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The War that Saved My Life
Author:
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker
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Series:
War series, #1
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 8-12
Language: English
Demand: High
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LC: PZ7.B724
Grade: 3-7
Print Run: 35000
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ISBN-13: 9780803740815
LCCN: 2014002168
Imprint: Dial Books for Young Readers
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Pub Date: 01/08/2015
Availability: Available
List: $17.99
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Hardcover Reinforced
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Physical Description:
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316 pages ; 22 cm
H 8.56",
W 5.75",
D 1.07",
0.9625 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's Diverse Titles: Physical & Neurodivergent (Children's)
Brodart's For Youth Interest Titles
Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Children
Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles
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Bibliographies:
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Children's Core Collection, 22nd ed.
Children's Core Collection, 23rd ed.
Children's Core Collection, 24th ed.
Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award, Gr. 6-8, Book lists
Middle and Junior High Core Collection, 12th ed.
Middle and Junior High Core Collection, 13th ed.
Middle and Junior High Core Collection, 14th ed.
Middle and Junior High Core Collection, 15th ed.
New York Times Bestsellers List
New York Times Bestsellers: Children's Middle Grade and Young Adult Books
Sequoyah Book Award Winners
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Awards:
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Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
Horn Book Fanfare
Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
Horn Book Starred Reviews
Indies Choice/E.B. White Read-Aloud Book Award Winners and Honors
John Newbery Medal Honor Books
Kirkus Best Books
Kirkus Starred Reviews
Notable Children's Books, ALA
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
Publishers Weekly Annual Best Books Selections
Publishers Weekly Starred Reviews
Schneider Family Book Award
Teachers' Choices Reading List
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Starred Reviews:
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Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
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TIPS Subjects:
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Historical Fiction
Military Fiction
Family Life
Disabilities
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BISAC Subjects: |
JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / Europe
JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Orphans & Foster Homes
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Physical & Emotional Abuse
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LC Subjects:
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Brothers and sisters, Fiction
Great Britain, History, George VI, 1936-1952, Fiction
People with disabilities, Fiction
Siblings, Fiction
World War, 1939-1945, Evacuation of civilians, Fiction
World War, 1939-1945, Evacuation of civilians, Great Britain, Juvenile fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Great Britain, History, Fiction
Handicapped, Fiction
Siblings, Fiction
World War, 1939-1945, Evacuation of civilians, Fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
4.1
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Points: 9.0
Lexile Level:
580
Reading Counts Level:
3.3
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Points: 16.0
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles | 01/01/2015 |
| Ada is tired of hiding in her apartment just because her cruel mother is ashamed of the nine-year-old's twisted foot. When Ada sneaks out to follow her little brother, who is being sent to London to flee the war, a kind woman gives the children a proper home and plenty of motherly love. All is well until the war nears its end. Can Ada and Jamie find a way to stay with this kind woman and avoid a trip back to their cold and callous mother? 320pp. |
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| Starred Reviews: |
| Horn Book | 01/01/2015 |
| Intermediate. Ten-year-old Ada has suffered almost unimaginable deprivation and abuse due to an unrepaired clubfoot: she has never been outside her squalid London flat; she's hit, underfed, belittled, and locked inside a dark cupboard whenever she disobeys her cruel, ignorant mam. Ada can't walk (scooting around on all fours; shades of L'Enfant sauvage), can't read or write, and relies on her younger brother Jamie entirely for her limited exposure to the world. So when -- with World War II imminent and bombs expected to fall on London -- Jamie is slated to be evacuated to the countryside, Ada determines to escape the prison of her life and go with him. The siblings are placed with a reluctant guardian, Miss Susan Smith, a self-declared "not a nice person" mourning the death of the woman she lived with (and clearly loved). The remainder of the novel is an involving, poignant, nuanced portrait of healing and rebuilding, focusing on Ada but encompassing Susan's recovery as well. The plot at times stretches credulity -- spunky Ada nabs a Nazi spy -- but the emotional content feels completely true, especially in the recognition of how deeply Ada has been damaged and just how far her journey will be to both physical and mental health. This is a feel-good story, but an earned one; and though there are echoes of such classics as Magorian's Goodnight, Mr. Tom (rev. 6/82) and Bauden's Carrie's War (rev. 6/73), this is distinct and powerful in its own right. martha v. parravano. 316pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 10/15/2014 |
