Historical middle fiction

Nine Girls

Stacy Gregg

Nine Girls is a page-turning adventure from Stacy Gregg, one of Aotearoa's most internationally successful and locally awarded writers.

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The Night War

Kimberley Brubaker Bradley

A castle, a bridge, and dangerous secrets - in this page-turning story, set in Nazi-occupied France, a 12 year-old Jewish girl must learn who to trust and how to find…

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Kip of the Mountain

Emma Gourlay

The astonishing and magical debut novel from Melbourne writer Emma Gourlay

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Secret Sparrow

Jackie French

This is the story of women who fought during WWI, but not as nurses or ambulance drivers.

In 1917 sixteen-year-old Jean McLain is working as a post-office assistant in England…

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Silver Linings

Katrina Nannestad

A new heartwarming novel set in 1950s Australia from bestselling author Katrina Nannestad

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Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves

L. M. Elliott

[The author] captures life on the U.S. homefront during World War II, weaving a rich portrait of a family reeling from loss and the chilling yet hopeful voyage of fighting…

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Spies in the Sky

Beverley McWilliams

Sometimes we must do things we don't want to, even if they frighten us.

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Where The River Takes Us

Lesley Parr

It’s February 1974 and working class families have been hit hard by the three-day week. The reduced power usage means less hours for people to work, and less money to…

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Safiyyah’s War

Hiba Noor Khan

Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Writing

'Safiyyah's War has the soul of a classic & the urgency of a story for our times. A tale of tolerance, unthinkable bravery…

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The Wall Between Us

Dan Smith

War. Berlin 1961. Anja and Monika are best friends – they even share a cat called Otto. But a huge barbed wire fence is built between their apartment blocks –…

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The Last Mapmaker

Christina Soontornvat

A Junior Library Guild Selection –Title page verso.

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A Place to Hang the Moon

Kate Albus

A heartwarming story about three siblings, evacuated from London to live in the countryside, looking for a permanent home - and a new meaning for family. A New York Public…

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Brother’s Keeper

Julie Lee

Twelve-year-old Sora and her eight-year-old brother, Youngsoo, must try to escape North Korea’s oppressive Communist regime on their own in 1950. Includes historical notes, photographs of the author’s mother, glossary…

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Fritz and Kurt

Jeremy Dronfield

A retelling of the Sunday Times bestselling The Boy Who Followed his Father into Auschwitz, a Daily Mail and Sunday Express book of the year

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Dogs of the Deadlands

Anthony McGowan

Chernobyl 1986. Those left behind must fight to survive.

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Tumbleglass

Kate Constable

A wonderful time-slip novel full of secrets, family relationships and quiet magic, from the award-winning author of the bestselling and much-loved novels Crow Country, Cicada Summer and The January…

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Elsewhere Girls

Emily Gale, Nova Weetman

An exciting collaboration from two of Australia’s favourite middle-grade authors.

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Hardback

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief

Katrina Nannestad

Award-winning writer Katrina Nannestad transports us to Russia and the Great Patriotic War and into the life of Sasha, a soldier at only six years old…

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The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die

Peter Lantos

The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die describes an extraordinary journey, made by Peter, a boy of five, through war-torn Europe in 1944 and 1945.

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Breaking Down The Wall

Maximillian Jones

Second in a new duology set around the Berlin Wall. East Berlin, 1989: Greta feels stifled: she longs for freedom and the truth. Desperate to take a stand, she begins…

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When The War Came Home

Lesley Parr

A mesmerising historical mystery set in the aftermath of World War One, from the author of The Valley of Lost Secrets. Perfect for fans of Emma Carroll and Michael…

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The Accidental Stowaway

Judith Eagle

By the celebrated author of The Pear Affair and The Secret Starling - Patch finds adventure on every deck of the ‘floating palace’ she accidentally stows away on.

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The Little Match Girl Strikes Back

Emma Carroll, Lauren Child

It only takes one strike: A powerful feminist reworking of the Hans Christian Andersen classic, from bestselling and award-winning creators Emma Carroll and Lauren Child.

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The Silver Sword

Ian Serraillier

Having lost their parents in the chaos of war, Ruth, Edek and Bronia are left alone to fend for themselves and hide from the Nazis amid the rubble and ruins…

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We Dream of Space

Erin Entrada Kelly

Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly transports readers to 1986 and introduces them to the unforgettable Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas in this pitch-perfect…

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The Secret Horses of Briar Hill

Megan Shepherd

December 1941; Britain is at war. Emmaline has been evacuated away from the bombs to Briar Hill Hospital in Shropshire. When she gets there she discovers a secret. It’s not…

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The Boy Behind The Wall

Maximillian Jones

Soon after moving to West Berlin for his US diplomat father’s work, Harry Rogers witnesses the shooting of a boy trying to escape into the West over the Wall. In…

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Stella by Starlight

Sharon M. Draper

Sharon M. Draper presents storytelling at its finest (School Library Journal, starred review) in this New York Times bestselling Depression-era novel about a young girl who must learn to be…

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Waiting for the Storks

Katrina Nannestad

The powerful new novel from master storyteller Katrina Nannestad.

