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Quick answer: If you loved Once, read John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, then Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, then Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, and Elie Wiesel's Night and Alan Gratz's Refugee. All are moving stories of children in wartime.
Morris Gleitzman's Once follows a Jewish boy in Poland during World War II. It is simple and moving. These picks tell war stories through a child's eyes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Boy in the Striped Pajamas | John Boyne | 12+ | first-time readers of Holocaust fiction |
| The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | 13+ | readers who love books |
| The Diary of a Young Girl | Anne Frank | 12+ | readers who want the true account |
| Night | Elie Wiesel | Adult | Holocaust memoir |
| Refugee | Alan Gratz | 10-14 | younger readers |
| Carrie's War | Nina Bawden | 9–13 | classic evacuee story |
| The Boy Who Dared | Susan Campbell Bartoletti | 11-14 | older readers |
| The Silver Sword | Ian Serraillier | 10–14 | long journeys |
| The Zookeeper's Wife | Diane Ackerman | Adult | true stories |
| Sarah's Key | Tatiana de Rosnay | Adult | readers who like dual timelines |
| The War That Saved My Life | Kimberly Brubaker Bradley | 9-13 | readers who like heartfelt stories |
| Goodnight Mister Tom | Michelle Magorian | 10 and up | wartime stories for children |
| Maus | Art Spiegelman | Ages 13+ | graphic memoir |
| Man's Search for Meaning | Viktor E. Frankl | Adult | readers who want depth |
| The Breadwinner | Deborah Ellis | 9–13 | Afghanistan stories |
1. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Bruno, the son of a camp commandant, befriends a boy on the other side of a fence. A fable, simple and sad.
Best for: first-time readers of Holocaust fiction.
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Liesel, a girl in Nazi Germany, steals books and shares them with a Jewish man hiding in her basement. Narrated by Death.
Best for: readers who love books.
3. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The real diary of Anne Frank, who hid in Amsterdam during the war. Essential reading.
Best for: readers who want the true account.
4. Night by Elie Wiesel
A short, searing memoir of the author as a teenager in the Nazi camps. One of the defining Holocaust books.
Best for: Holocaust memoir.
5. Refugee by Alan Gratz
Three children in different eras flee from Nazi Germany, Cuba and Syria. Fast-paced and powerful.
Best for: younger readers.
6. Carrie's War by Nina Bawden
Two evacuated children arrive in a Welsh mining village and meet a mix of kind and strict adults. A story about guilt and memory.
Best for: classic evacuee story.
7. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Helmuth Hübener, a German teen, resists the Nazis. Based on a true story.
Best for: older readers.
8. The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
Four Polish children cross Europe after the war to find their parents. An adventure and a survival story.
Best for: long journeys.
9. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
A Polish zookeeper and his wife shelter Jews in the Warsaw Zoo. Gentle and brave.
Best for: true stories.
10. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A journalist uncovers the story of a girl caught in the Vel' d'Hiv roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942. Haunting.
Best for: readers who like dual timelines.
11. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Ada, a girl with a clubfoot, escapes her mother and is evacuated from London. A Newbery Honor book.
Best for: readers who like heartfelt stories.
12. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
A shy evacuee boy is sent to live with a gruff old man in a village during World War II. Tender and honest.
Best for: wartime stories for children.
13. Maus by Art Spiegelman
Spiegelman tells his father's survival story with animals as characters. A landmark of comics.
Best for: graphic memoir.
14. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
A psychiatrist describes his time in Nazi camps and what kept people alive. A short, powerful classic.
Best for: readers who want depth.
15. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
A girl in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan dresses as a boy to feed her family. Short and gripping.
Best for: Afghanistan stories.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Once: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Once. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For Holocaust stories, read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas or The Book Thief. For true accounts, try The Diary of a Young Girl or Night. For other wars, pick Refugee or Carrie's War.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Once?
Morris Gleitzman.
Is it a series?
Yes, followed by Then, Now, After, Soon and Maybe.
What age is it for?
About 10 and up.
Which book here is best for Afghanistan stories?
Try The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, which suits readers looking for Afghanistan stories.
Which book here is best for readers who want depth?
Try Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, which suits readers looking for readers who want depth.