| Ada discovers there are worse things than bombs after she escapes her Mam's cruelty during a children's evacuation of World War II London. Crippled by an untreated club foot and imprisoned at home by Mam, Ada has survived, but she hasn't thrived. Only caring for her brother, Jamie, has made life tolerable. As he grows, goes out and tells Ada about the world, her determination to enter it surges. She secretly begins learning to walk and joins Jamie when Mam sends him to the country. Ada narrates, recalling events and dialogue in vivid detail. The siblings are housed with Susan, a reluctant guardian grieving the death of her friend Becky. Yet Susan's care is life-changing. Ada's voice is brisk and honest; her dawning realizations are made all the more poignant for their simplicity. With Susan's help and the therapeutic freedom she feels on horseback, Ada begins to work through a minefield of memories but still harbors hope that Mam will accept her. In interesting counterpoint, Susan also knows what it is like to be rejected by her parents. With the reappearance of Mam, things come to an explosive head, metaphorically and literally. Ignorance and abuse are brought to light, as are the healing powers of care, respect and love. Set against a backdrop of war and sacrifice, Ada's personal fight for freedom and ultimate triumph are cause for celebration. (Historical fiction. 8-12). 320pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2014. |
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| Publishers Weekly | 10/27/2014 |
| Ages 9-12. Bradley (Jefferson's Sons) examines WWII through the eyes of a disabled child eager to escape her life of neglect and abuse. With the threat of German bombs being dropped on London, most parents are anxious to get their children out of the city. But Ada's mother, shamed by her daughter's deformed foot, doesn't seem to care. Ada takes it upon herself to board an evacuee train with her younger brother and, without their Mam's knowledge, they arrive in a country village with a crowd of students. Malnourished and filthy, the siblings are placed with Miss Smith, a woman lacking any experience with children, who claims she isn't "nice." Nonetheless, she offers Ada and Jamie food, clothing, and security, and she owns a pony that Ada is determined to learn to ride. In this poignant story, Bradley celebrates Ada's discovery of the world outside her dismal flat, movingly tracing her growing trust of strangers and her growing affection for Miss Smith. Proving that her courage and compassion carry far more power than her disability, Ada earns self-respect, emerges a hero, and learns the meaning of home. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Jan.). 320p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2014. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 12/01/2014 |
| Grades 5-8. When word starts to spread about Germans bombing London, Ada's mother decides to send her little brother, Jamie, to the country. Not 11-year-old Ada, though--she was born with a crippling clubfoot, and her cruel mother treats her like a slave. But Ada has painfully taught herself to walk, so when Jaime departs for the train, she limps along with him. In Kent, they're assigned to crotchety Susan, who lives alone and suffers from bouts of depression. But the three warm to each other: Susan takes care of them in a loving (if a bit prickly) way, and Ada finds a sense of purpose and freedom of movement, thanks to Susan's pony, Butter. Ada finally feels worthy of love and respect, but when looming bombing campaigns threaten to take them away from Susan, her strength and resolve are tested. The home-front realities of WWII, as well as Ada's realistic anger and fear, come to life in Bradley's affecting and austerely told story, and readers will cheer for steadfast Ada as she triumphs over despair. Hunter, Sarah. 320. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014. |
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| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 03/01/2015 |
