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Quick answer: If you loved Ruta Sepetys, read Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, then Alan Gratz's Refugee and Prisoner B-3087, then Susan Campbell Bartoletti's The Boy Who Dared, and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War That Saved My Life. All are powerful historical fiction for teens.
Ruta Sepetys writes historical fiction such as Between Shades of Gray. These picks share the focus on forgotten history.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | 13+ | readers who love books |
| Refugee | Alan Gratz | 10-14 | younger readers |
| The Boy Who Dared | Susan Campbell Bartoletti | 11-14 | older readers |
| The Diary of a Young Girl | Anne Frank | 12+ | readers who want the true account |
| Prisoner B-3087 | Alan Gratz | Ages 10-14 | Holocaust survival |
| The War That Saved My Life | Kimberly Brubaker Bradley | 9-13 | readers who like heartfelt stories |
| Once Upon a Broken Heart | Stephanie Garber | 14+ | fairy-tale romance fans |
| Night | Elie Wiesel | Adult | Holocaust memoir |
| Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet | Jamie Ford | Adult | the closest historical match |
| The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah | Adult | readers who want a big emotional story |
| Sarah's Key | Tatiana de Rosnay | Adult | readers who like dual timelines |
| Letters from Skye | Jessica Brockmole | Adult | readers who like romance |
| Carrie's War | Nina Bawden | 9–13 | classic evacuee story |
| The Silver Sword | Ian Serraillier | 10–14 | long journeys |
| The Breadwinner | Deborah Ellis | 9–13 | Afghanistan stories |
1. 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.
2. Refugee by Alan Gratz
Three children in different eras flee from Nazi Germany, Cuba and Syria. Fast-paced and powerful.
Best for: younger readers.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
A boy survives ten concentration camps. Fast and moving.
Best for: Holocaust survival.
6. 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.
7. Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Evangeline makes a bargain with the Prince of Hearts. Fairy-tale romance with dark edges.
Best for: fairy-tale romance fans.
8. 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.
9. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
A Chinese American man recalls his boyhood friendship with a Japanese American girl in wartime Seattle. Tender and historical.
Best for: the closest historical match.
10. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two sisters in occupied France take different paths of resistance. A moving bestseller.
Best for: readers who want a big emotional story.
11. 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.
12. Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
A poet and a young man exchange letters across two wars. Romantic and moving.
Best for: readers who like romance.
13. 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.
14. 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.
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 Ruta Sepetys: 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 Ruta Sepetys. 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 wartime, read The Book Thief. For true stories, try Refugee. For courage, pick The Boy Who Dared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ruta Sepetys?
An American author of historical fiction.
What is her best-known book?
Between Shades of Gray.
What age is it for?
Teens 13 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 long journeys?
Try The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, which suits readers looking for long journeys.
Which book here is best for classic evacuee story?
Try Carrie's War by Nina Bawden, which suits readers looking for classic evacuee story.
Which book here is best for readers who like romance?
Try Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole, which suits readers looking for readers who like romance.