The War That Saved My Life
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (2015)
“For one girl trapped in a London flat by her own mother, World War II is not a catastrophe — it is an escape.”
At a Glance
Ada Smith has spent her entire life locked in a one-room apartment in London by her mother, who is ashamed of Ada's clubfoot. When World War II begins and children are evacuated from the city, Ada escapes with her younger brother Jamie to the English countryside, where they are billeted with Susan Smith, a grieving, reclusive woman. For Ada, the war is not a disaster but a liberation — her first taste of fresh air, horseback riding, and the radical idea that she might be worth something. But the war will end, and Mam will want her children back.
Read full summary →Why This Book Matters
Newbery Honor (2016). One of the most acclaimed middle-grade historical fiction novels of the 2010s. Praised for its unflinching treatment of child abuse, its complex portrayal of disability, and its inversion of the typical war narrative. Widely taught in schools for its historical content and its themes of resilience and self-worth.
Diction Profile
Informal, first-person, working-class London voice filtered through a child's perspective
Very low