Books like Annie's War by Jacqueline Levering Sullivan

After World War II ends, the Howard family still feels its bitter losses. Eleven‑year‑old Annie worries about her missing father and her mother’s belief that he is dead. When Annie’s appendix ruptures, she is hospitalized for over a month. During her stay an unlikely visitor appears—President Harry S. Truman—who offers the comfort and friendship she desperately needs, even as others doubt his presence. Returning home, Annie is sent to her grandmother’s house, where a new tenant, Miss Gloria Jean Washington, a young black woman escaping discrimination, has settled. Annie’s Uncle Billy, a weary WWII veteran, resents the new tenant’s presence, reflecting the prejudices that persist after war. With Truman’s guidance, Annie confronts her family’s tensions, seeks answers about her father’s fate, and learns to understand Uncle Billy’s anger and Miss Gloria’s pain. Through these trials, she realizes that the war’s consequences leave permanent scars on both individuals and communities.

First publish date: 2007