Books About War & Conflict
Page 1 of 2 · sorted by reading level
Stories about war, refugees, and conflict — helping kids understand difficult world events.
174 books
This collection of 174 books about war & conflict spans Grade 2–10. Reading level alone doesn't tell parents whether a book is right for a child — text difficulty and emotional weight grow at different rates, especially for strong, twice-exceptional, or sensitive readers. HootRated rates every book on this list for both, so you can match to your child's actual readiness on both axes.
Across this list, 26% of the titles are rated Gentle or Mild — appropriate for sensitive readers or kids reading ahead of their emotional comfort zone. 6% are rated Intense or Very Intense, with heavier thematic territory for readers ready to tackle weighty subjects. Average content intensity for the list is 2.8/5.
Use the intensity badges (color-coded green → red) to filter by emotional readiness rather than just age. For more on what each intensity level means, see our rating methodology.
Junior Spy
Kiara Kattler
Picture Book of Anne Frank
David A. Adler
The Story of Anne Frank (Lifetimes)
Stewart Ross
Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny
Elaine Lee
Marmee's surprise
Monica Kulling
Camel Bells
Janne Carlsson
I Survived the Nazi Invasion 1944
Lauren Tarshis
World History Biographies: Anne Frank
Ann Kramer
Francisco Pizarro
Trish Kline
List
Matthew K. Manning
Mist
Matthew K. Manning
Two Sides
Matthew K. Manning
Transformers, dark of the moon movie prequel
John Barber
A Faraway Island
Annika Thor
Tecumseh
Walter LaPlante
The promise quilt
Candice F. Ransom
Nancy Wake
Jessica Sarah Gunderson
Three against the tide
D. Anne Love
I remember the Alamo
D. Anne Love
Charlie Wilcox's Great War
Sharon E. McKay
Kids during the American Civil War
Lisa A. Wroble
Chief Joseph
Laura K. Murray
Children of the Civil War
Candice F. Ransom
Comanche warriors
David Schach
The Battle of the Little Bighorn
Gary Jeffrey
Jane Kendeigh
Karen De La Vega
Zulu warriors
Aaron Trejo
The cats in Krasinski Square
Karen Hesse
Mustang Flats
G. Clifton Wisler
A boy no more
Harry Mazer
Abraham Lincoln
Ellen Blue Phillips
Anne Frank
Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Black Soldier
John Clarke
Boy Who Didn't Want to Die
Peter Lantos
Brotherhood
Anne Westrick
Crossing the Dead Line
Michael Shoulders
Devil's Den
Susan Beth Pfeffer
Early Sunday Morning
Barry Denenberg
Elsie's troubled times
Martha Finley
Hostage to War
Tatjana Wassiljewa
If we must die
Pat M. Carr
Lines We Draw
Camellia Lee
Little Pawny
Doctor Chess
Lord of the Nutcracker men
Iain Lawrence
My America: My Brother's Keeper
Mary Pope Osborne, Katy Burkett, Ann McGovern, Patricia MacLachlan, Eva Moore, Anne Capeci, Jennifer Johnston, Rebecca Carmi, Ann Schreiber, Jerry Pallotta, Joanna Cole, Kathryn Lasky, Deborah Heiligman, Gail Gibbons, Barbara Kerley, Marilyn Burns
My Dear Phebe
Janet Elaine Smith
Razor eyes
Richard Alexander Hough
Shattered
Jennifer Armstrong
So Far Bamboo Grove Related Readings Gr7 (The Glencoe literature library)
GLENCOE
Son-of-Thunder
Stig Holmås
Tales from Wales
Rhiannon Ifans
The White Zone
Carolyn Marsden
The journal of James Edmond Pease, a Civil War Union soldier
Jim Murphy
The letter writer
Ann Rinaldi
Tulsa Burning
Anna Myers
Union army black
Lucille Travis
What's the matter, girl?
Elizabeth Brochmann
World War II
Doug Williams
Year of Impossible Goodbyes
Sook Nyul Choi
Darkening skies
Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, Chris Fabry
Animorphs
Katherine Applegate
Daring Women of D-Day
Alessia Trunfio
Dear Canada : Exiles from the War
Jean Little
Little Bighorn Battlefield
Jason Cooper
Nicolae High
Jerry B. Jenkins
Angels of Bataan and Corregidor
Agnieszka Biskup
End of the Line
Sharon E. McKay
How I found the Strong
Margaret McMullan
Military Dogs (Dog Heroes)
Frances E. Ruffin
African Americans and the Revolutionary War
Judith E. Harper
Breakout!
