1939-1945%2BGreat%2BBritain%2BJuvenile%2Bfiction%2529%26offset%3D30&offset=30
A Time Of Fire (Robert Westall) $5 HBDJ EC (Ex lib) During World War II in England, Sonny has memorized all of the planes on his aircraft recognition chart. He is overwhelmed by guilt when his mother dies in a bombing while doing an errand that he forgot to do. Sonny is too ashamed to admit the truth to his father, but does tell him the type of plane that was responsible. Dad joins the RAF in hopes of gunning down his wife's killer, leaving the boy in his grandparents' care. When his father cannot carry out this mission, Sonny feels the mantle of responsibility fall upon his shoulders. As he assists his grandfather with sandbagging their coastal home and other tasks, he grapples with issues of life and death, vengeance and compassion. His grandfather is able to help free Sonny from the responsibility for his mother's death, although the boy still struggles with rage and the need for revenge. Sonny and his grandparents are richly developed characters. The novel is so full of detail that Westall leaves readers feeling as though they, too, are sitting next to the wireless, listening to the latest threat from Hitler's forces. But it is the relationship between Sonny and his grandfather that is the jewel of the story, a treasure that enables the boy to face a downed German pilot, thus resolving his inner struggle. 10+ Highly recommended! http://www.amazon.com/Time-Fire-Robert-Westall/dp/0330337548
The Young Underground “Follow The Star” (Robert Elmer) $4 PB VGC (Ex lib) In post-World War II Denmark, 13-year-old twins Peter and Elise Andersen and their friend Henrik Melchior find themselves in a precarious situation. Henrik's father, who died during the war, had left a letter in a Hebrew book for his son. The three set out to find the book that disappeared during the occupation. That search becomes of secondary importance when Henrik's mother and a family friend, Matthias Karlsson, fail to return from a short flight to Sweden. A mysterious phone call informs them that Mrs. Melchior and Matthias are being held captive as spies by the Russian military on the occupied Danish island of Bornholm. The twins' uncle persuades their parents to let him take the three teenagers to Bornholm by boat to search for and rescue the missing couple. In typical fashion, the Russians deny the existence of the two adults, but two teenagers who had been in the underground know about the situation and orchestrate the eventual rescue. CHRISTIAN TITLE. 10+ http://www.amazon.com/Follow-Star-Young-Underground-7/dp/1556616600
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit $5 PB VGC Among Hitler's other crimes, he stole Anna's pink rabbit (when he confiscated all of her Jewish family's property) and made her a refugee at the age of ten - moving from Berlin to Switzerland, France and England in search of a new home. While she only vaguely comprehends the events that worry her parents so much (wondering what it means when people say that Hitler will "get" the Jews and that her father has "a price on his head"), Anna writes poems about disasters and suffers from nightmares. Most of the time, however, she is absorbed by the minor difficulties of adjusting - the awkward attentions of Swiss boys, struggles with the French language, brother Max's effortless adaptability - and the adventure of newfound poverty. The title really says it all: the repercussions of Nazism seen through a child's personalizing perspective. 10+ A fantastic read – highly recommended! http://www.amazon.com/When-Hitler-Stole-Pink-Rabbit/dp/0698115899
North Of Danger (Dale Fife) $3 PB EC Twelve-year-old Arne undertakes a two-hundred-mile trip on skis to warn his father of a German invasion of their town on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. 8-11YO http://www.amazon.com/North-Danger-Dale-Fife/dp/0590312057/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242258035&sr=1-2
Dawn Of Fear (Susan Cooper) $3 PB GC Children having to adapt to life with air raid sirens and bombs in WW II. Derek and his friends, living outside of London during World War II, find plenty of opportunities to explore bomb craters, collect shrapnel, and identify the fighter planes that fly overhead. When a bomb hits close to school, causing classes to be cancelled, the boys are overjoyed: They can spend the day building their secret camp. 9+ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/susan-cooper/dawn-of-fear.htm
Tomorrow is a Lovely Day (Mabel Esther Allan) $5 HB VGC After her parents are killed by a rocket on New Year's Eve in London, 15-year-old Frue rebuilds her life in the wartime English countryside. 11+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomorrow-Lovely-Day-Swift-Books/dp/085997880X
