32 Books like Forge

Front Lines

by Michael Grant • 2016

1942: women are drafted into combat. Three soldiers face the brutality of the North African front.

4.09

6k+

🕰️ Alternate History 🪖 Women In Combat 🫂 Found Family

Front Lines 92%

1942: women are drafted into combat. Three soldiers face the brutality of the North African front.

by Michael Grant 2016

4.09

6k+ ratings

🕰️ Alternate History 🪖 Women In Combat 🫂 Found Family

The Escape

by Robert Muchamore • 2009

A twelve-year-old orphan escapes into occupied France, where a spy's mission makes him a target.

4.12

6k+

🏚️ Occupied France 🕵️ Child Spies 🔍 Wwii Espionage

The Escape 92%

A twelve-year-old orphan escapes into occupied France, where a spy's mission makes him a target.

by Robert Muchamore 2009

4.12

6k+ ratings

🏚️ Occupied France 🕵️ Child Spies 🔍 Wwii Espionage

Spartacus

by Ben Kane • 2012

Betrayed into slavery, a Thracian gladiator raises an army and challenges Rome for freedom.

4.08

3k+

🏛️ Ancient Rome ⛓️ Slave Uprising 🤝 Found Family

Spartacus 91%

Betrayed into slavery, a Thracian gladiator raises an army and challenges Rome for freedom.

by Ben Kane 2012

4.08

3k+ ratings

🏛️ Ancient Rome ⛓️ Slave Uprising 🤝 Found Family

Words on Fire

by Jennifer A. Nielsen • 2019

A Lithuanian girl must smuggle banned books to save her culture after Cossacks arrest her parents.

4.28

15k+

📦 Book Smuggling 🚫 Forbidden Books 🇷🇺 Russian Occupation

Words on Fire 91%

A Lithuanian girl must smuggle banned books to save her culture after Cossacks arrest her parents.

by Jennifer A. Nielsen 2019

4.28

15k+ ratings

📦 Book Smuggling 🚫 Forbidden Books 🇷🇺 Russian Occupation

Elephant Run

by Roland Smith • 2007

Occupied Burma: a boy escapes through hidden corridors and braves the jungle to rescue his father.

4.09

7k+

🐅 Jungle Adventure 🌊 Pacific Theater 🐘 Working Elephants

Elephant Run 91%

Occupied Burma: a boy escapes through hidden corridors and braves the jungle to rescue his father.

by Roland Smith 2007

4.09

7k+ ratings

🐅 Jungle Adventure 🌊 Pacific Theater 🐘 Working Elephants

Making Bombs for Hitler

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch • 2012

A Ukrainian girl builds bombs for the Nazis while searching for the sister torn from her.

4.33

13k+

🏭 Forced Labor Camp 🧒 Child Survivor 🤝 Found Family

Making Bombs for Hitler 90%

A Ukrainian girl builds bombs for the Nazis while searching for the sister torn from her.

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch 2012

4.33

13k+ ratings

🏭 Forced Labor Camp 🧒 Child Survivor 🤝 Found Family

Amity

by Nathan Harris • 2025

To find his stolen sister, a freedman follows her trail into a Mexico that devours refugees.

3.76

5k+

🕊️ Post-Emancipation 💔 Separated Siblings 🏜️ Survival Journey

Amity 90%

To find his stolen sister, a freedman follows her trail into a Mexico that devours refugees.

by Nathan Harris 2025

3.76

5k+ ratings

🕊️ Post-Emancipation 💔 Separated Siblings 🏜️ Survival Journey

Virgins

by Diana Gabaldon • 2013

Two Scottish mercenaries escort a Jewish heiress across France, not knowing she plans to vanish.

3.87

24k+

🗡️ Mercenary Life 🤝 Brothers In Arms 🎭 False Identities

Virgins 90%

Two Scottish mercenaries escort a Jewish heiress across France, not knowing she plans to vanish.

by Diana Gabaldon 2013

3.87

24k+ ratings

🗡️ Mercenary Life 🤝 Brothers In Arms 🎭 False Identities

The March

by E.L. Doctorow • 2005

Civil War flames consume Georgia as a passing girl, a surgeon, and two deserters chase survival.

