Fantastic Books for German Learners
Herr Antrim regularly recommends books for German learners. This is his most up-to-date list of book recommendations.
*If a link leads to Amazon, it is an affiliate link. Herr Antrim earns a commission if you click that link and then make a purchase. It does not cost you extra to use this link.
This list includes the following categories:
German Books by Angelika Bohn
I have read every book Angelika Bohn has written. Every single one is phenomenal. Her storytelling ability is fantastic. I love the twists and turns. I would read her books even if I wasn’t learning German. They are simply entertaining to read. She now has books targeted at every level along the German learning spectrum, so there is definitely something for you in her library.
Buy Angelika Bohn’s Books on Amazon*
- A1 – Nachbar Nr. 5
- A1/A2 – der silberne Kugelschreiber
- A1/A2 – Immer wieder Sascha
- A2 – Nie wieder Merle?
- A2/B1 – Falsche Adresse
- B1 – Für S.
- B1/B2 – Foto ohne Namen
- C1+ – Bock auf echtes Deutsch?
German Books by André Klein
André Klein’s “Dino lernt Deutsch” series is one of the best series ever made for German learners. You can follow the journey of Dino as he moves to Germany and learns the language.
One of the best parts about this series is that each one takes place in a new German city. You get to experience the city through Dino’s eyes. In a year when you can’t travel to Germany, this series transports you there. Start with the first book and I’m sure you won’t be able to stop until you run out of books.
Buy André Klein’s Books on Amazon*
- Books 1-4 in a Box Set
- Books 5-8 in a Box Set
- #1 Café in Berlin
- #2 Ferien in Frankfurt
- #3 Karneval in Köln
- #4 Momente in München
- #5 Ahoi aus Hamburg
- #6 Plötzlich in Palermo
- #7 Walzer in Wien
- #8 Zurück in Zürich
- #9 Digital in Dresden
- #10 Schlamassel in Stuttgart
- #11 Lockdown in Liechtenstein
German Readers (not by Angelika Bohn or André Klein)
When you are learning German, it is often helpful to have someone guide you through the learning process. Guided readers do exactly this when you are reading. This list highlights some of the best ones out there (apart from the ones written by Angelika Bohn and André Klein).
Buy German Readers on Amazon*
- Alice in Wonderland – Bilingual Edition in German & English
- Short Stories in German for Beginners by Olly Richards
- Emil und die Detektive
- Books by Eric Richards
- Eric Richards is local German teacher in the area where Herr Antrim lives. He has written 3 books to-date. They are directed at beginners and focus on the lives of some young people in school. This series is great for anyone who wants to learn everyday conversational German.
Great German Literature
- die schönsten Märchen
- This is the version of the Grimm fairy tales that Herr Antrim personally owns and reads to his children. This book not only includes stories by the Brothers Grimm, but also stories by Hans Christian Andersen and Ludwig Bechstein.
- Mein erstes Märchenbuch
- der Grüffelo
- Das Grüffelokind
- Die kleine Hexe
- Die kleine Hexe hat Geburtstag
- Das kleine Gespenst
- Oh, wie schon ist Panama
German Culture Books
- die Deutschen
- While studying at the university to become a German teacher, this textbook was invaluable to Herr Antrim. It is a great overview of the history and culture of Germany and the German people. It is entirely in German and includes comprehension questions at the end of each chapter.
- Those Crazy Germans! A Lighthearted Guide to Germany
- German Men Sit Down to Pee and Other Insights into German Culture
German Grammar Books
- German in Review
- A very thorough explanation of everything German grammar. Start with the basics and really dive deep into more complex topics. Each chapter includes practice exercises. Herr Antrim has kept this book on his shelf since college.
- 1001 Pitfalls in German
- A great reference book for anyone who wants to avoid the tricky parts of German grammar before they make mistakes.
- Quickstudy Laminated Reference Guide
- This trifold quick reference of German grammar was a staple of Herr Antrim’s university days. If you want to check a quick grammar chart, this is a handy thing to have around.
German Books by Fellow YouTubers
- Herr Antrim’s E-Book “Beginner German with Herr Antrim” (of course)
- You go me on the cookie! by Dana Newman from Wanted Adventure
- The 55 Best German Idioms & 20 Funniest Word Creations: with Their Meanings, Translations and Sample Sentences by Anja Winter from Learn German with Anja
- Angelika Davey from the YouTube Channel of the same name
- German Gender – Is it der, die or das?: Learn how to work out whether a German noun is masculine, feminine or neuter, and how to form the plurals
- Gesammelte Gedichte aus einer Jugendzeit: geschrieben von Armin Bieder
- 365 Ideas to Learn German
- The A to Z of Learning German: 26 ideas to make learning German more exciting and fun!
- A Year of Language Learning: A 52-week planner for language learners
- Songs about German sentence structure by smarterGerman (not a book, but since it was available on Amazon, I figured I would include it.)
Herr Antrim’s Amazon Store
For even more great book recommendations, movies and more, you can check out Herr Antrim’s Amazon Storefront. Every time Herr Antrim finds a great book, he adds it to the lists there first.
*All links to Amazon are affiliate links. Herr Antrim earns a commission if you click that link and then make a purchase. It does not cost you extra to use this link.