The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
I read this to the girls this summer. Wow. What a story. I’m not sure who was affected more: them or me.
Set in the early months of World War II in London and Kent, it’s the story of Ada and her brother. Neglected and abused by their mother, they escape during the evacuation of some children to the countryside when Londoners fear that Hitler will bomb the city. A cripple, Ada has been hidden from society and cannot read. The war thrusts her into the world, and with her horse (of course there’s a horse) she begins to find a place in it, as well as that she can be loved.
But is she safe from her mother? Has she really escaped the abuse?
Though about a girl, I would recommend the book to boys and girls and given some of the content reading with parents below a certain age is probably advisable. Nothing graphic, but just frightening. Reading it with my girls was a fulfilling, educational, and enjoyable experience.
The War That Saved My Life
The War That Saved My Life #1
Juvenile Fiction
Dial Books
January 8, 2015
Hardcover
320
An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War II, from the acclaimed author of Jefferson’s Sons and for fans of Number the Stars.
Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.
So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?
This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity—a classic in the making.
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