3.78

14k+

🏚️ Civil War Fiction 🎭 Racial Passing 🤝 Found Family

The March 90%

Civil War flames consume Georgia as a passing girl, a surgeon, and two deserters chase survival.

by E.L. Doctorow 2005

3.78

14k+ ratings

🏚️ Civil War Fiction 🎭 Racial Passing 🤝 Found Family

The Parthian

by Peter Darman • 2011

Taken as a Roman slave, a Parthian prince joins Spartacus's rebellion to fight his way home.

4.26

1k+

🏛️ Ancient World Epic ⚔️ Military Historical Fiction ⛓️ Slave Rebellion

The Parthian 90%

Taken as a Roman slave, a Parthian prince joins Spartacus's rebellion to fight his way home.

by Peter Darman 2011

4.26

1k+ ratings

🏛️ Ancient World Epic ⚔️ Military Historical Fiction ⛓️ Slave Rebellion

A Girl Called Samson

by Amy Harmon • 2023

A servant disguises herself as a man to join the Revolution, then falls for her commander.

4.46

58k+

🎭 Woman Disguised As Man 💕 Wartime Romance 📜 Biographical Fiction

A Girl Called Samson 90%

A servant disguises herself as a man to join the Revolution, then falls for her commander.

by Amy Harmon 2023

4.46

58k+ ratings

🎭 Woman Disguised As Man 💕 Wartime Romance 📜 Biographical Fiction

The Cross of Lead

by Avi • 2002

Falsely accused, a boy follows a giant juggler, his lead cross a secret worth a lordship.

3.65

28k+

🏰 Medieval Adventure 👑 Secret Noble Birth 🎪 Mentor Apprentice Bond

The Cross of Lead 90%

Falsely accused, a boy follows a giant juggler, his lead cross a secret worth a lordship.

by Avi 2002

3.65

28k+ ratings

🏰 Medieval Adventure 👑 Secret Noble Birth 🎪 Mentor Apprentice Bond

Soldier Boys

by Dean Hughes • 2001

Two boys, one German, one American, fight through the Bulge and find the real enemy.

4.06

3k+

🥾 Hitler Youth 🔄 Dual Perspective 🥀 Loss Of Innocence

Soldier Boys 90%

Two boys, one German, one American, fight through the Bulge and find the real enemy.

by Dean Hughes 2001

4.06

3k+ ratings

🥾 Hitler Youth 🔄 Dual Perspective 🥀 Loss Of Innocence

Dread Nation

by Justina Ireland • 2018

Jane McKeene protects white women from zombies. The real threat is the men who run America.

4.13

36k+

🕰️ Alternate History 🧟 Zombie Apocalypse 🎭 Passing As White

Dread Nation 90%

Jane McKeene protects white women from zombies. The real threat is the men who run America.

by Justina Ireland 2018

4.13

36k+ ratings

🕰️ Alternate History 🧟 Zombie Apocalypse 🎭 Passing As White

The Teacher of Nomad Land

by Daniel Nayeri • 2025

Two siblings wander wartime Iran with a blackboard, trading lessons for a place to belong.

4.15

4k+

👥 Orphan Protagonists 🫂 Sibling Bond 🧳 Child Refugees

The Teacher of Nomad Land 90%

Two siblings wander wartime Iran with a blackboard, trading lessons for a place to belong.

by Daniel Nayeri 2025

4.15

4k+ ratings

👥 Orphan Protagonists 🫂 Sibling Bond 🧳 Child Refugees

Code Talker

by Joseph Bruchac • 2005

A Navajo boy's forbidden language becomes the Marines' secret weapon in the Pacific.

3.91

19k+

📚 Ya Historical Fiction 🏫 Indigenous Boarding Schools 🏜️ Navajo Language And Culture

Code Talker 90%

A Navajo boy's forbidden language becomes the Marines' secret weapon in the Pacific.

by Joseph Bruchac 2005

3.91

19k+ ratings

📚 Ya Historical Fiction 🏫 Indigenous Boarding Schools 🏜️ Navajo Language And Culture

Dear Mr. Kilmer

by Anne E. Schraff • 1999

An Iowa boy writes to poet Joyce Kilmer, then must defy his town's war-fueled prejudice.

