Historical Fiction Books

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 437 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Haunting 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My book group chose this as our November selection -- even though we are between the ages of 46 - 55 and this is classified as YA. It was wonderful !!

This book follows Leisel Meminger from the age of 10 to 14 or so with an epilogue after her death. She is a young German girl living in a small town outside of Munich during the days of Hitler/Nazi Party/World War II. Her story is narrated by Death who talks about her life as well as those people closest to her such as her foster parents and neighbors. The level of detail in the writing brings her story alive and is told in such a creative fashion that I'm sure I won't forget it for a long, long time and I will probably re-read again in the future.

My father served in WW2 in Europe and was wounded in France by the Germans. I have always viewed that time in history through an American lense. This book really opened my eyes to what it must have been like for the German civilians caught up in the tyranny of the Third Reich and all the horrors of Hitler. I had never really considered the event from their point of view and I am so glad I was given the opportunity.

I would categorize this book as YA (not younger than high school) or adult fiction due to two things:

1) the novel is pretty graphic in places regarding war injuries as well as the horror the Jews suffered.

2) the narration can be jarring as it goes between Death and the "people" in the book. While a 7th or 8th grade student would probably be fine with the vocabulary and the style, there would need to be a real effort put forward on their part. I think it might feel more like a classroom literature assignment for that age group where, by waiting a year or two, they could truly enjoy it.

A truly great book and highly recommended !

Editorial Review:

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.


From the Hardcover edition.

Boy In the Striped Pajamas (Movie Tie-in Edition)

John Boyne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 104 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas MOVIE Review from The Massie Twins 4 out of 5 stars.
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The absolute high point of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is the attention to character development witnessed in every persona that appears onscreen. Thought-provoking and powerful, the backdrop of World War II, prison camps, and Nazis perfectly clash with the innocence of a child's mind and the injustice and compassion perceived through his eyes. At once painful, tear-jerking and deeply emotional, this is a film that cannot be easily forgotten.

Little Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and his family relocate to the countryside and out of Berlin during World War II. Bruno's father (David Thewlis) has just received a promotion to oversee a German concentration camp, much to the disapproval of his politically forthright parents, which takes the family away from friends and comfort. Bruno is initially upset, especially with boredom due to the lack of other children around the secluded house they move to, but he secretly wanders outside to investigate his surroundings.

Not far from the lonely home is the camp and its odd "farmers" who occasionally act as servants for the family. When Bruno works up the courage to travel to the gaunt resort, he meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) dressed in funny pajamas and looking glum. Soon the two consider themselves friends, even though they are separated by an electrified fence and can only meet in secrecy. Bruno brings food and games to play, but envisages himself as the unlucky one; he is tutored most of the day and trapped in a solitary fortress while Shmuel gets to roam freely (within the confines of the camp). Bruno's family life begins to falter when his mother (Vera Farmiga) discovers the true purpose of the camp and her husband's duties, and so he plots to join Shmuel in his search for his own missing father.

James Horner's preeminent score gives extra depth and resonance to outstanding performances and dire depictions of a catastrophic period. The film is told through the eyes of an innocent boy, giving a considerably unique approach to a Holocaust film. Based on the novel by John Boyne, the film never delves into actual atrocities, but instead focuses on the misinterpretations of a child's mind and the innocent interactions with both dutiful Nazis and suffering prisoners.

Every character is incredibly complex, from Jewish servant Pavel, who was once a doctor and now peels potatoes and serves drinks (Bruno can't understand why he'd give up his career), to Lieutenant Kotler, the intimidating German officer who shows no clemency to the Jews, yet carefully hides his own doubts about the orders he carries out. No supporting character is wasted, and each is perfectly portrayed by an incredibly talented cast.

Some aspects of the film's realism are questionable, from the use of servants to Schmuel's age to young Bruno's naïveté, but the message behind The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is nonetheless powerful and emotional. It's a difficult film to watch, but well paced and enlightening, despite the terribly bleak setting. The acting and character designs are simply phenomenal and unquestionably highlight this traumatizing World War II drama.

