WWII

There Was a Time for Such a Word

By Gianni Solla - By Richard Dixon (trans.) - Published 2025

Genres:

In a tiny Italian village in 1942, Davide is the son of an illiterate pig farmer and ardent Fascist. Born with one leg shorter ...Read Review

Annie’s Day

By Apple Gidley - Published 2025

Genres:

It’s 2003 in an English village. As elderly Annie prepares for a visit from her family, she’s dismayed by news of another ...Read Review

Nonesuch

By Francis Spufford - Published 2026

Genres:

Historical FantasyLiterary

London, 1939. Iris Hawkins is a secretary for stockbrokers Cornellis & Blome, but she’s a would-be financier and the only person at the ...Read Review

The Lions’ Run

By Jon Klassen (illus.) - By Sara Pennypacker - Published 2026

Genres:

Children/Young Adult

In German-occupied France in 1944, two young people from very different backgrounds bond over a common love of animals. When Lucas, an orphan from ...Read Review

The Shopkeeper of Alsace

By Laura Knoy - Published 2025

Genres:

Saga

Based on a true story, this Jewish family odyssey begins in the Polish town of Amshinov in 1915. Berek Elkshutz runs a profitable shop ...Read Review

The Blitz Secret (John Cook Thriller)

By Stephen Ronson - Published 2025

Genres:

Thriller

This is certainly not a feel-good story about the London Blitz. Ronson gives us the Blitz in all its horror and squalor, not ...Read Review

Under Fire

By Hazem Asef (illus.) - By Sufiya Ahmed - Published 2025

Genres:

Children/Young AdultMystery/Crime

There is wonderful storytelling for 9-11s in this story by Sufiya Ahmed, who has previously won CrimeFest’s Best Crime Novel for ...Read Review

The Belgian Girls

By Kathryn J. Atwood - Published 2025

Genres:

Children/Young Adult

This is a beautifully written dual-timeline novel about two courageous Belgian women, one in World War I and the other in World War ...Read Review

Crossing the Line

By James D. Shipman - Published 2025

Genres:

Saga

Beginning in German-occupied Poland in February 1941 and ending in Soviet-occupied Poland in August 1945, Crossing the Line follows three young women—one Jewish, one ...Read Review

The Key to the Island House

By Amanda Lees - Published 2025

Genres:

Set between wartime Cairo and the present day, The Key to the Island House is a dual-timeline novel leaning heavily on atmosphere: heat ...Read Review