What to Read Next After: The Book Thief

So, maybe you've finally gotten to The Book Thief ;gives you tissues for your tears and feels;. Now, you're ready for some more WWII fiction, because hey, that Pearl Harbor anniversary is coming up. Here are some books to try out next:

1) The Diary of Anne Frank

Going to get the most obvious choice out of the way. If you read WWII books, this should be one of the first ones you go too. Hopefully, your school teachers have already covered this one in class. But you never know with teachers, so if you haven't read it in school, try it out now.

2) Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

This one is about a spy for Allies who gets caught by the Nazis. I'll warn you now: it's a heavy book. But damn, is it good. When you're done, check out its sequel Rose Under Fire. Also good news if you've read both of those: there's another one coming out next year called Black Dove, White Raven (I think...).

3) Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

You probably know Lowry best for The Giver. Well, my first encounter with her writing was this book, which was assigned to me in school for a project of some sort that I don't remember now, but I do remember this book. It's just as good as The Giver.

4) Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

This one goes into the Russian side of things in WWII. It's about what Russians did to Lithuanians, told through the eyes of an teenage artist who is forced to go to one of their work camps. No, Nazi's did not have the monopoly on being horrible to other human beings.

5) The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

I actually have not read this one yet ;ducks; but from the sound of it, it's in the same vein as Book Thief. This one is about a son of a Nazi who meets another boy from a concentration camp who starts to question what the Nazis are doing.






Other books to look at:

Prisoner of Night and Fog Book 1 by Anne Blankman
Annexed by Sharon Dogar
Atonement by Ian McEwan