Reviews by Tag: world war II

Teen Review
Night book cover

Night

By Elie Wiesel
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Alex
Apr 1, 2025

Night by Elie Wiesel is a haunting and a personal memoir of his experiences as a Jewish teenager during the Holocaust. Wiesel recounts his time in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, where he witnesses unimaginable cruelty, loses his family and struggles with faith and survival. The book is a powerful testament to the horrors of the Holocaust, capturing the brutality of the camps and the psychological toll it takes on those imprisoned.

Teen Review
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz

Prisoner B-3087

By Alan Gratz
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Alex
Apr 1, 2025

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz is a powerful novel based on the true story of Jack Gruener, a Jewish boy who survived the horrors of the Holocaust. The story follows Yanek, a young boy whose life is shattered when the Nazis invade Poland. As he is forced from his home and taken through ten different concentration camps, he endures unimaginable cruelty, starvation and loss. Despite everything, Yanek refuses to give up hope, clinging to the promise of survival.

Teen Review
The Book Thief book cover

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Tristan Jenkins
Mar 30, 2025

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one of the most powerful stories that I have read. Taking place during the Holocaust, this book’s depth is immediately apparent (as is any story in the face of such a great tragedy.) The story centers around a girl named Liesel, who loses her family at the novel’s opening, and thus finds herself in the care of the Huberman family. The Huberman family provides Liesel with a new warmth that had been lacking previously in her life–they represent, for her, a true family.

Teen Review
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

The Devil’s Arithmetic

By Jane Yolen
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Owen
Mar 30, 2025

The Devil’s Arithmetic is a novel written by Jane Yolen. It begins with Hannah Stern, a 12 year old Jewish girl from current day New Rochelle, celebrating Passover with her relatives. Suddenly, Hannah is transported to 1941, where she is mistaken for a girl named Chaya. Hannah and the other Jewish people in her village are then tricked into going to a Nazi concentration camp. Hannah and her new friends go through all kinds of torture and eventually can’t take it anymore.

Teen Review
Hitler's War by Harry Turtledove

Hitler's War

By Harry Turtledove
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Mar 17, 2025

Harry Turtledove's Hitler's War is an action-packed entry in the World War series, continuing the gripping alternate history where aliens invade Earth during World War II. This installment delves deeper into the global conflict, showcasing humanity's ongoing struggle against the technologically superior Race.

Teen Review
Last Orders by Harry Turtledove

Last Orders

By Harry Turtledove
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Mar 17, 2025

Harry Turtledove's Last Orders is an action-packed alternate history novel that plunges readers into  World War II where the United States is losing. The narrative centers on the evacuation of Southern California as Japanese forces advance, focusing on a diverse group of characters and their desperate struggles for survival.

Teen Review
The Book Thief book cover

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Mar 3, 2025

A book narrated by death, who follows a young lonely girl through Nazi Germany. This is perhaps my favorite book of all time. The story telling is superb, the writing divine and the characters and plot weave a tale that will leave you in tears. Such a fascinating idea, to write a book narrated by death, its surprising it took so long for someone to think of it. It could so easily be overdone, made cheesy and lifeless but Zusak perfectly captures the essence of death in a meaningful and brilliant way.

Teen Review
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Cryptonomicon

By Neal Stephenson
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Zamir
Feb 21, 2025

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is a thriller book that combines two timelines: World War II and the late 1990s. The book explores cryptography, war and the rise of digital currencies. During WWII, mathematicians and codebreakers like Lawrence Waterhouse and soldier Bobby Shaftoe worked to break Axis codes while maintaining the secrecy of their successes.

Teen Review
The Book Thief book cover

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
JeremyG
Feb 12, 2025

The Book Thief follows Liesel, a young girl living in Nazi Germany who finds solace in stealing books and learning to read with the help of her foster father, Hans. As war intensifies, she forms deep connections with Rudy, her best friend, and Max, a Jewish man hiding in their basement, all while the narrator, Death, observes their lives unfold. Markus Zusak’s storytelling transcends mere narration; it becomes an exploration of the human heart in the face of unimaginable adversity.

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