3.96

272

🏠 WWI Home Front ✉️ Letter Correspondence 💚 Gentle Masculinity

Dear Mr. Kilmer 90%

An Iowa boy writes to poet Joyce Kilmer, then must defy his town's war-fueled prejudice.

by Anne E. Schraff 1999

3.96

272 ratings

🏠 WWI Home Front ✉️ Letter Correspondence 💚 Gentle Masculinity

Salt to the Sea

by Ruta Sepetys • 2016

Four refugees fleeing the Red Army board a crowded ship, unaware of the submarines lurking below.

4.35

260k+

🚢 Wartime Evacuation 🌊 Maritime Disaster 🧊 Survival At Sea

Salt to the Sea 90%

Four refugees fleeing the Red Army board a crowded ship, unaware of the submarines lurking below.

by Ruta Sepetys 2016

4.35

260k+ ratings

🚢 Wartime Evacuation 🌊 Maritime Disaster 🧊 Survival At Sea

Burn Down Master's House

by Clay Cane • 2026

Virginia's enslaved forge a hidden rebellion of love and vengeance their masters cannot survive.

4.37

14k+

📜 Slavery Narrative 🔥 Slave Rebellion 🕰️ Multi-Generational Saga

Burn Down Master's House 90%

Virginia's enslaved forge a hidden rebellion of love and vengeance their masters cannot survive.

by Clay Cane 2026

4.37

14k+ ratings

📜 Slavery Narrative 🔥 Slave Rebellion 🕰️ Multi-Generational Saga

The Lieutenants

by W.E.B. Griffin • 1986

From North Africa to Cold War Berlin, officers navigate war, captivity, and the shadow war.

4.34

9k+

🔗 Pow Escape 🕵️ Cold War Espionage 🏜️ North African Campaign

The Lieutenants 90%

From North Africa to Cold War Berlin, officers navigate war, captivity, and the shadow war.

by W.E.B. Griffin 1986

4.34

9k+ ratings

🔗 Pow Escape 🕵️ Cold War Espionage 🏜️ North African Campaign

Alabama Moon

by Watt Key • 2004

His father dead, a boy raised in the Alabama wild must outrun the law to survive.

4.06

5k+

🌲 Wilderness Survival 🫂 Found Family 👥 Unlikely Friends

Alabama Moon 90%

His father dead, a boy raised in the Alabama wild must outrun the law to survive.

by Watt Key 2004

4.06

5k+ ratings

🌲 Wilderness Survival 🫂 Found Family 👥 Unlikely Friends

Revolver

by Marcus Sedgwick • 2009

A frozen cabin, a dead father, and a gunman demanding gold the family may not have.

3.71

5k+

🧊 Arctic Survival ⛏️ Gold Rush Frontier 💔 Absent Mother

Revolver 90%

A frozen cabin, a dead father, and a gunman demanding gold the family may not have.

by Marcus Sedgwick 2009

3.71

5k+ ratings

🧊 Arctic Survival ⛏️ Gold Rush Frontier 💔 Absent Mother

Mapping the Bones

by Jane Yolen • 2018

Twins escape the Łódź Ghetto using a secret sign language. The forest hides a Nazi doctor's scalpel.

4.01

2k+

🫂 Twin Siblings 🧪 Nazi Medical Experiments 🪖 Partisan Resistance

Mapping the Bones 90%

Twins escape the Łódź Ghetto using a secret sign language. The forest hides a Nazi doctor's scalpel.

by Jane Yolen 2018

4.01

2k+ ratings

🫂 Twin Siblings 🧪 Nazi Medical Experiments 🪖 Partisan Resistance

Gods and Generals

by Jeff Shaara • 1996

Lee, Jackson, Hancock, Chamberlain: four men, one civil war, and the private agonies behind command.

4.09

38k+

📚 Civil War Epic 💔 Divided Loyalties ⚔️ Brothers In Arms

Gods and Generals 90%

Lee, Jackson, Hancock, Chamberlain: four men, one civil war, and the private agonies behind command.

by Jeff Shaara 1996

4.09

38k+ ratings

📚 Civil War Epic 💔 Divided Loyalties ⚔️ Brothers In Arms

Under a Painted Sky

by Stacey Lee • 2015

Two girls disguise as boys and ride west: one flees a killing, the other slavery.