Shadow Over The Islands (Francis Murray) $5 HB EC It’s June, 1940, and Hitler is poised to invade and occupy the Channel Islands. Luke Redruth sails there single-handedly in his yacht to fetch his mother home before they come. He finds an unlikely crew, both willing and unwilling, to ship with him for the hazardous passage back to England, among them a three year old, a cripple, a fisherman’s daughter and a former member of the Hitler youth. A great read! 11+
Petro’s War (Alki Zei) $4 HBDJ VGC (Ex lib, tape residue) A ten-year-old boy and his family endure the Fascist occupation of Athens during World War II. The author shows that even though Greece was a minor theatre of war, no suffering or courage is minor. 11+ WINNER OF THE BATCHELDER AWARD
They Didn’t Come Back (Paul Berna) $4 HBDJ GC (Ex lib, tape residue) A group of French boys try to solve the mystery concerning a band of French resistance fighters who disappeared twenty-five years before. 11+ http://www.booklovers.co.uk/Images/BookScans/164210.jpg
Over The Wet Lawn (Michael Standen) $4 HBDJ VGC (Ex school, tape residue) In a small English town prior to the Normandy Invasion four young people investigate suspicious events and gather evidence against a suspected spy. 11+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/0192714104/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_all
Tug Of War (Joan Lingard) $3 PB VGC Forced to flee Latvia with their family, twins Astra and Hugo journey to Germany in carts, on foot, and subsequently by boat, where they are attacked by planes from above and submarines from below. When Hugo is injured and separated from his family, he fears that they might be dead; Astra fears that Hugo might be trapped behind the Iron Curtain, but neither gives up hope and continue to search for each other. 11+ http://www.amazon.com/Tug-War-Puffin-Teenage-Fiction/dp/0140373195/ref=sr_1_6/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190186407&sr=1-6 (Cover different)
Castaway From Rhodes (Jacqueline Cervon) $3 HBDJ GC (Ex lib) Washed up on Turkish shores after a storm, a Greek boy becomes friends with a Turkish boy despite the hostilities between their two countries. 11+
Escape From Shangri-La (Michael Morpurgo) $4 PB VGC Cessie has never seen her grandfather, not even in photos, until the day he turned up on the doorstep out of nowhere...The old man has a stroke. He recovers, but he has lost his memory. Only Cessie loves him and believes in him. So when he is sent off to Shangri-La, an old people's home, she is determined to help him escape and to unravel the truth of his past. A past that comes to him only in glimpses - a lifeboat, a tin of condensed milk, and a terrifying night on the beaches of Dunkirk in World War II...Gradually, Pop recovers his memory and, with Cessie's help, realises a dream of finding the woman in France who had hidden him from the Germans. 9+ http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/1486/Escape_from_Shangri-La-Michael_Morpurgo.html
There’s No Escape (Ian Seraillier) $2 PB GC One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is a fast-moving adventure story, set in wartime Europe and featuring parachutes, codes and inventions. 10+ http://smallworks.org.uk/noescape.jpg
The Star Houses: A Story from the Holocaust (Stewart Ross) $5 HB EC (Ex lib) Bandi Guttmann is a fourteen-year-old Hungarian Jew living in Budapest in 1944. German forces have occupied the city, and life for Bandi and his family is about to become unbearable. Set apart from the rest of the community and denied basic rights, the Guttmann family's only weapon is their determination to survive. But in the face of mindless Nazi hatred, will their strength, love, and courage be enough to hold them together? Has a brief introduction relating actual historical events, and at the end of the book, young readers will find a brief historical note that places the story in a larger context plus a glossary of terms specific to the time and place. Line illustrations capture the atmosphere of each story. 11+ http://www.amazon.com/Star-Houses-Story-Holocaust/dp/0764155288
The Long Voyage (Jorge Semprun) $5 PB GC A young Spaniard captured with 119 others fighting with the French Resistance counts off the days and nights as the truck rolls slowly but inexorably towards Buchenwald. During the seemingly endless journey, he has conversations that range from his childhood to speculations about the death camps. When at last the fantastic, Wagnerian gates to Buchenwald come into sight, the young Spaniard is left alone to face the camp. 11+ WINNER OF THE PRESTIGIOUS FORMENTER PRIZE. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/158567639X/ref=dp_image_text_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books (Cover different)
Freidrich (Hans Peter Richter) $3 PB GC The tragic story of a Jewish boy in Germany during the 1930s, this award-winning novel is superb, sensitive, honest, and compelling. A classic novel of the Holocaust. 10+ http://www.amazon.com/Friedrich-Puffin-Books-Peter-Richter/dp/0140322051