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Beyond the Bright Sea

Lauren Wolk

Crow has lived her whole life on a tiny, starkly beautiful island. Her only companions are Osh, the man who rescued her from a washed-up skiff as a baby and…

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While I Was Away

Waka T. Brown

The Farewell meets Erin Entrada Kelly’s Blackbird Fly in this empowering middle grade memoir from debut author Waka T. Brown, who takes readers on a journey to 1980s Japan, where…

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The Skylarks’ War

Hilary McKay

An evocative and heartbreaking novel of family and friendship in wartime.

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Lizard’s Tale

Weng Wai Chan

A heart-racing middle-grade adventure mystery set on the streets of Singapore against the backdrop of World War II, exploring issues of belonging, race and diversity

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Footprints on the Moon

Lorraine Marwood

Humans are about to leave footprints on the moon, but what sort of mark can one girl make here on earth?

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Goodnight Mister Tom

Michelle Magorian

Tells the story of young Willie Beech, evacuated to the country as Britain stands on the brink of the Second World War.

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Front Desk

Kelly Yang

Recent immigrants from China, desperate for money, ten-year-old Mia Tang’s parents take a job managing a rundown Southern California motel for skinflint Mr. Yao, whose son is the only other…

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Catch a Falling Star

Meg McKinlay

This coming-of-age story by multiple-award-winner Meg McKinlay is about loss and grief, dealing with change and fighting to hold on to what you can, while letting go of what you…

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We Are Wolves

Katrina Nannestad

Sometimes it’s good to be wild. Sometimes you have to be wild.

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My Australian Story: Our Race for Reconciliation

Anita Heiss

Mel Gordon loves running, and watching Seinfeld, but mostly she loves Cathy Freeman. It’s 2000 and the Olympics are going to be held in Australia. In a year of surprises…

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War Horse

Michael Morpurgo

Before the Steven Spielberg film, before the National Theatre production, there was the classic children’s novel…

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The Year the Maps Changed

Danielle Binks

One extraordinary year will change them all…

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The Swallows’ Flight

Hilary McKay

Return to the world of Skylarks’ War in this hopeful and heart-warming follow up - a WWII story that spans generations and crosses the divides of war.

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A Fortunate Life: Edition for Young Readers

A.B. Facey

The award-winning, great Australian classic of the extraordinary journey of an ordinary man, adapted for younger readers.

Bert Facey saw himself as an ordinary man, but his remarkable story reveals…

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I am David

Anne Holm

David escapes from the concentration camp where he has spent his entire life and flees across Europe. He is utterly alone - who can he trust? What will await him?

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The War that Saved My Life

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their…

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Sister Heart

Sally Morgan

A young Aboriginal girl is taken from the north of Australia and sent to an institution in the distant south. There, she slowly makes a new life for herself and…

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Fearless Frederic

Felice Arena

When the river rises and the city of Paris begins to disappear under water, Frederic decides to help those who can’t help themselves. But as his heroic acts escalate, so…

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When Fishes Flew: The Story of Elena’s War

Michael Morpurgo

A sweeping story of love and rescue and an unforgettable journey back in time to the Second World War - from the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller

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Historical middle fiction

Nine Girls

The Night War

Kip of the Mountain

Secret Sparrow

Silver Linings

Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves

Spies in the Sky

Where The River Takes Us

Safiyyah’s War

The Wall Between Us

The Last Mapmaker

A Place to Hang the Moon

Brother’s Keeper

Fritz and Kurt

Dogs of the Deadlands

Tumbleglass

Elsewhere Girls

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief

The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die

Breaking Down The Wall

When The War Came Home

The Accidental Stowaway

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back

The Silver Sword

We Dream of Space

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill

The Boy Behind The Wall

Stella by Starlight

Waiting for the Storks

Beyond the Bright Sea

While I Was Away

The Skylarks’ War

Lizard’s Tale

Footprints on the Moon

Goodnight Mister Tom

Front Desk

Catch a Falling Star

We Are Wolves

My Australian Story: Our Race for Reconciliation

War Horse

The Year the Maps Changed

The Swallows’ Flight

A Fortunate Life: Edition for Young Readers

I am David

The War that Saved My Life

Sister Heart

Fearless Frederic

When Fishes Flew: The Story of Elena’s War