# Books written in the 1940s, assigned in US schools

World War II and post-war reckoning; novels of identity, displacement, and totalitarianism enter the canon.

**28** books written between 1940 and 1949 that US schools assign across state ELA standards, AP/IB syllabi, and Common Core exemplar lists.

**Decade window:** 1940–1949
**Lexile range:** 730L–1170L
**Grade span:** K–12
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/decade/1940s
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Themes of the 1940s

- family (4)
- adventure (2)
- illusion and reality (2)
- language and thought (2)
- mental health (2)
- propaganda (2)
- American Dream
- Boston setting

## Authors writing in the 1940s

- George Orwell (2)
- Tennessee Williams (2)
- Alvin Tresselt
- Anne Frank
- Armstrong Sperry
- Arthur Miller
- Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
- E.B. White

## Genres

- Juvenile Fiction (11)
- Drama (3)
- Memoir (2)
- Middle Grade Fiction (2)
- Allegorical Fiction
- Animals
- Children
- Children's stories

## The 1940s canon

- [Call It Courage Teacher Guide](https://readinglist.school/book/call-it-courage) by Armstrong Sperry _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1940)_
- [Make Way for Ducklings](https://readinglist.school/book/make-way-for-ducklings) by Robert McCloskey _(730L · Grades K–3 · pub 1941)_
- [The Matchlock Gun](https://readinglist.school/book/the-matchlock-gun) by Walter Dumaux Edmonds _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1941)_
- [Adam of the Road Novel Units Student Packet](https://readinglist.school/book/adam-of-the-road) by Elizabeth Gray Vining _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1942)_
- [The Little House](https://readinglist.school/book/the-little-house) by Virginia Lee Burton _(Grades K–3 · pub 1942)_
- [Johnny Tremain](https://readinglist.school/book/johnny-tremain) by Esther Hoskins Forbes _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1943)_
- [Rabbit Hill](https://readinglist.school/book/rabbit-hill) by Robert Lawson _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1944)_
- [The Glass Menagerie](https://readinglist.school/book/the-glass-menagerie) by Tennessee Williams _(Grades 11–12 · pub 1944)_
- [The Hundred Dresses](https://readinglist.school/book/the-hundred-dresses) by Eleanor Estes _(870L · Grades 3–5 · pub 1944)_
- [Animal Farm](https://readinglist.school/book/animal-farm) by George Orwell _(1170L · Grades 7–10 · pub 1945)_
- [Black Boy](https://readinglist.school/book/black-boy) by Richard Wright _(950L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1945)_
- [Strawberry Girl](https://readinglist.school/book/strawberry-girl) by Lois Lenski _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1945)_
- [Stuart Little](https://readinglist.school/book/stuart-little) by E.B. White _(920L · Grades 3–5 · pub 1945)_
- [The Rooster Crows](https://readinglist.school/book/the-rooster-crows) by Maud Petersham _(Grades K–3 · pub 1945)_
- [Miss Hickory](https://readinglist.school/book/miss-hickory) by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1946)_
- [The Little Island](https://readinglist.school/book/the-little-island) by Margaret Wise Brown _(Grades K–3 · pub 1946)_
- [A Streetcar Named Desire](https://readinglist.school/book/a-streetcar-named-desire) by Tennessee Williams _(Grades 11–12 · pub 1947)_
- [The Diary of a Young Girl](https://readinglist.school/book/the-diary-of-a-young-girl) by Anne Frank _(1080L · Grades 7–10 · pub 1947)_
- [The Pearl](https://readinglist.school/book/the-pearl) by John Steinbeck _(1010L · Grades 6–9 · pub 1947)_
- [The Twenty-One Balloons](https://readinglist.school/book/the-twenty-one-balloons) by William Pene du Bois _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1947)_
- [White Snow, Bright Snow](https://readinglist.school/book/white-snow-bright-snow) by Alvin Tresselt _(Grades K–3 · pub 1947)_
- [Big Snow and Other Stories](https://readinglist.school/book/the-big-snow) by Hader, Berta and Elmer _(Grades K–3 · pub 1948)_
- [King of the Wind](https://readinglist.school/book/king-of-the-wind) by Marguerite Henry _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1948)_
- [My Father's Dragon](https://readinglist.school/book/my-fathers-dragon) by Ruth Stiles Gannett _(990L · Grades 2–4 · pub 1948)_
- [1984](https://readinglist.school/book/1984) by George Orwell _(1090L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1949)_
- [Death of a Salesman](https://readinglist.school/book/death-of-a-salesman) by Arthur Miller _(Grades 11–12 · pub 1949)_
- [Song of the Swallows](https://readinglist.school/book/song-of-the-swallows) by Leo Politi _(Grades K–3 · pub 1949)_
- [The Door in the Wall](https://readinglist.school/book/the-door-in-the-wall) by Marguerite de Angeli _(Grades 3–7 · pub 1949)_

---

_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. JSON API: https://readinglist.school/api/decade/1940s · HTML view: https://readinglist.school/decade/1940s._