- Mike Massie

Editorial Review:

This work was set in Berlin, 1942. When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But, Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than what meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

Yes We Can: A Biography of Barack Obama

Garen Thomas

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I loved reading this book with my 10-year-old son 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 20 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for one of my child therapy clients at work and we read it together. We couldn't put it down. I am speaking for the both of us when I say that the book "Yes We Can" was enlightening and inspiring. Not only did it do a great job of explaining the American political system to young readers, but it also detailed Barack Obama's life in a way that offers youth the inspiration to achieve great things in life.

Editorial Review:

In third grade, Barack Obama wrote an essay titled, “I Want to Become President”—and he is, to this day, determined to show the world that, yes, he can.

Born in the U.S.A., the son of an African father and an American mother, a boy who spent his childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii, Barack Obama is truly a citizen of the world. His campaign for the presidency is powered by a fierce optimism, an exuberant sense of purpose and determination, and, above all, a belief that change can happen.

Garen Thomas takes us through the life of Barack Obama, from his struggle to fit in with his classmates and concern about not knowing his biological father, through his term as Illinois senator, to his historic and momentum-building run for president of the United States.

Barack Obama is a man who uses his words to inspire us. We can have a better future. We can be whatever we want to be. Yes. We. Can.

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Our White House: Looking in, Looking Out is an astounding collection featuring more than 100 award-winning children's book authors and illustrators. It is much more than a history about the home and office of U.S. presidents and their families. Commissioned by the National Children's Book and Literary Alliance, this stunning picture book transcends the bounds of educational textbook, or any particular genre, for that matter. It includes essays by historians and well-known nonfiction writers (like David McCullough), fictional stories, poetry (including a memorable poem about Lincoln and a butterfly by Kate DiCamillo), imagined letters to the president, texts of actual speeches, memoir (including an essay by Linda Johnson Robb about the eerie history of a White House room where she once stayed), transcripts of TV interviews, and clever games such as a "Best in Show" presidential pet contest and a "Who's in the House?" presidential board game. Among the book's most captivating features are the "illustration essays" which feature stories or ideas rendered completely through pictures. Notable examples include David Small's sketch journal "Backstairs at the White House,"depicting all the people who work in the house and keep it running, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" speech illustrated by Calef Brown, Peter Sis, Ed Young, and Stephen Alcorn.

Our White House will likely be a favorite of children--and adults-who love presidential trivia, historical facts, and old stories. Children who weren't White House buffs already will surely be drawn into this colorful, fun history of an iconic building that simultaneously tells the story of the United States. (Ages 9 to 12) --Heidi Broadhead

Devil's Brood

Sharon Kay Penman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The long-awaited and highly anticipated final volume in Penman’s trilogy of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine—a tumultuous conclusion to this timeless story of love, power, ambition, and betrayal.

Where the second novel in the trilogy, Time And Chance, dealt with the extraordinary politics of the twelfth century, climaxing with the murder of Thomas Becket and Henry’s confrontation with the Church and self-imposed exile to Ireland, Devil’s Brood centers on the implosion of a family. And because it is a royal family whose domains span the English Channel and whose alliances encompass the Christian world, that collapse will have dire consequences. This is a story of betrayal as Henry’s three eldest sons and his wife enter into a rebellion against him, aligning themselves with his bitterest enemy, King Louis of France. But it is also the story of a great king whose brilliance forged an empire but whose personal blind spots led him into the most serious mistake of his life.

Sharon Kay Penman has created a novel of tremendous power, as two strong-willed, passionate people clash, a family divides, and a marriage ends in all but name. Curiously, it is a novel without villains—only flawed human beings caught up in misperceptions and bad judgment calls. Most devastating to Henry was not his sons’ rebellion but his wife’s betrayal in joining them. How could it happen that two people whose love for each other was all consuming end up as bitter adversaries? That is the heart of Penman’s tale in Devil’s Brood.

Number the Stars

Lois Lowry

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 708 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Run Away 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Struggling through the ravages of World War II, Annemarie, her family, and her best friend Ellen wait in hiding until the Nazis retreat and let Denmark free once more. This wonderful story "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, is about friendship, tragedy, and, love. It also integrates a lot of useful life lessons, such as: being brave and deciding what to do wisely.
This story really captured my attention because it made me inquire as I read along. It also gave me a perfect image of what Denmark was like during the Nazi invasion.
I recommend this story to children in the fourth grade or higher because it has strong vocabulary words that are worth learning.


By Teddy (soon to be in grade 5)

Editorial Review:

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 harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal.

