Historical Fiction: The War That Saved My Life

Title: The War That Saved My Life 

Author: Kimberley Brubaker Bradley  

Genre: Historical Fiction   

Major Awards: 2016 Newbery Honor,  #1 New York Times bestseller,  Schneider Family Book Award, Odyssey Award, Josette Frank Award, Judy Lopez Memorial Award, E.B. White Read Aloud Honor Book

Age Group: 9-12 years old

 The War That Saved My Life by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley is about people coming into our lives that we never knew we needed or wanted, but turned out to be the exact missing piece to our lives. The narrator and protagonist Ada Smith had grown up in isolation with the scope of her world being the window in her third story one bedroom flat. Ada has a clubbed foot, and because of this her mother views her as a "disgrace" and doesn't let her leave their home. Ada spends most of her days alone while her mother is at work and her brother Jamie is outside with his friends. It hurts her to walk, so Ada spends most of her time crawling, until one day she decided she would teach herself to walk. It wasn't easy and often she would be in pain or get bumps and bruises but she kept going; she was determined to prove to herself, her mother, and her brother that she could do it. A mist all the things that were happening in Ada's personal life, WWII was underway, and in light of the impending bombing that was expected to happen in London  they were taking all the children out of London and taking them to the country. When Jamie, Ada's younger brother brought up this fact to their mother, she said she would send Jamie and not Ada. Ada refused to let her younger brother go alone so at the crack of dawn on the day they were supposed to leave, Ada put on her mother shoes and walked with her brother to the school where all the children were gathering. Although it was hard, she made it to the school and then to the train and was finally out of London. While on the train Ada was seeing the world beyond her window for the first time and was astonished at what she saw. During the ride, she saw a women riding a horse. This was the first time Ada had ever seen anything like it and it ignited a new passion in her. When they arrived in the country, the children were forced to stay with a women who coincidentally had their same surname called Miss Susan Smith. She had equally been going through a difficult time in her life and didn't want to have to look over children. Although it is an adjustment period for Miss Smith, Jamie, and Ada; they each were coping with the changes in their lives; Miss Smith was kind to the children, cared for them, and the three formed a close bond. As if the last names weren't a coincidence enough, Miss Smith had a horse whom she'd inherited from her late best friend that Ada was learning to ride. Overtime, as they continue to stay there, Ada became more confident in herself , more open, and the three became a family. One day while Ada is practicing on her horse, she sees her mother has come to take them way. When they return home with their mother, things went back to the way they were in the beginning with their mother treating Ada horribly. After they come to the realization that the kids didn't want to be with their mother any more than their mother wanted to be with them, their mother lets them go back to Miss Smith. While on their way back to Miss Smith there is a bombing and the children quickly go into a bunker to protect themselves from the blast. While this is happening Miss Smith is frantically looking for the kids and they eventually find one another. When they return to Miss Smith's  home, they find that her home was bombed and there was nothing left. She tells the kids that if it weren't for them she mostly likely would have died,and that they saved her life just as much as she saved theirs. 

The War That Saved My Life  is by far one of the best books that I've ever read and I recommend it for all 4th-7th grade classroom libraries. The book having the historical context of being set in WWII,  as well as having all of the vocabulary and definitions that are referenced throughout the text, is an excellent cross curricular read that would address both reading and social studies topics for both upper elementary and middle school students. The War That Saved My Life is an amazing story that would be great for an independent read or would make a nice choice for a class book club in older grades. At times the book does have some mature themes, such as the cruel way Ada is treated by her mother that may be intense for younger readers; the story also offers WWII history, vocabulary, and tells a story that the title is very keen in expressing how through even such a traumatic event as war, there can be beauty that comes from it. This story also tells of hope, love, family, and finding confidence in ones self which are incredibly prevalent ideas.