Greater Than Angels (Carol Matas) $4 PB EC In the autumn of 1940, Anna Hirsch, her friends, and her family are rounded up by the Nazis and deported from Germany into France. They are placed in Gurs, a refugee camp where conditions are inhuman. But even worse is the terror that the Jews will be relocated to one of the Nazi death camps. Relief workers arrange for Anna and the other young people to be sent to Le Chambon, a tiny village in France. There, the villagers agree to care for the Jewish children. But as the war rages on, Jews in France -- and those who shelter them -- are in increasing danger. Will Anna and her friends survive? Award-winning author Carol Matas presents a powerful and unforgettable story of courage in the face of evil. 10+ http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Greater-Than-Angels-Carol-Matas/9780590515405-item.html
Shadow Of The Wall (Christa Laird) $6 HBDJ EC The inhumanity forced upon the Jews in Warsaw during World War II is wrenchingly told through the fictional family of 13-year-old Misha Edelman, who, following his father's death, feels responsible for his ailing mother and two younger sisters, Rachel and Elena. Living in the Orphans' Home operated by the heroic "Mister Doctor" Korczak, Misha risks his life by smuggling to support those he loves. Death becomes a daily occurrence as the Nazis deport thousands to the concentration camp at Treblinka. After his mother's death and having smuggled Elena to the Aryan side of the wall, he increasingly seeks action, some way to contribute to the growing resistance movement. 11+ http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Shadow-On-The-Wall-Christa-Laird/9780099400578-item.html?pticket=lblpby4555zlx3qlr3ky1s55i9axbDjuEypJWP5pUYAflWEr1Nc%3d (Cover different)
Torn Thread (Anne Isaacs) $5 PB EC It’s 1943, and for two years the Nazis have occupied the Polish town of Bedzin. Suddenly twelve year old Eva and her sister are torn from their father and imprisoned in a Nazi work camp in Czechoslovakia where they spin thread on treacherous machinery to make blankets and uniforms for the German army. Based on a true account. 11+ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! http://www.amazon.com/Torn-Thread-Anne-Isaacs/dp/0590603647/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190340513&sr=1-1
The World That Summer (Robert Muller) $4 PB GC The time is 1936. In Berlin, the Olympic Games are in full swing. In Hamburg, 12-year-old Hannes Hacker experiences dangers at home and in school. He must guard his secret - a beloved Jewish grandmother whose existence he is forced to deny. 11+ http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/7311175/used/The%20world%20that%20summer
Hunted! (Zena Carus) $4 HB VGC It is June, 1940. The Germans have invaded the Channel Islands and are rounding up the Jewish inhabitants. David, 11, is Jewish. His friends Michael and Sarah realize that he must disappear – and fast! But already the net is closing in! 10+ http://www.antiqbook.co.uk/boox/thechi/78475.shtml
Mischling, Second Degree: My Childhood In Nazi Germany (Ilse Koehn) $4 PB VGC Ilse Koehn was six years old in 1935 when, unknown to her, she became a Mischling, second degree citizen in Nazi Germany because her grandmother was Jewish. These are the memoirs of a German girl who became a leader among the Hitler Youth while her Social Democratic family kept from her the secret of her partial Jewish heritage. 12+ http://www.librarything.com/work/1215287
Katarina (Kathryn Winter) $5 PB BRAND NEW This story opens on February 26, 1942 in Slovakia, during the height of WWII. Katarina, 14 lives with her beloved aunt and uncle. They are hiding from the Nazis who have been rounding up Jewish families and sending them to work camps. This family is able to dodge the Nazis for some time prior to devising escape plans. They return to Slovakia in 1943, believing their home to be safe from impending Nazi attack, but Katarina is forced to leave the home and roams the countryside from one peasant town to another, seeking food and shelter.11+ Highly recommended! http://www.amazon.com/Katarina-Kathryn-Winter/dp/0439099048/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190340564&sr=1-2
I Am Fifteen – And I Don’t Want To Die (Christine Arnothy) $3 PB BRAND NEW A true story of Christine, only 15 when she’s caught in the middle of war-torn Budapest, Hungary, in World War II. Huddled in the cold, dark cellar of their bombed-out apartment building, Christine listens in fear as the battle rages over her head. She must get out of the city – but where will she go and how will she escape? Christine is learning some hard lessons about life – and death – as she struggles to stay alive amidst the horrors of war. 10+ Recommended! http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/arnothy_i.htm
