Almost Autumn by Marianne Kaurin

Truly unique--this Holocaust story is set in Oslo, Norway, and told from the perspective of Jewish teenager Ilse Stern. After a blossoming summer romance with her neighbor, Hermann, Ilse can’t wait to see what autumn has in store. What Ilse doesn’t know is that Hermann’s secrets--and his work as part of the Nazi resistance--could keep them apart or bring them dangerously close together. As the German occupation makes life more difficult for Ilse’s shop owner father and their family, urgent decisions must be made: Should they stay or go? Do they start a new life and risk leaving behind everything they’ve ever known? The dramatic conclusion to this novel will keep you thinking and feeling for the characters long after finishing the book. I recommend this book to fans of Ruta Sepetys’ Between Shades of Gray, historical fiction, Holocaust stories, and people of Norwegian or Jewish heritage.

The Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Set in World War II-era Amsterdam, the main character Hanneke fights her own resistance of the Nazis as a black market worker. She is able to find what others cannot for the people who are willing to pay for rare luxuries like chocolate or meat. Hanneke’s talent is delivering the impossible, until Mrs. Janssen asks her to find a person instead of an item: a hidden Jewish teenager who has seemingly vanished into thin air from a secret room in Mrs. Janssen’s home. Hanneke must try to solve the mystery and find the missing girl before the Nazis do, but how? I recommend this book to fans of Ruta Sepetys’ Between Shades of Gray or Holocaust historical fiction. This book is truly incredible, intoxicating, and intense--it’s one of the best I’ve read all year.