Advanced Pre-Teen Reads #3: War stories and historical fiction

APTR3: War stories and historical fiction

This is the third in a series of blog posts by Emma focussed on Advanced Pre-Teen Readers (APTRs). Find the first one here.

War stories and historical fiction that focus on children can be a good choice for advanced readers because they develop the child’s empathy and give them insight into a very different place, time or way of life. Because of the heavy subject material, these books can make the child feel like they’re reading something ‘grown up’ even if children are the intended audience.

If your child likes reading war-based novels, it’s a good way to lead them into reading non-fiction. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is not the only war diary written by a child. Zlata’s Diary (written during the Yugoslav War of the 1990s) is another good option, and there are many more.

While war stories are an excellent path to a deeper understanding of history, they can also help make children aware that wars are fought all the time, even now. Stories from Afghanistan and Syria are harder to find than those about World War II, but they do exist.

Check out the My Story series (Junior Fiction MY) for fictional stories written in the form of diaries by boys and girls living during important historical events.

WWII

• Goodnight, Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian (Junior Fiction MAG)
• The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier (Junior Fiction SER)
• Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French (Junior Fiction FRE)
• Many of Michael Morpurgo’s books are set during WWII (Junior Fiction MOR)
• Once (series) by Morris Gleitzman (YA Fiction GLE)
• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (YA Fiction BOY)
• The Complete Maus: A survivor’s tale by Art Spiegelman (Adult Graphic Novel SPI)

Other wars

• Chalkline by Jane Mitchell (YA Fiction MIT) Set in Kashmir in the 2000s
• Just a Girl by Jackie French (Junior Fiction FRE) Set in the Middle East in the first century AD, during a Roman invasion
• The Goose Road by Rowena House (YA Fiction, HOU) Set in World War I 

Come back for more

This series of blogs covers a selection of books from the children’s, YA, and even adult collections that are suitable for advanced young readers.

Look out for other APTR blog posts on:

• Classics
• Adventure
• Biographies and other non-fiction
• Junior fiction for all
• Library Li on Fantasy
• Library Li on New Zealand Fiction

If your APTR has read something great, let us know so that we can let other parents know! Email us or leave a note with staff at any of our libraries, letting them know to pass it on to Li and Emma. 

3 November 2021

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