The Play Of The Diary Of Anne Frank (Frances Goodrich) $1 HB VGC A powerful and faithful dramatization of the events in "The Diary of Anne Frank", recording the experiences of a young Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis for two years before being sent to a concentration camp. The introduction, notes and assignments provide support in tackling the characters, themes and action of the play. Any age. http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Young-Girl-Heinemann-Plays/dp/0435233149
Hide And Seek (Ida Vos) $5 PB BRAND NEW Rachel Hartog is only 8 years old when the Nazis invade Holland. And then the changes begin. First she can’t go to school any more. Then she’s not allowed to enter the park, and she has to give her bicycle away. Finally, she’s forced to wear a yellow star – all because she is Jewish. As the Nazis close in, Rachel and her family go into hiding, moving from house to house in the middle of the night. When they are separated, Rachel wonders if she will ever see her family again. 9+ http://www.amazon.com/Hide-Seek-Ida-Vos/dp/0140369082/ref=sr_1_1/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190187702&sr=1-1
Journey To America (Sonia Levitin) $2 PB GC (Cover crease and light tanning) Papa had made his escape to America. When it was time for Lisa and the rest of the family to flee Germany, would they be as fortunate? Not everyone thought that bad things were going to happen in Germany. But Papa was sure the Jews were not safe there, and events after he left proved he was right. Plans were made to leave, but before the family is reunited, hardships and near disaster gives them all new courage and determination to endure. 8-12 YO http://www.amazon.com/Journey-America-Sonia-Levitin/dp/0689318294/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190186871&sr=1-1
The File On Fraulein Berg (Joan Lingard) $2 PB VGC Three schoolgirls in wartime Belfast unite to maintain a watch on their mysterious German teacher. They follow Fraulein Berg everywhere, until they discover the reasons why she left Germany. 11+ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/joan-lingard/file-on-fraulein-berg-red-fox-older-fiction.htm
Chase Me, Catch Nobody! (Erik C. Haugaard) $2 PB GC On a school trip to Germany in 1937 a 14-year-old Danish schoolboy becomes involved in the activities of the anti-Nazi underground. 11+ http://www.amazon.com/CHASE-CATCH-NOBODY-Erik-Haugaard/dp/0395292085 (Cover different)
Big Tom (Jean Ure) $4 PB VGC (Ex lib) Life in London during the Second World War, as seen through the eyes of a lively nine-year-old boy. Neville Chamberlain has just made the announcement: Great Britain and Germany are at war. Mum worries about Derek in the army; Dad's thinking about the Andersen shelter he's just built in the garden; Jenny, aged eleven is worrying about the animals. But Bobbie -- aged nine, has never been so excited in his life. He thinks the war is the most fantastic game. His only worry is that it will end before he is old enough to join up -- he wants to see the planes -- He knows the names of all of them; he wants to catch a German spy; he wants to be kept in the Andersen shelter over night. It's only when his beloved Big Tom, a cat, is missing believed dead, that Bobbie realises the truth about war. A wonderful picture of childhood and a sensitive portrayal of family loyalties in times of crisis. Excitement, terror, misery and humour -- the poignancy of Goodnight Mr Tom plus the humour of Hope and Glory in this beautifully crafted young novel. 8-11 YO http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Tom-Collins-Red-Storybooks/dp/0006751539
Feather Wars (Sally Grindley) $4 PB EC (Ex lib) Young Sam’s life is troubled by pigeons and Dunkirk. The story, set in wartime 1940, unfolds through a fascinating and perceptive blend of the child and adult worlds and a child’s gradual coming to terms with things. Conflict and war, fear and prejudice, love and hate – they’re all there. Wonderfully put together. A neat use of material and so well woven. Forget about magic – this is real life, which can be just as magical. Plenty about the philosophy of life, embedded in the characters. 10+ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feather-Wars-Sally-Grindley/dp/0747563381
The Moon’s On Fire (Margaret Donaldson) $2 PB GC In wartime London, an English girl and Polish twin brothers suspect the girl's uncle of spying for the Germans and must undergo many dangers and difficulties before finding out the truth. 10+
Journey Into War (Margaret Donaldson) $2 PB VGC Ten year old Janey is abandoned in France as the German army sweeps across the Channel. Together she and two Polish boy refugees form ‘The Young Eagles’ – determined to fight the Germans themselves. But Janey is captured by the Gestapo. Can the boys free her? 8+ Recommended! http://www.librarything.com/work/8517347/covers/
