HI. I am a preservice English teacher and would like to develop a unit to go along with the Diary of Anne Frank. I want some outside reading on different levels to go along with it. So far I have thought of Homefront, The Book Thief, and Number the Stars. I would really like to find some from different perspectives, possibly from the Nazi side of things or a child of a soldier.

Any suggestions??

Hmm, you've named the big ones that I can think of, Summer. May I ask what grade you're teaching? Jacob's Rescue is a book I found myself rereading when I was in elementary school, but it will probably still appeal to older readers. Same goes for The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, and this obscure little book called Anne Frank and Me. I don't really know any books from the Nazi POV, but apparently Hitler's Mein Kampf is always interesting to look at. He was terrifying, but he was also fascinating. Good luck, and I'll stop back if I can think of any more!

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene?

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti is a very good nonfiction book about the Hitler Youth movement in Germany, which started in the years leading up to WWII.

Thanks. I'll have to check those out. I hope to teach HS but will also be certified for 7-8. I want a wide range of reading levels to fit a broad spectrum of skills.

Behind the bedroom Wall is a really good one. It is from the point of view of a child active in the Nazi Youth. It is a great story. :0)

I recently finished a historical fiction book called Ashes by Kathryn Lasky. It is set during Hitler's rise to power before WW2 in Germany, about a young teenaged girl from an intellectual/academic family who faces trouble because of the Nazi's book burnings and anti-science views. Definitley a unique perspective if something set before WW2 is acceptable.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Hidden Children

Into the Arms of Strangers

twenty and ten was a favorite of mine growing up and a pretty quick read

I don't know if you'll be able to  use this one for your class, but Fatherland by Robert Harris sounds interesting. From what little I know of it, it's an alternative history in which the Nazis have won WWII. It seems to be mostly set up as a mystery/thriller. But maybe you can work it in somehow. :-)

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti deals with Hitler Youth.  She also wrote a non-fiction book about the HItler Youth for teens.

I know people have mentioned these, but I have to second them. The Boy Who Dared is fantastic and The Boy in the Striped PJs is one of the best books I've ever read. I just started a book club at my school (I teach 7th) and that's the first book we're reading. Also, Milkweed is another good one.

Have you heard of The Nazi Officer's Wife? It's not young adult, but it's a totally different perspective on WW2 and the Jews.

Also, Night and Dawn are both classics.

I thought about the Boy in the Striped Pjs. I'll have to look into the Boy who Dared. Thanks.

I have a book called "The Upstairs Room", but it isn't told from the point of view of a Nazi soldier. It's about a ten-year-old names Annie who is hiding from the Nazi soldiers. Yeah, I know that's basic. The back cover actually says:

"Ten year old Annie de Leeuw doesn't understand what's going on. Ever since the Germans invaded her town, Annie's life has been in turmoil. Her friends have stopped speaking to her, she's not allowed in school anymore and now she must leave her familt and go into hiding. These horrible things are happening simply because Annie is Jewish!"

It's a great book and about the size of Number The Stars (which I have also read). If I had to chose between the two I;d say they were both very good. Hope that helped, but if it didn't, that's okay. I hope you find what you're looking for.

If you're looking for something a little different, you can try The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall.  It's a group of kids in Blitz Britian who find a downed Nazi airplane and the machine gun still inside. 

I also need to second The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.  That is a very good book.