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Quick answer: If you loved The Diary of a Young Girl, try Night, The Upstairs Room, Anne Frank Remembered, Maus, Man's Search for Meaning and Number the Stars. Each one is a powerful true or historical story about the Holocaust, hiding or courage in dark times.
Anne Frank's diary was written while she and her family hid from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam from 1942 to 1944. In it, Anne writes about family tension, her hopes of becoming a writer, first love with Peter and the fear of discovery. The family was betrayed and arrested, and Anne died in Bergen-Belsen in 1945. Her father published the diary after the war. These books share its history and its courage.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night | Elie Wiesel | Memoir | readers who want a survivor's story |
| The Upstairs Room | Johanna Reiss | Memoir-based novel | younger readers |
| Anne Frank Remembered | Miep Gies | Memoir | readers who want the helper's story |
| Maus | Art Spiegelman | Graphic memoir | readers who like graphic novels |
| Man's Search for Meaning | Viktor E. Frankl | Memoir | readers who want meaning |
| Number the Stars | Lois Lowry | Novel | younger readers |
| The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | Novel | readers who like Nazi Germany stories |
| Zlata's Diary | Zlata Filipović | Diary | readers who want another child's war diary |
| The Diary of Petr Ginz | Petr Ginz | Diary | readers who want another teen diary |
| I Have Lived a Thousand Years | Livia Bitton-Jackson | Memoir | readers who want a teen survivor |
| Hidden Like Anne Frank | Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis | Nonfiction | readers who want more hiding stories |
| When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit | Judith Kerr | Novel | younger readers |
| The Boy Who Dared | Susan Campbell Bartoletti | Novel | readers who like resistance |
| I Am Malala | Malala Yousafzai | Memoir | readers who like young voices for change |
| The Nazi Officer's Wife | Edith Hahn Beer | Memoir | readers who like hidden identities |
1. Night by Elie Wiesel
Wiesel's account of Auschwitz.
Best for: readers who want a survivor's story.
2. The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
Two Jewish sisters hide on a Dutch farm.
Best for: younger readers.
3. Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies
The woman who hid the Franks tells her story.
Best for: readers who want the helper's story.
4. Maus by Art Spiegelman
A survivor's story told with animals.
Best for: readers who like graphic novels.
5. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
A survivor explains how meaning helps endure.
Best for: readers who want meaning.
6. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
A Danish girl helps her friend escape.
Best for: younger readers.
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
A girl steals books during the war.
Best for: readers who like Nazi Germany stories.
8. Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipović
A girl's diary during the siege of Sarajevo.
Best for: readers who want another child's war diary.
9. The Diary of Petr Ginz by Petr Ginz
A boy's diary in Prague under occupation.
Best for: readers who want another teen diary.
10. I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson
A teenager survives Auschwitz.
Best for: readers who want a teen survivor.
11. Hidden Like Anne Frank by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis
Fourteen true stories of children in hiding.
Best for: readers who want more hiding stories.
12. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
A Jewish family flees Germany.
Best for: younger readers.
13. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
A German teen resists the Nazis.
Best for: readers who like resistance.
14. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
A girl fights for education.
Best for: readers who like young voices for change.
15. The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
A Jewish woman hides as a Nazi's wife.
Best for: readers who like hidden identities.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Diary of a: 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 The Diary of a. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For the story of the people who helped the Franks, read Anne Frank Remembered. Night and Maus are essential Holocaust memoirs. If you want other young diarists, Zlata's Diary and The Diary of Petr Ginz are moving. Younger readers can begin with Number the Stars.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Diary of a Young Girl?
Anne Frank's diary written while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam.
How long did Anne Frank hide?
About two years, from July 1942 to August 1944.
What happened to Anne Frank?
She was deported and died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen in 1945.
Who published the diary?
Her father, Otto Frank, the only family member to survive.
Can you visit the Secret Annex?
Yes. It is now the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam.
What age is it for?
It is often read by students 12 and up.
Which edition is best?
The Definitive Edition includes passages left out of earlier versions.