Kingdom By The Sea (Robert Westall) $3 PB GC (Bar code cut from back cover) Harry's family are running to the shelter when the bomb hits. As the rescue team pull him alone out of the rubble, Harry realises he'll be sent off to live with moping, fussy Cousin Elsie - the last thing he needs on top of the shock of losing his family. He runs away, meeting Don, a dog who's also lost his home, on the beach. In wartime every step is full of danger. Getting a meal, sleeping in a haystack - everywhere Harry goes he finds people full of suspicion, ready to turn in a boy on his own. But Harry encounters sudden kindnesses too. A family have left a caravan open, filled with tinned food for anyone who needs shelter. They all died when a bomb hit their home, but they help Harry when he needs it most. 10+ WINNER OF THE GUARDIAN CHILDREN’S FICTION AWARD http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/robert-westall/kingdom-by-sea.htm
The Arpino Assignment (Geoffrey Trease) $6 HBDJ EC The story begins in 1943 when young Rick Weston is summoned to the War Office and informed of the top secret work of the Special Operations Unit. He finds himself on a mission which leads him into all kinds of exciting, dangerous and romantic adventures. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/geoffrey-trease/arpino-assignment.htm (Cover different)
How’s Business? (Alison Prince) $2 PB VGC From the author: “This is a special book to me. It was written in 1986, during two terms of work with the children of a small primary school in Lincolnshire, who shared in all the work of writing it. Due to a suggestion from one of them, it’s set in the Second World War. The children researched it meticulously, helped by the old people of the village, and I threw in my own childhood experience as an evacuee. The book was a runner-up for the Smarties Prize, and was filmed by the Children’s Film Foundation, which in turn was the subject of a BBC documentary. Teachers find it extremely useful because of its authentic WW2 background.” 9-13 YO http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/alison-prince/how-s-business.htm
Waiting For Anya (Michael Morpurgo) $5 PB NEW, $3 PB GC (Some cover wear) Living in France, Jo thought he might escape the worst of the war but things change when the Germans set up an outpost right in his town! Jo knows that the Jewish children hidden on a remote hill farm are no longer safe as the Germans are becoming very suspicious. He and a friend devise an elaborate escape plan under the constant scrutiny of the German soldiers – one that might just save the children – or destroy the entire town! 11+ http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Anya-Michael-Morpurgo/dp/0140384316/ref=sr_1_2/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190188076&sr=1-2
I Am David or North To Freedom (Ann Holm) $2 PB FC David's entire twelve-year life has been spent in a grisly prison camp in Eastern Europe. He knows nothing of the outside world. But when he is given the chance to escape, he seizes it. With his vengeful enemies hot on his heels, David struggles to cope in this strange new world, where his only resources are a compass, a few crusts of bread, his two aching feet, and some vague advice to seek refuge in Denmark. Is that enough to survive? David's extraordinary odyssey is dramatically chronicled in Anne Holm's classic about the meaning of freedom and the power of hope. An excellent read – highly recommended! 10+ http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-David-Anne-Holm/dp/0152051600
Lisa’s War (Carol Matas) $3 PB BRAND NEW Lisa is 12 years old when the Nazis invade Denmark. Angered at her country's surrendering without a fight, Lisa and her family each join the resistance, doing their part for their country while trying to hide their activities from others. Lisa starts with a small assignment of delivering some pamphlets, (and finds that frightening enough), but by the end she is helping to organize a mass evacuation of Danish Jews to Sweden. 11+ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/carol-matas/lisas-war.htm (Cover art different)
Kris’ War (Or Code Name Kris) (Carol Matas) $3 PB BRAND NEW Jesper, a Danish boy, grows up in Denmark during World War II when the Nazis overtook the country. He’s best friends with Stephen, a Jew, and falls in love with Stephen's sister Lisa. As things progressively get worse with the Nazi persecution, Jesper helps many Jewish families, including Stephen and Lisa's, to escape to Sweden to avoid being sent to concentration camps. To protect his family from being tortured because of his involvement with the Jews, he goes underground and becomes a member of the Danish resistance. 11+ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/carol-matas/code-name-kris.htm (Cover art different)
When Jays Fly To Barbmo (Margaret Balderson) $4 HB GC (Ex lib, tape residue on inturns) Set in Norway in 1940, when it was invaded by the Germans. When Ingeborg glimpses a strange vessel lurking in a fjord, she knows it’s a German warship and that the invasion of Norway had begun! In the midst of this terrifying experience, fourteen year old Ingeborg, finds herself responsible for the care, and protection of others, while her father is off on a fishing trip. 11+ THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR http://www.librarything.com/work/855515
