The War That Saved My Life ~Kimberly Bradley
Happy Sunday, friends! I’m honestly super sad today because I have strep throat and need to spend today putting together sub plans. As much as I sometimes enjoy a day off to recharge, I really hate missing time with my kids! So, anyway, today’s post comes to you from my bed. All the cuddles and reading happening today. I absolutely loved Kimberly Bradley’s novel, The War That Saved My Life.
It was such a quick read because I truly couldn’t put it down! I kept picking it up to read just a few more pages every time the doctor or nurse left the room while I was at the walk in clinic this morning. I finished it there! Ada’s story made my heart ache. Set during World War II, the novel details the experiences of Ada and Jamie Smith, who lived with their unbelievably cruel mother in London until all children are evacuated because of war.
Ada had never left the one room apartment the family lived in because her mother was ashamed of her “crippled foot.” But she fled with Jamie for safety, and the siblings were placed with a single woman named Susan who, at first, had no desire to take care of children. Quickly, though, Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie, and has a unique understanding of their trauma and hardships. The three of them form a beautiful bond, but Ada is always afraid of being sent back to her mother. And then, one day, her mother does come back for them…
This is a beautiful story of recovery and resilience, and I recommend it to readers grade 6+! Buy it here! And get the sequel here!
Maturity: 1/4This novel’s content is appropriate for most readers 10+. However, the mother’s cruelty in this story could be unsettling for some. Ch. 1-2 describe her cruelty, but the mother is not present for the majority of the novel.
Pages: 316
Lexile: 580L
Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!
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