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Quick answer: If you loved War Horse, read Nina Bawden's Carrie's War, then John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, then Ian Serraillier's The Silver Sword, and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief and Anna Sewell's Black Beauty. All are war stories seen through animals and children.
Michael Morpurgo's War Horse follows a boy and his horse during World War I. It is moving and widely loved. These picks share its tenderness and its view of war.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrie's War | Nina Bawden | 9–13 | classic evacuee story |
| The Boy in the Striped Pajamas | John Boyne | 12+ | first-time readers of Holocaust fiction |
| The Silver Sword | Ian Serraillier | 10–14 | long journeys |
| The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | 13+ | readers who love books |
| Black Beauty | Anna Sewell | 8-12 | horse lovers |
| Old Yeller | Fred Gipson | 10-14 | readers who like frontier stories |
| The Incredible Journey | Sheila Burnford | 9-13 | readers who like journeys |
| Watership Down | Richard Adams | 10+ | older readers |
| Charlotte's Web | E.B. White | 6-10 | readers who want a classic |
| Where the Red Fern Grows | Wilson Rawls | 10-14 | readers who want a tearjerker |
| Sounder | William H. Armstrong | 10–14 | emotional classics |
| Refugee | Alan Gratz | 10-14 | younger readers |
| The War That Saved My Life | Kimberly Brubaker Bradley | 9-13 | readers who like heartfelt stories |
| The Diary of a Young Girl | Anne Frank | 12+ | readers who want the true account |
| Goodnight Mister Tom | Michelle Magorian | 10 and up | wartime stories for children |
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
A horse tells his life story in Victorian England. A classic that promoted kindness to animals.
Best for: horse lovers.
6. Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
A Texas boy bonds with a stray dog in 1860s frontier life. Moving and sad.
Best for: readers who like frontier stories.
7. The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
Two dogs and a cat travel hundreds of miles across Canada to find their family. A classic.
Best for: readers who like journeys.
8. Watership Down by Richard Adams
A band of rabbits flees their warren in search of a new home. Epic, vivid and sometimes violent.
Best for: older readers.
9. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Wilbur the pig is saved by a clever spider named Charlotte. The classic about friendship and loss.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
10. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Billy trains two hunting dogs in the Ozarks. Emotional and classic.
Best for: readers who want a tearjerker.
11. Sounder by William H. Armstrong
A Black sharecropping family struggles in the South, with a loyal dog at the center. Short and serious.
Best for: emotional classics.
12. Refugee by Alan Gratz
Three children in different eras flee from Nazi Germany, Cuba and Syria. Fast-paced and powerful.
Best for: younger readers.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with War Horse: 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 War Horse. 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 more Morpurgo, try Private Peaceful. For war stories for younger readers, read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas or Carrie's War. For animal tales, pick Black Beauty or Old Yeller.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote War Horse?
Michael Morpurgo, in 1982.
Is there a film?
Yes, a 2011 film directed by Steven Spielberg.
Is there a play?
Yes, a stage version at the National Theatre.
Which book here is best for wartime stories for children?
Try Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian, which suits readers looking for wartime stories for children.
Which book here is best for readers who want the true account?
Try The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, which suits readers looking for readers who want the true account.