The Machine Gunners (Robert Westall) $2 PB GC Set in England during World War II, Chas has been striving to own the best war souvenir collection in town ever since Boddser Brown bested him with the nose cone from a bomber. He gets his chance when a German Heinkel crashes into the laundry, and the prize of all war souvenirs, a functional machine gun hidden in the cockpit, becomes his! 9+ http://www.amazon.com/MACHINE-GUNNERS-Robert-Westall/dp/014030973X/ref=sr_1_2/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190185934&sr=1-2
Fireweed (Jill Paton Walsh) $4 HB VGC, $3 PB VGC A coming of age story in WWII London. Two teenagers learn about self-reliance and responsibilities as they survive on their own during the bombing of London. The author captures the angst, selfishness, and drama of the young having to cope with a world that is suddenly changed forever, as well as the resilience and ingenuity that came with suddenly having to take care of themselves and each other in a time when life continued on as bombs falling at any time became almost commonplace. A great read, recommended! 11+ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/jill-paton-walsh/fireweed.htm (Cover different)
The Dolphin Crossing (Jill Paton Walsh) $2 PB GC Pat and his friend John both know the risks they are running in taking a boat across the Channel in the spring of 1940. But they also know they have to do something to help the British soldiers stranded in Dunkirk. 11+ http://childrensbookshop.com/images/bookimages/71/71940.jpg
Goodnight Mr. Tom (Michelle Magorian) $3 PB GC London is poised on the brink of World War 11. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, of the country sounds and sights, even of Mr. Tom, the gruff, kindly old man who has taken him in. But gradually Willie forgets the hate and despair of his past. He learns to love a world he never knew existed, a world of friendship and affection in which harsh words and daily beatings have no place. Then a telegram comes. Willie must return to his mother in London. When weeks pass by with no word from Willie, Mr. Tom sets out for London to look for the young boy he has come to love as a son. 10+ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/michelle-magorian/goodnight-mister-tom.htm
In Spite Of All Terror (Hester Burton) $3 PB GC (Ex lib) In 1940 a fifteen-year-old orphan girl from the London slums is evacuated to the country to live with an aristocratic family. Tells of her experiences as an evacuee in the Second World War. 10+ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/hester-burton/in-spite-of-all-terror.htm
When The Siren Wailed (Noel Streatfield) $5 HBDJ, $3 PB GC EC Friday 1st September, 1939, war is declared. Laura, Andy and Tim Clark, with their name and address pinned to them, join the straggling procession of evacuees to the station. Operation Pied Piper is under way! 10+ http://www.whitegauntlet.com.au/noelstreatfeild/ChildFiction/BooksSirenWailed_cover.htm
Carrie’s War (Nina Bawden) $2 PB GC (Ex school) Bombs are falling on London. Carrie and Nick are wartime evacuees billeted in Wales on old Mr Evans’ place. They were happy until Carrie did a terrible thing, the worst she ever did in her life…. 10+ http://www.amazon.com/Carries-War-Puffin-Modern-Classics/dp/0140364560/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190342887&sr=1-1 (Cover different)
The War Guest (Irene Shubik) $4 HBDJ EC 'Waterloo Station would never look again as it did on that day. Children were massed everywhere, gas masks hanging from their necks. As the train pulled out, I saw my father’s handsome, melancholy face recede; the last I was to see of him for eight years. It was August 1941; we were on our way to cross the Atlantic and become war guests.' She is eight years old when she is evacuated to Canada to live with relations. 11+ http://biblio.co.uk/bibliozoom/image_viewer.php?imgURL=http://i.biblio.com/b/130l/98300130-0-l.jpg
Evacuee (Gabriel Alington) $4 HBDJ VGC, $3 PB EC “Dear President Roosevelt, I am an English evacuee and I am writing to thank you very much for sending supplies from America to help my country win the war. My parents are in London and my brother is in the Royal Navy so, you see, your help is very important to them and me.” Based on the author’s real life story of being sent to America in 1940 to escape the bombing of war in London. 11+ http://www.jollybooknut.com.au/files/arlington-evacuee.JPG
The Silver Sword or Escape From Warsaw (Ian Seraillier) $2 PB GC “This is the best of my treasures," said Jan. Although the silver sword was only a paper knife, it became the symbol of hope and courage which kept the four children alive through the years of Nazi occupation when they had to fend for themselves. And afterwards, it inspired them to keep going on the exhausting and dangerous journey from war-torn Poland to Switzerland, where they hoped to find their parents. Based on fact, this is an extraordinarily moving account of life during and after the Second World War. A fantastic read – highly recommended! 10+ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/ian-serraillier/silver-sword.htm