| R. Gr. 5-8. Ten-year-old Ada has never been outside her tiny, dirty London flat, due to her clubfoot; her abusive mother is so shamed by it that she won't let Ada be seen in public. Six-year-old Jamie, Ada's brother, goes out, though, and it's through him that Ada learns about the pending evacuation of the local London kids before the war with Germany begins. Mam has no intention of sending Ada away ("Who'd want you? Nobody, that's who") but Ada (who has secretly been practicing walking in the flat) and Jamie escape to the evacuation train. Their countryside host, Susan Smith, suffers from depression over the loss of her best friend and housemate and initially greets the children with reluctance, but she feeds and clothes them and gradually begins to care for them. Warped by ten years of abuse and believing herself to be "rubbish," Ada is similarly wary of Susan, resisting both her kindness and her suggestions that Ada's clubfoot can be at least partially healed ("I wanted Mam to be like Susan. I didn't trust Susan not to be like Mam"). The irresistible lure for Ada isn't human but animal: she warms up to Butter, the fat pony in Susan's field, and through Butter she gradually makes some human friends in her new home. Eventually Ada overcomes much of her mental anguish (though nights in the Anderson shelter send her into panic attacks, as the space reminds her of the roach-infested cupboard in which Mam used to lock her), even becoming a village hero after discovering a German spy. She suspects it's all too good to be true, though, and she's proven right when Mam, perturbed at being told she's supposed to pay for Susan's care, shows up to take Ada and Jamie back to London. Ada has come too far and become too strong to regress now, however, and despite the bombing of their London neighborhood and Susan's home, the children and Susan finally find their happy ending. Skillful, smooth writing and taut pacing enable Bradley's compelling plot to take center stage, and Ada's tough journey from brokenness to healing is poignantly credible in its development and emotionally satisfying in its outcome. Characterization is sympathetic and authentic: Ada's limited exposure to the outside world, her poverty, and her disability believably make her bewildered and angry as she encounters many overwhelming new experiences. Susan too is effectively portrayed; refreshingly, she's no saint but a realistic woman trying to do the right thing despite having her own sadness and shortcomings to overcome. The feel-good appeal of the rescue fantasy combines with the increasingly tense World War II backdrop to make this an effective page-turner. The book successfully evokes the very real fear that gripped coastal villages such as Susan's in the face of what seemed like imminent invasion, and the horrors of warfare are clearly communicated through Ada's narration as she witnesses the arrival of soldier survivors of Dunkirk and experiences air raids and bombings. While there is no author's note to explain or elaborate, children with access to the internet, a library, and/or a knowledgeable adult will easily be able to fill any gaps. Ada's unique perspective on her world, her disability, and her danger-filled time period may particularly resonate with kids who have faced their own hardships, while giving more fortunate youth fresh insights and plenty to think about and discuss. Lovers of historical and personal dramas, and fans of Michelle Magorian's similarly themed Goodnight, Mr. Tom (BCCB 3/82), or of Nina Bawden's or Robert Westall's World War II-era novels, will also find much to love here. JH. 320p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2015. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2015 |
| 1. Ten-year-old Ada, abused by her cruel, ignorant mam due to an unrepaired clubfoot, has never been outside her squalid London flat. With WWII imminent, her brother, Jamie, is evacuated to the countryside, and Ada determines to go with him. The emotional content feels completely true, especially in recognition of how far Ada's journey will be to both physical and mental health. mvp. 316pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
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| School Library Journal | 11/01/2014 |
| Gr 4-6--Bradley turns her keen historical eye from Monticello (Jefferson's Sons, Penguin, 2011) to the British home front during World War II. Ada isn't exactly sure how old she is; for as long as she can remember, she's been a virtual prisoner in her mother's third floor one-room apartment. She was born with a clubfoot and her mother uses her disability as an excuse to abuse her both emotionally and physically. Ada watches the world through the narrow confines of the apartment window, waves to neighbors in the street, and carefully gauges the danger of being beaten during each encounter with her hateful mother. She envies the freedom of her little brother, Jamie, who goes to school and generally roves the neighborhood at will. When her mother prepares to ship Jamie out to the countryside with other children being evacuated from London, Ada sneaks out with him. When the two fail to be chosen by any villagers, the woman in charge forces Susan Smith, a recluse, to take them in. Though Susan is reluctant and insists that she knows nothing about caring for children, she does so diligently and is baffled by the girl's fearful flinching anytime Ada makes a mistake. Though uneducated, Ada is intensely observant and quick to learn. Readers will ache for her as she misreads cues and pushes Susan away even though she yearns to be enfolded in a hug. There is much to like here-Ada's engaging voice, the vivid setting, the humor, the heartbreak, but most of all the tenacious will to survive exhibited by Ada and the villagers who grow to love and accept her. Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ. 302p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2014. |
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9780803740815,dl.it[0].title
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