3.98

12k+

🔥 Oregon Trail 🎭 Passing As Male 🫂 Found Family

Under a Painted Sky 90%

Two girls disguise as boys and ride west: one flees a killing, the other slavery.

by Stacey Lee 2015

3.98

12k+ ratings

🔥 Oregon Trail 🎭 Passing As Male 🫂 Found Family

Lord John and the Private Matter

by Diana Gabaldon • 2003

Diseased fiancé, murdered spy: Lord John Grey follows the trail into London's Georgian molly-houses.

3.76

51k+

🕵️ Historical Mystery 🏳️‍🌈 Gay Protagonist 🎭 Hidden Lives

Lord John and the Private Matter Summary

Lord John and the Private Matter 89%

Diseased fiancé, murdered spy: Lord John Grey follows the trail into London's Georgian molly-houses.

by Diana Gabaldon 2003

3.76

51k+ ratings

🕵️ Historical Mystery 🏳️‍🌈 Gay Protagonist 🎭 Hidden Lives

The Cay

by Theodore Taylor • 1969

Shipwrecked and blinded, a prejudiced boy must trust an old West Indian sailor to survive.

3.80

39k+

🏝️ Stranded On An Island 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🏕️ Survival Skills

The Cay 89%

Shipwrecked and blinded, a prejudiced boy must trust an old West Indian sailor to survive.

by Theodore Taylor 1969

3.80

39k+ ratings

🏝️ Stranded On An Island 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🏕️ Survival Skills

The War I Finally Won

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley • 2017

Her clubfoot finally fixed, a wartime orphan faces the harder battle of accepting she is wanted.

4.48

49k+

🫂 Found Family 🐴 Healing Through Horses 🏠 Wwii Home Front

The War I Finally Won 89%

Her clubfoot finally fixed, a wartime orphan faces the harder battle of accepting she is wanted.

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 2017

4.48

49k+ ratings

🫂 Found Family 🐴 Healing Through Horses 🏠 Wwii Home Front

City of Thieves

by David Benioff • 2008

A Jewish boy and a deserter hunt wedding-cake eggs through starving Leningrad to stay alive.

4.30

170k+

🏚️ Besieged Leningrad 🎭 Darkly Comic War 🤝 Unlikely Wartime Duo

City of Thieves 89%

A Jewish boy and a deserter hunt wedding-cake eggs through starving Leningrad to stay alive.

by David Benioff 2008

4.30

170k+ ratings

🏚️ Besieged Leningrad 🎭 Darkly Comic War 🤝 Unlikely Wartime Duo

Fever 1793

by Laurie Halse Anderson • 2000

1793 Philadelphia: a teen must survive the fever and rebuild her family's coffeehouse.

3.93

134k+

🦠 Epidemic Fiction 🫂 Found Family 🏥 Historical Survival

Fever 1793 89%

1793 Philadelphia: a teen must survive the fever and rebuild her family's coffeehouse.

by Laurie Halse Anderson 2000

3.93

134k+ ratings

🦠 Epidemic Fiction 🫂 Found Family 🏥 Historical Survival

Home

by Toni Morrison • 2012

Escaping a psych ward, a veteran crosses the Jim Crow South to rescue his dying sister.

3.83

29k+

🏚️ Jim Crow South 💔 Survivor'S Guilt 🛡️ Sibling Protector

Home 89%

Escaping a psych ward, a veteran crosses the Jim Crow South to rescue his dying sister.

by Toni Morrison 2012

3.83

29k+ ratings

🏚️ Jim Crow South 💔 Survivor'S Guilt 🛡️ Sibling Protector

Seven Stones to Stand or Fall

by Diana Gabaldon • 2017

A dueling lord, a clever spy, a lost pilot: the Outlander world's untold turning points.

4.28

18k+

🕰️ 18th Century 📖 Interlinked Novellas ⚔️ Military Brotherhood

Seven Stones to Stand or Fall 89%

A dueling lord, a clever spy, a lost pilot: the Outlander world's untold turning points.

by Diana Gabaldon 2017

4.28

18k+ ratings

🕰️ 18th Century 📖 Interlinked Novellas ⚔️ Military Brotherhood

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