Teens and War

Prepared by Heather Booth, September 2006

YA/FICTION/CHAMBERS
Chambers, Aidan - Postcards from No Man’s Land - 2002, 312 p.
A young man travels to Amsterdam and uncovers an incredible story of love and danger involving his grandfather, a soldier in WWII.

PB/YA/F/COR
Cormier, Robert - Heroes - 1998, 135 p.
A dark thriller featuring a WWII veteran who returns home disfigured and intent on exacting revenge on a fellow soldier who wronged him before the war.

YA/FICTION/CRIST-EVANS
Crist-Evans, Craig - Amaryllis - 2003, 184 p.
When the war in Vietnam looks better than the war at home, Frank joins up leaving Jimmy to read his letters and remember their search for the perfect wave.

YA/FICTION/DORROS
Dorros, Arthur - Under the Sun - 2004, 212 p.
Thirteen-year-old Ehmet hides during the day and tries to seek safety under the cover of darkness after his home city of Sarajevo becomes a war zone.

PB/YA/F/ELL
Elliott, Laura - Annie, Between the States - 2004, 535 p.
Life as a southern belle is disrupted for Annie, who struggles with life during the Civil War and must decide for herself what is right and what is wrong.

YA/FICTION/ELLIS
Ellis, Deborah - The Breadwinner - 2001, 170 p.
Under the Taliban rule, Parvana takes deadly risks to care for her family.

YA/FICTION/HUGHES
Hughes, Dean - Soldier Boys - 2001, 162 p.
Two farm boys, two patriots, two soldiers, two very different sides. They face off and confront the harsh realities of war in WWII’s Battle of the Bulge.

PB/YA/F/KRU
Krulik, Nancy - Dawn’s Early Light - 2006, 194 p.
With only 24 hours before her boyfriend Tim ships off to Iraq, Sarah faces potentially tragic news about her brother in this modern, patriotic love story.

YA/FICTION/LAIRD
Laird, Elizabeth - Kiss the Dust - 1992, 281 p.
Tara never thought that her modern life would change so much. But, in 1984, she and her family must flee for their lives and seek refuge in Iran.

YA/FICTION/LISLE
Lisle, Janet Taylor - The Art of Keeping Cool - 2000. 207 p.
While his father is off fighting the Nazis, Robert lives in his grandparents’ home where he befriends an artist who may be a spy, and uncovers family secrets.

YA/FICTION/MAZER
Mazer, Harry - A Boy at War - 2001, 104 p.
A “military brat” in Hawaii whose dad is in the Navy is caught up in the chaos, confusion, and fear as Pearl Harbor is attacked and the U.S. enters WWII.

YA/FICTION/MYERS
Myers, Walter Dean - Fallen Angels - 1988, 309 p.
A gritty picture of Vietnam from the trenches. Richie enlists to escape his Harlem neighborhood and has to
grow up fast, along with the other teens in his platoon.

YA/FICTION/NICHOLS
Nichols, Janet - Peace Is a Four-Letter Word - 2005, 158 p.
A cheerleader in California is inspired by her history teacher to protest the first Iraq war, but questions herself when faced with disapproval.

YA/FICTION/ROSOFF
Rosoff, Meg - How I Live Now - 2004, 194 p.
American Daisy moves in with relatives in England, but life takes a shocking turn when an invading force shatters the peace in what becomes WWIII.

YA/FICTION/SEDGWICK
Sedgwick, Marcus - The Foreshadowing - 2006, 293 p.
Sasha is terrified by a vision of her brother’s death. Unable to accept his fate, she joins a volunteer nursing corps and ships off to the frontlines of WWI.

YA/FICTION/WHITE
White, Ellen Emerson - The Road Home - 1995, 469 p.
Though she has left her post as a nurse in Vietnam, Rebecca’s memories of the bloody Tet Offensive haunt her as she struggles to adjust to life stateside.

YA/FICTION/WULFFSON
Wulffson, Don - Soldier X - 2001, 226 p.
Recruited from the Hitler Youth to fight on Germany’s Russian front in WWII, Erik changes allegiance and disguises himself as a Russian soldier to survive.

YA/FICTION/ZUSAK
Zusak, Markus - The Book Thief - 2006, 552 p.
Liesel’s story of life as an orphan in Germany in the ’30s and ’40s is narrated by none other than Death himself… a story that even Death takes notice of.