Jerry B. Jenkins
The Plymouth Colony
Pamela Dell
Virginia Hall
Samantha Feriolla Chow
A Father's Promise
Donna L. Hess
A little piece of ground
Elizabeth Laird
Abraham Lincoln
Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce
Civil War Is Coming
Christi E. Parker
Diamonds in the shadow
Caroline B. Cooney
Escape to Masada
Jerry B. Jenkins
Murder in the holy place
Jerry B. Jenkins
War of the dragon
Jerry B. Jenkins
An elephant in the garden
Michael Morpurgo
Robert E. Lee
Candice F. Ransom
Sophie Scholl
Salima Alikhan
Mr. Lincoln's drummer
G. Clifton Wisler
The Romeo and Juliet code
Phoebe Stone
Unforgettable Catastrophes
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Tamara L. Britton
The red badge of courage
Stephen Crane
Triumphant return
Jerry B. Jenkins
Vietnam War Technology
Laura K Murray
World War I
Thomas K Adamson
Blood brotherhood
M. Zachary Sherman
The Great Depression and World War II
Susan E. Hamen
Whistling in the dark
Shirley Hughes
Woods Runner
Gary Paulsen
Abraham Lincoln
Jean F. Blashfield
Animals Helping to Keep the Peace
Tamra B. Orr
Braving the fire
John B. Severance
Clara Barton (Breaking Barriers)
Jill C. Wheeler
For teens (ages 13+)
40 more books on this list are written for readers 13 and up. A few of them:
Little in Love
Susan E. Fletcher
Little in Love
Susan E. Fletcher
Zoli's Legacy
Dawn L. Watkins
Zoli's Legacy
Dawn L. Watkins
In my father's house
Ann Rinaldi
In my father's house
Ann Rinaldi
Hostage to War
Tat'Iana Vasil'Eva
Hostage to War
Tat'Iana Vasil'Eva
Prisoner B-3087
Alan Gratz
Prisoner B-3087
Alan Gratz
The Clay Marble
Minfong Ho
The Clay Marble
Minfong Ho
The Fence
Robin Friedman
The Fence
Robin Friedman
The Odyssey (Wishbone Classics)
Joanne Mattern
The Odyssey (Wishbone Classics)
Joanne Mattern
The book thief
Markus Zusak
The book thief
Markus Zusak
Legend
Marie Lu
Legend
Marie Lu
Lost girl found
Leah Bassoff
Lost girl found
Leah Bassoff
Kiss the dust
Elizabeth Laird
Kiss the dust
Elizabeth Laird
Prince across the water
Jane Yolen
Prince across the water
Jane Yolen
The emperor of any place
Tim Wynne-Jones
The emperor of any place
Tim Wynne-Jones
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
Soldier boy
Keely Hutton
Soldier boy
Keely Hutton
The Girl the Sea Gave Back
Adrienne Young
The Girl the Sea Gave Back
Adrienne Young
Hardcastle
John Yount
Hardcastle
John Yount
She Takes a Stand
Michael Elsohn Ross
She Takes a Stand
Michael Elsohn Ross
Stones For My Father
Trilby Kent
Stones For My Father
Trilby Kent
Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand
Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand
Gone With the Wind
Margaret Mitchell
Gone With the Wind
Margaret Mitchell
Parallel journeys
Eleanor H. Ayer
Parallel journeys
Eleanor H. Ayer
Questions parents ask about this list
- What's on this books about war & conflict list?
- Books About War & Conflict contains 174 books spanning Grade 2–10. Stories about war, refugees, and conflict — helping kids understand difficult world events. Every book on the list is rated for reading level and content intensity so you can pick what matches your child.
- What age range is appropriate for this list?
- Books on this list span Grade 2–10. 45 (26%) are rated Gentle or Mild; 10 (6%) are rated Intense or Very Intense. Average intensity is 2.8/5. Match the intensity badge to your child's emotional readiness.
- How is this list curated?
- HootRated rates every book on this list for both reading level (text difficulty) and content intensity (emotional weight) — the two axes parents need to choose books. See our methodology for how books make a curated list.