The Girl in the Blue Coat, Monica Hesse

"Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person - a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action." (link)

The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris

"In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her." (link)

All The Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr

This fictional tale centers on the many challenges and realities that exist for two amazing adolescents that don't quite fit into the backdrop of war torn Europe. Set during World War II, this novel combines many elements of actual history with brilliant storytelling. Marie-Laure, a young blind French girl trying to survive in her own country which is currently under German occupation, must make her way alone while attempting to hide her father's valuable secret that she has been entrusted with. On the other side of the enemy lines is an orphan boy by the name of Werner. As a youth he has to endure constant bullying due to his unique appearance, all the while trying to be a protecting big brother to his also orphaned sister. Werner soon demonstrates that he has special skills in radio technology that make him a true asset to the Nazi high command. The young German is soon enlisted in the army and eventually comes face-to-face with Marie-Laure. Together, they find common ground and realize that they have more similarities than actual differences. This unlikely union begins to work in order to thwart the Nazis from looting one of France's most valuable museum artifacts.