culture
German books by level: what to read from A2 to B2
2026-10-02
Reading your first real book in German is a big moment. It's also one of the best ways to grow your vocabulary, because books give you words in context, again and again. The trick is choosing a book that's a little hard, but not so hard that you give up on page three.
Here's a list sorted by level, plus some tips on how to read in German without losing the fun.
A rule of thumb before you start
Open the book to any page and read it. If you understand the main idea and only need to look up a handful of words, it's a good fit. If you need the dictionary in every line, it's too hard for now. Put it on your shelf and come back in a few months.
A2: graded readers and children's classics
At A2, graded readers are your best friend. These are short books written for learners at a specific level, often with a glossary and exercises. Publishers like Klett, Hueber and Cornelsen have whole series of them, with crime stories, love stories and city stories set in places like Berlin, Munich or Vienna. The level is printed on the cover, so you know what you're getting.
Children's books are also great, as long as you don't mind the topics:
- Der Räuber Hotzenplotz by Otfried Preußler: a funny story about a robber, two boys and a grandmother's coffee grinder. Simple sentences, lots of dialogue.
- Picture books you know from childhood, like Der Grüffelo or Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt in German translation. Short, repetitive and easy to read out loud.
A2 to B1: Erich Kästner and friends
- Das doppelte Lottchen by Erich Kästner: two girls meet at summer camp and discover they're twins who were separated as babies. You might know the story from the film The Parent Trap. Clear language and short chapters.
- Emil und die Detektive, also by Kästner: a boy is robbed on the train to Berlin and a gang of kids helps him catch the thief. Written in 1929, so a few words are old-fashioned, but the story moves fast.
- Das Sams by Paul Maar: a strange creature appears in the life of a shy man and turns everything upside down. Funny and full of wordplay.
- Rico, Oskar und die Tieferschatten by Andreas Steinhöfel: a funny detective story told by a boy who thinks a little differently. Great everyday Berlin German.
B1: modern novels for young readers
- Tschick by Wolfgang Herrndorf: two 14-year-old outsiders take a stolen car on a summer road trip through eastern Germany. It's told in the voice of a teenager, so the language is casual and very alive. It's read in many German schools, so you'll find study guides and a film version too.
- Momo by Michael Ende: a girl fights the "grey men" who steal people's time. A modern fairy tale with beautiful language. Some passages are B2, but the story carries you.
- Translations of books you already know. Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen is much easier than a new book of the same length, because you already know what happens.
B2: contemporary German writers
- Die Känguru-Chroniken by Marc-Uwe Kling: a kangaroo moves in with a Berlin writer. Short, very funny chapters. The audiobook, read by the author, is famous in Germany.
- Er ist wieder da by Timur Vermes: a satire in which Hitler wakes up in present-day Berlin. Funny and uncomfortable, and full of modern media language.
- Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink: a serious novel about guilt and the German past. Short and clearly written, though the topic is heavy.
- Herr Lehmann by Sven Regener: a bartender in West Berlin in 1989. Lots of dialogue and dry humor.
How to read without giving up
- Don't look up every word. Read a full page first. Then look up only the words that keep coming back or that you need to follow the story.
- Read and listen. Many of these books exist as audiobooks (Hörbücher). Listening while you read helps with pronunciation and keeps you moving.
- Read a little every day. Ten pages a day finishes most of these books in a few weeks.
- Write down sentences, not just words. A whole sentence shows you the article, the case and how the word is used.
- Borrow before you buy. Your local library probably has many of these, and with Onleihe you can borrow e-books for free with your library card. We explain how in our post on library cards in Germany.
Useful words for readers
- das Buch: book
- der Roman: novel
- das Kapitel: chapter
- die Seite: page
- das Hörbuch: audiobook
- die Lektüre: reading, a book you read for class
- Ich lese gerade ... I'm currently reading ...
Turn reading into vocabulary
When a sentence confuses you, paste it into our sentence explainer. It shows you the parts of the sentence, the cases and what each word does. Save new words to your word library so they come back as flashcards. And if you're not sure whether you're A2 or B1, the level test helps you choose the right book.
Viel Spaß beim Lesen!