The Bombers’ Moon (Betty Vander Els) $4 PB GC (Minor edge wear to cover) This novel is set during World War II. Brother and sister Simeon and Ruth are living in China with their missionary parents. The year is 1942, and the Japanese are bombing parts of China. Ruth (who is telling the story) and Simeon are sent to an emergency school, as their normal school has been closed and the students and teachers have been put into concentration camps by the Japanese. As bombings increase, the children are sent to India. 10+ http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Bombers-Moon/Betty-Vander-Els/e/9780374408770
Under The Blood-Red Sun (Graham Salisbury) $4 PB GC Tomi was born in Hawaii, but his parents came from Japan to America to escape poverty. World War II seems far away from Tomi and his friends…….that is until December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbour is attacked and his world vanishes in an hour. Tomi’s father is arrested and he must be the man of the family. It’s a terrifying time to be Japanese in America! 9+ WINNER OF THE SCOTT O’DELL AWARD http://www.amazon.com/Under-Blood-Red-Sun-Graham-Salisbury/dp/0553494872/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190186081&sr=1-1 (Cover different)
Hiroshima (Laurence Yep) $4 PB VGC Tells the events of the day the first atomic bomb was dropped through the experiences of a 12-year-old girl. Sachi survives but is badly burned; her sister dies and her soldier father is killed in action. For three years the girl spends most of her time indoors, as newcomers to the city fear the scarred survivors. Then she travels to America for plastic surgery, which enables her to take part in her society again. She returns to Japan, hoping to help other victims. Yep ends with two chapters on the destructive potential of nuclear warfare and on some of the efforts being made toward disarmament. His words are powerful and compelling, and the facts he presents make readers realize the horrors of that day and its impact beyond. 9-12 YO http://www.amazon.com/Hiroshima-Apple-Paperbacks-Laurence-Yep/dp/0590208330#reader_0590208330
The House Of Sixty Fathers (Meindert Dejong) $7 PB NEW, $3 PB FC (Older edition) A vividly realistic story of China during the early days of the Japanese invasion. Tien Pao is all alone in enemy territory. Only a few days before, his family had escaped from the Japanese army, fleeing downriver by boat. Then came the terrible rainstorm. Tien Pao was fast asleep in the little sampan when the boat broke loose from its moorings and drifted right back to the Japanese soldiers. With only his lucky pig for company, Tien Pao must begin a long and dangerous journey in search of his home and family. Not only a tense adventure story but also a moving picture of one small boy's tenacious courage. Highly recommended! 10+ NEWBERY HONOR MEDAL http://www.amazon.com/House-Sixty-Fathers-Meindert-Dejong/dp/0064402002
Lily’s Crossing (Patricia Reilly Giff) $4 PB BRAND NEW (Name stamp, book unused) The summer of 1944 was supposed to be as carefree as the past summers of Lily's life -- spent in Rockaway, in her family's house by the Atlantic Ocean. But World War II changes everything: Lily's best friend moves away to a wartime factory town, and Lily's father heads overseas to the war. Then Lily meets Albert, a refugee from Hungary who has a very tragic past. The secrets these two children share and the special friendship they form will change both their lives forever. 10+ WINNER OF THE NEWBERY HONOR MEDAL http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Lilys-Crossing/Patricia-Reilly-Giff/e/9780440414537
Foster’s War (Carolyn Reeder – author of “Shades Of Grey” and “Moonshiner’s Son” SL titles) $3 PB VGC It’s December, 1941, and from the moment the US declares war on Japan, eleven year old Foster Simmons is caught up in the conflict. First, his older brother gets shipped overseas as a gunner on a B-26, and then his best friend, Jimmy, is exiled to an internment camp. 10+ http://www.amazon.com/Fosters-War-Carolyn-Reeder/dp/059009856X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190342837&sr=1-1
Summer Of My German Soldier (Bette Greene) $2 PB EC Patty’s hometown in Arkansas becomes the site of a camp housing German prisoners in World War II. When she sells a pencil sharpener to Anton, a German prisoner, she begins to see him not as a Nazi, but as a frightened and lonely young man. A moving story of a developing friendship between a Jewish girl in America and a German POW. 11+ http://www.amazon.com/Summer-German-Soldier-Bette-Greene/dp/014130636X (Cover art different)