The Wednesday Wars

Gary D. Schmidt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Gary D. Schmidt offers an unforgettable antihero in THE WEDNESDAY WARS—a wonderfully witty and compelling novel about a teenage boy's mishaps and adventures over the course of the 1967–68 school year.

Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn't like Holling—he's sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and again, Holling finds Motivation—the Big M—in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself.

Kit an American Girl (6 Book Set)

Valerie Tripp

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Quality reading for any preteen! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I just bought this set for a neighbors daughter and she hasn't been able to put them down. She is on book six and looking forward to the new movie coming out. It is a beautiful compilation of stories that go to the heart of any young girl. Ann Clarke, author of People Are So Different! based on tolerance and understanding.

Books 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The American Girl boxed set came in the amount of time promised and was in great condition. The price and shipping were both very reasonable. Will definately purchase more in the future

Great set of books for young girls and young at heart. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great set of books for young girls and young at heart. Kit Kittredge is believable and this series teaches kids about the Great Depression without making it too depressing or sugar-coating it in any way. An excellent series!

My 5-year-old really loved these books 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My 5-year old daughter is fairly persnickety about what I read to her. We've tried other chapter books, including Disney's Fairy Series, Alice in Wonderland, L. Frank Baum's "OZ" books, and Peter Pan. This is the first that she's really connected with.

Kit is a strong role model for girls, modeling intelligence, hard work, and kindness in a way that doesn't seem fake or contrived. I admit that I bought the books just to better illustrate the movie, but I'm sold. I intend on buying more of the American Girl series to share with my little girl.

The Sweet Far Thing (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)

Libba Bray

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 123 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Interesting conclusion to a fascinating trilogy. 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Set in England during the late 1890s, this fantasy trilogy that began with A Great and Terrible Beauty brings us back to Gemma Doyle -- the sixteen-year-old with special powers that give her the ability to visit the equally beautiful and terrifying Realms -- and her friends Felicity and Ann. On the outside, she is experiencing things most girls her age go through. She is about to have her debut as she struggles with self-esteem issues and tries to be there for her two best friends, who have problems of their own. Ann's biggest fear is having to move with some distant relatives to work as their children's governess. She has a beautiful singing voice and discovers she has a knack for acting as well. Will she be able to achieve her goal and become an entertainer, or will her plain looks get in the way? Felicity wants two things -- power and independence. She longs to live life on her terms and enjoy the comfort and luxury of her inheritance. But her close friendship with Pippa and the interference from Felicity's debutante sponsor get in the way. As mentioned before, Gemma has her own issues. Her father is still on opium, her brother is still a callous rogue, and her grandmother is in denial of the problems around her. To make matters worse, Kartik, former member of the Rakshana and the Indian gypsy she's had a crush on since AGATB, is avoiding her. But those problems are nothing compared to what Gemma is facing in the realms. Pippa is acting strangely, Circe wants Gemma's powers, and the Winterlands creatures have threatened to pass over to the real world if Gemma doesn't give her powers to them. Her visions have returned, and they seem to be sending her warnings and signs that she doesn't understand. What secrets must she uncover to protect the creatures in the realms and her schoolmates at the Spence Academy? There are many twists throughout the novel.

As some people have said, we discover things here about Felicity that come as some surprise. She is the most complex character in the book, and therefore the most compelling, since she is obviously depicted as a feminist, but the things that unfold regarding her personal life are nevertheless shocking... or at least they were for me. Gemma has always been a wonderful young heroine with some teen angst of her own. In this book, she is too much in her head, describing her insecurities and lack of insight when it comes to solving the problems in the realms over and over again. There is a twist here with Kartik that is somewhat sad, but there is no other way for this romance to end, since there is no way that a proper English young lady and a gypsy could be together in a story set in Victorian England. Still, this twist left a bad taste in my mouth. Couldn't they have make it a go in some way, or at least keep Kartik... don't want to spoil it for you. All in all, The Sweet Far Thing is an interesting conclusion to this fascinating series. I neither love it nor hate it, but I do know that it's not quite as compelling as the first two books.

Editorial Review:

IT HAS BEEN A YEAR OF CHANGE since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a
laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.

The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)

Libba Bray

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 305 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Gemma, 16, has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother’s death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls’ academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left wi! th the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy. (Ages 12 up) –Patty Campbell