Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

Oliver lives like a hermit in the woods in America because of his life-threatening allergy. Moritz lives in Germany in a small apartment with his adoptive father. He has no friends and hates going to school. The two boys start writing letters to each other, sharing their deepest secrets and forming an unbreakable bond.

Themes: US, Germany, letters, friendship, illness, LGBTQ+

Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton

Set in present-day Oxford and Germany at the dawn of printing, one magical book that holds the secret to a world of knowledge sets two boys' worlds alight - bringing them unimaginable danger, excitement and power.

Themes: Germany, Oxford, historical, fantasy, magic

The Boy At the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne

When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must move to a house at the top of the German mountains. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching; and this is no ordinary house, for this is the Berghof, the home of Adolf Hitler. Quickly, Pierrot is taken under Hitler's wing...

Themes: Germany, mountains, WW2, coming of age

When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must move to a house at the top of the German mountains. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching; and this is no ordinary house, for this is the Berghof, the home of Adolf Hitler. Quickly, Pierrot is taken under Hitler's wing...

Themes: Germany, mountains, WW2, coming of age

Bramble Fox by Kathrin Tordasi

Translated from German. Portia and Ben find a mysterious door set in a bramble hedge in the middle of a forest. It is a portal to the Otherworld and should never be opened. For Robin Goodfellow, this is the last chance he has to open the portal and finally return home - but for everyone else, this spells danger...

Themes: translated, Wales, countryside, fantasy, peril

Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads by David Almond

When a German refugee moves to a small English town in the aftermath of World War II, he is an outsider. The gang decide to take Klaus under their wing, but their increasingly hateful pranks under the leadership of new lad Joe cause Klaus to question their actions.

Themes: refugees, bullying, courage, quick read

Why We Took the Car by Wolfgang Herrndorf

Tschick, the odd new boy at school, shows up at Mike's house out of the blue. He dares him to go on a road trip with him. No parents, no map, no destination. Will they get hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere? Probably. Will they meet crazy people and get into serious trouble? Definitely.

Themes: translation, friendship, coming of age, Germany

The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die by Peter Lantos

Peter and his parents set out from a small Hungarian town, travelling through Austria and then Germany together. Along the way, they sleep in a tent and then under the sky, discover a disused brick factory, catch butterflies in the meadows - but soon, Peter realises that this adventure is really a nightmare.

Themes: non-fiction, survival, family, courage, Nazi Germany

Ausländer by Paul Dowswell

When Peter's parents are killed, he is adopted by Professor Kaltenbach, who is very pleased to welcome such a ‘fine Aryan specimen’ to his household. But Peter doesn't want to be a Nazi, and so he is going to take a very dangerous risk. The most dangerous risk he could possibly choose to take in Berlin in 1942.

Themes: WW2, Nazi Germany, survival, peril, historical

When Peter's parents are killed, he is adopted by Professor Kaltenbach, who is very pleased to welcome such a ‘fine Aryan specimen’ to his household. But Peter doesn't want to be a Nazi, and so he is going to take a very dangerous risk. The most dangerous risk he could possibly choose to take in Berlin in 1942.

Themes: WW2, Nazi Germany, survival, peril, historical

Girl With a White Dog by Anne Booth

Jessie is excited when her gran gets a white Alsatian puppy, but with Snowy's arrival a mystery starts to unfold. As Jessie learns about Nazi Germany at school, past and present begin to slot together and she uncovers something long-buried, troubling and somehow linked to another girl and another white dog…

Themes: dogs, school, Nazi Germany, war, historical

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner

Ten-year-old Emil is excited to be taking the train to Berlin on his own for the first time - but he doesn't like the look of his fellow passenger, the man in the bowler hat. Then he falls asleep, and when he wakes up, the man in the bowler hat is gone - and so is the money from Emil's pocket!

Themes: adventure, classic, translated, Berlin, mystery