Books like Hero of lesser causes by Julie Johnston

During World War II, a foster girl in Nazi Germany steals books to share with neighbors and a hidden Jewish man, proving literature’s power to nourish the soul amid darkness.

In 1943 Copenhagen, ten‑year‑old Annemarie Johansen helps her Jewish friend Ellen Rosen escape Nazi persecution, learning courage and resilience while navigating war‑time hardships.

A 1930s wartime tale of a blind French girl and a German boy whose lives intersect in occupied France, weaving themes of survival, friendship, and the moral choices people make amid World War II.

Sisters Vianne and Isabelle are pulled into the turmoil of World War II, each forging a path of courage and resistance against the Nazi occupation of France.

A nine‑year‑old girl named Ada escapes her abusive home amid World War II, joining her brother in London’s evacuation; she learns to ride a pony, reads, and finds a new family with Susan Smith while watching for German spies.

A heart-wrenching coming-of-age story of poverty and resilience in 1930s Brooklyn.

In 1941 Lithuania, fifteen‑year‑old Lina and her family are deported by the Soviets to a Siberian labor camp; through art and resilience they endure brutal conditions and strive to survive the long journey ahead.

In World War II, four refugees—descendants of a Royalist, a German Jesuit, a Jewish family, and a Polish munitions factory worker—board the doomed MV Wilhelm Gustloff in a desperate bid for survival.

A 1943 British fighter pilot crash-lands in Nazi‑occupied France and recounts her daring escape, espionage, and friendship to a young French woman while concealing her true mission.

Twelve‑year‑old Katie learns a difficult lesson about kindness and resilience when a life‑changing accident leaves her bedridden, challenging her to live up to her ailing cousin Helen’s example.

A coming‑of‑age story set in East Los Angeles, where Arturo and his family and friends navigate barrio life, from reclaiming their names to playing basketball, supporting a school librarian, and even forming their own gang.

In 1950s Pittsburgh, young Franny, recovering from polio, discovers a peculiar friendship with a flea named Fleabrain, a bond that leads her to question animal research and the nature of imagination.

In spring 1955, a young girl's imaginative storytelling turns the bleak polio ward into a vibrant adventure, helping her friends cope with illness and sparking hope as they join the narrative of a giant-slaying hero.

Twelve‑year‑old Tru maintains an electronic diary, documenting her hopes to cure her handicapped twin brother and her ambitious plan to create a television show.

When the Soviet Union invades its tiny neighbor Finland in November 1939, Marko volunteers to help the war effort. Even though his leg was weakened by polio, he can ski well, and he becomes a messenger on the front line, skiing in white camouflage through the forests at night. The dark forest is terrifying, and so are the odds against the Finns: the Russians have 4 times as many soldiers and 30 times as many planes. They have 3000 tanks, while the Finns have 30. But a tank is no help in the snowy forest--a boy on skis is. And the Russians don't know winter the way the Finns do, or what tough guerrilla warriors the Finns are. Marko teams up with another messenger, Karl. Gradually Marko learns that Karl's whole family was killed by the Russians. And Karl has a secret--he's really Kaari, a girl who joined up to get revenge for her family's deaths.From the Hardcover edition.

A teen girl balances caring for her special‑needs brother while battling her own anger, family chaos, and bullying, navigating emotions in a realistic, family‑focused story about resilience and support.

Blinded teenage Laureth and her brother Benjamin travel from London to New York to find their missing father, relying on their father's training to read patterns, clues, and numbers in a dangerous mystery.