Reading list: Let me be myself
Published on 16 June 2020
Have you been to Expressions to check out their ‘Let Me Be Myself – The Life Story of Anne Frank’ exhibit? It shows the story of Anne Frank from her birth to her death, and connects Anne Frank’s life story with the present and the role of prejudice, exclusion and discrimination. It’s a must-see!
We’ve picked out a variety of related reads for teens and young people to sink into and explore these topics further through both fact and fiction. Whether you’re interested in reading stories set during the Second World War, understanding racism and discrimination, or exploring what it means to be yourself – there’s something for everyone!
To find out more about the exhibition, check out Expressions Whirinaki Arts & Entertainment Centre.
Teen fiction
Promise, Alexander Alt
Lovely War, Julie Berry
The Boy at the top of the mountain, John Boyne
Max, Sarah Cohen-Scali
The Earth is singing, Vanessa Curtis
Annexed, Sharon Dogar
Front lines, Michael Grant
Enemy camp, David Hill
The librarian of Auschwitz, Antonio Iturbe
Orphan monster spy, Matt Killeen
The love that I have, James Moloney
Within these lines, Stephanie Morrill
The tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris
The escape, Robert Muchamore
28 days : a novel of resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto, David Safier
Crushing the red flowers, Jennifer Voigt Kaplan
Salt to the sea, Ruth Septys
What the night sings, Vesper Stamper
White Eagles, Elizabeth Wein
Mapping the Bones, Jane Yolen
The book thief, Marcus Zusak
Teen nonfiction
Teen trailblazers : 30 fearless girls who changed the world before they were 20, Jennifer Calvert
The diary of a young girl, Anne Frank
The faithful spy : Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the plot to kill Hitler, John Hendrix
D-Day : the World War II invasion that changed history, Deborah Hopkinson
This book is anti-racist : 20 lessons on how to wake up, take action, and do the work, Tiffany Jewel
We are here to stay : voices of undocumented young adults, Susan Kukli
Hidden like Anne Frank : fourteen true stories of survival, Marcel Prins
Just as you are : a teen’s guide to self-acceptance & lasting self-esteem, Michelle Skeen
Teen graphic novels
Illegal, Eoin Colfer
Almost American girl : an illustrated memoir, Robin Ha
I am Alfonso Jones, Tory Medina
White bird : a wonder story, R.J. Palacio
They called us enemy, George Takei (Adult graphic novel)
Maus : a survivor’s tale, Art Spiegelman (Adult graphic novel)
Junior fiction
Starring Sally J. Freedman as herself, Judy Blume
Katipo Joe:Blitzkrieg, Brian Falkner
The snow goose, Paul Gallico
Once, Morris Gleitzman
Refugee, Alan Gratz
When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit, Judith Kerr
Number the stars, Lois Lowry
An eagle in the snow, Michael Morpurgo
Anna at war, Helen Peters
The dollmaker of Krakow, R.M. Romero
Don’t tell the Nazis, Marsha Forchuk Sktypuch
My brother’s secret, Dan Smith
The enemy above, Michael Spradlin
A winter’s day in 1939, Melinda Szymanik
Tall fiction
Refugees, Brian Bilston
Wall, Tom Clohosy Cole
Wisp : a story of hope, Zana Fraillon
Tomorrow, Nadine Kaadan
Mophead : how your difference makes a difference, Selena Tusitala Marsh
I go quiet, David Ouimet
The treasure box, Margaret Wild
Malala’s magic pencil, Malala Yousafzai
Children’s nonfiction
Racism, Harriet Brundle
Culture, Charles Hope
The story of Anne Frank, Brenda Ralph Lewis
The boy on the wooden box : how the impossible became possible—on Schindler’s list, Leon Leyson
The people awards, Lily Murray
Equality & diversity, Charlie Ogden
The missing : the true story of my family in World War II, Michael Rosen
A Jewish life, Cath Senker
Voices from the Second World War : witnesses share their stories with the children of today, Jeremy Vine
Never too young! : 50 unstoppable kids who made a difference, Aileen Weintraub
World War II, Brian Williams
Jewish synagogue, Angela Wood