Hitler’s Daughter (Jackie French) $3 PB VGC (Ex lib) Did Hitler′s daughter‚ Heidi‚ really exist? What if she did? It began on a rainy morning‚ as part of a game played by Mark and his friends. It was a storytelling game‚ and the four friends took turns weaving tales about fairies and mermaids and horses. But Anna′s story was different this time: it was not a fairy tale or an adventure story. The story was about a young girl who lived during World War Two. Her name was Heidi‚ and she was Hitler′s daughter. As Anna′s story unfolds‚ Mark is haunted by the image of Hitler′s daughter. He wonders what he would have done in her place if he had known his father was an evil man leading the world into a war that was destroying millions of lives. And if Mark had known‚ would he have had the power and determination to stop him? The intriguing novel poses powerful questions about a frightening period in history and will force readers to examine moral issues in a fresh‚ compelling light. 10+ THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA SHORT LISTED BOOK. http://www.harpercollins.com.au/books/9780207198014/Hitlers_Daughter/index.aspx (Cover different)
Fly West (Ivan Southall) $4 HBDJ VGC A book of true stories based on the author’s experiences flying in Short Sunderland seaplanes during the Second World War. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/ivan-southall/fly-west.htm
Josef’s Bear (Margaret Beames) $4 PB VGC (Ex lib) It is Germany in 1948 and the war is over, but 11-year-old Josef still dreams of finding his father. All he has to remember him by is a little wooden bear. When Josef's home in Berlin was destroyed during the war, he was rescued by Helga, a farmer's wife, but now Josef is driven from the farm by Helga's husband. With the bear in his pocket and a pistol in his pack, he heads for Berlin. In the war-ravaged city, now in the throes of the Russian blockade, he is befriended by Elsa and 6-year-old Trudi. Survival is a daily struggle, made possible by the Allied airlift. Josef tries to find work, while continuing to search for his father, and is drawn into an attempt to smuggle a German scientist, wanted by the Russians, out of Berlin. When he meets the Professor and sees a collection of hand-carved animals in his room he realises his search is over - but the house is burning, the Russians are closing in and the only way out is over the roof-tops! 10+ http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/Josefs-Bear/Margaret-Beames/book_9780734406613.htm
Billy Mack’s War (James Roy) $5 PB VGC (Ex lib) When Captain Mack in released from his prison camp at the end of the war, no one is quite sure what to expect, least of all his son Billy. Will he be the same man who went off to war so full of hope and pride, or will he be different? Will he even remember his own children? Or will his experiences on the dreaded railway have changed him forever? A great story that takes us on a journey back to 1945, to a time when the world was trying to recover after five years of war, and families were learning how to live together all over again. 10+ THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA SHORT-LISTED BOOK: YOUNGER READERS http://jamesroy.com.au/billymack.htm
Back Home (Michelle Magorian – author of ‘Goodnight, Mister Tom’) $4 PB VGC In 1945, after five years as an evacuee, 12-year-old Rusty returns home to England from the USA and is shocked by what she finds - a world of war-damaged cities, rationing and drabness where even her family seem like strangers. Rusty feels alone and homesick as she tries to belong to two countries at once. 11+ BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS (ALA) http://www.librarything.com/work/19313 (Cover different)
Anna Is Still Here (Ida Vos) $5 PB BRAND NEW The Holocaust is over, but Anna is still haunted by the past. For three long years, Anna hid from the Nazis in Mr. De Bree’s attic and never saw her parents. But now the war is over and her family is reunited – but Anna can’t pick up the pieces of her life. 10+ http://www.amazon.com/Anna-Still-Here-Ida-Vos/dp/0140369090/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-5164673-2540815?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190184975&sr=1-2
The Running Man (Michael Gerard Bauer) $7 PB EC At fourteen, Joseph Davidson is quiet, self-conscious and a talented artist. His world changes however, when he is asked to draw a portrait of his mysterious neighbour Tom Leyton, a Vietnam veteran who, for thirty years, has lived alone with his sister Caroline, raising his silkworms and hiding from prying eyes. He soon realises that in order to truly draw Tom Leyton, he must find the courage to unlock the man’s dark and perhaps dangerous secrets. As Joseph moves deeper and deeper into his neighbour’s world he confronts not only Tom Leyton’s private hell, but also his own relationship with his father, and ultimately, the dishevelled, lurching figure from his past. 12+ http://alea.edu.au/html/reading-day/100/the-running-man
(Last update February, 2011)
