Looking for novels set in Nazi Germany for a teen DD

[loveyouradvice]

She's doing history GCSE and one aspect is understanding life in Nazi Germany - any recommendations for novels? Ideally lighter weight ones, gripping narrative... even detective novels set in this era... or YA!!!

Two brothers and the storyteller were excellent too.

Not Germany but Alexander Ramati "and the violins stopped playing" and Reginald Hill "the collaborators".
"No price for freedom" by Phillip Gibbs is also brilliant if you can track it down.

Maus is amazing and perfect for a younger person learning about Germany. The Germans are portrayed as cats, Jews as mice, Americans as dogs etc. It is very moving.

No Hero For The Kaiser by Rudolf Frank. It's first world war - someone accidentally joins the German army. Hitler publicly burnt it which is a good recommendation for anyone.

Another All the Light We Cannot see fan, lovely book.

Not Germany, but occupied Latvia in The Earth is Singing. Harrowing indeed, was recommended to me by my 13 year old when we were going to Riga.

I couldn't finish The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The story seemed so implausible.

I'd also say Alone in Berlin just because it's excellent. And Anne frank because everyone should read it.

Once by Morris Gleitzman. A series of four books but I've only read one.

I'd like to second the following recommendations:

Friedrich by Hans Richter (this book is read in German schools)
My Brother's Secret by Dan Smith (aimed at younger teens)
Ausländer by Paul Dowswell (teen/YA)
All the Light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr (a 'grown-up' book but about two teenagers - one in France, one in Germany - excellent)

I would steer clear of Ben Elton's 'Two Brothers' - although it's a good story, I found it appallingly badly written and the 21st century slang and constant swearing might not be what you'd want your daughter to read.

If your DD is a good reader, she might be interested in the novels of Irmgard Keun, which were written in the 1930s.

I'd also recommend Once, it's suitable for younger than GCSE, is very good and a quick read.
As mentioned earlier, Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys is great - she has another book set in WW2, Between Shades of Grey, but more about Stalin than Hitler.
Chocolate Cake with Hitler by Emma Craigie is an interesting read, it's a fictional account of the last few days of the Goebbels family, told by one of the daughters.

I've just read The Sunflower Forest by Torey Hayden. The main character - the narrator - is an American girl of about 17, discovering and trying to come to terms with her mother's past of being raped and used for breeding by the Nazis.

Another vote for "The Past is Myself."

The Bielenbergs had friends involved in the assassination attempt on Hitler, and at one stage were questioned by the Gestapo. There's a lot of stuff about daily life in Germany - disconnecting the telephone to avoid bugging, finding out the children's friends' mother also "listens with her ear against the radio" (ie is listening to the BBC), the reception of a downed US airman towards the end of the war.

ElinorRigby.

There's a book about Sophie Scholl as well as the film mentioned: "Sophie Scholl and the White Rose".

chocolate cake with hitler by Emma craigee is very easy to read and pitched well for a teen. It's the story of goebbels children.

Another vote for Mischling, Second Degree. I can't actually remember what age I was when I read it, but it has stayed with me.

How about Summer of my German Soldier? It's set in the USA during WWII and is about the friendship between a young Jewish American girl and a German POW.

It's non-fiction but if I had to recommend one (very short, easy-to-read but life-changing) book about that period it would be Defying Hitler by Sebastian Haffner. It's a primary source - written in 1939 by a German aristocrat and lawyer, later very successful journalist, who had fled to England just prior to the start of war, it's both an autobiography and a psychological analysis of the Nazis. Written in astonishingly flawless English as a guide for the British, to give them an insight into their enemy's psyche, its lessons will stay with you, and explain the how and why of far right extremism, as relevant now as it was when it was written.

A masterpiece, and intensely readable - elegant and simple at once. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Other than this, I'd second Isherwood.

I've just remembered another one: 'Sirius' by Jonathan Crowne.

It's about life in the Third Reich (and Hollywood) through the eyes of a dog.

My vote also goes to Alone in Berlin. Amazing read.

We have a fabulous Aussie author (he came to Oz from the UK) called Morris Gleitzman and he's written a trilogy about the Nazi years (1939 - 1945 with a more modern update set in Australia). The first one is Once and he write about it here www.morrisgleitzman.com/once.htm plus he lists loads of book he used for research. Might be helpful ...

This list gets better and better... thank you all... and particularly intrigued by Defying Hitler. Sounds extraordinary - and DD very interested and perceptive about psychology so will be fascinated. Going to track it down now....

Loads and loads out there.
The first few may be too young, but here goes.... The Promise by Eva Schloss, The Boy in Striped Pyjama's by John Boyne and Auslander by Paul Dowswell.
There's some great YA/older kids ones like Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French, The Earth is Singing by Vanessa Curtis and new book Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys and yes of course The Book Thief.
Some small but hard hitting adults books are The Auschwitz Violin by Maria Angeles Anglada, the famous Night by Elie Wiesel and A Meal In Winter by Hubert Mingarelli.
Hope these are helpful!

The Devil in Vienna has long been a favourite of mine. So so good.