The War That Saved My Life- plus a link to a free educator guide

The War That Saved My Life

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is an exceptionally written and emotionally moving middle grade novel. This book is a must read for students! It can help trigger discussions about important topics such as freedom, abuse, disabilities, love, friendship, determination and trust. When I began reading this book, I couldn’t put it down! It’s a book that you feel you know the characters personally after reading it.

Ada is ten years old and has never left her one bedroom apartment. Her abusive mother is humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot and will not allow her to attend school, leave the apartment or have the opportunity for a normal life. Ada feels powerless and vulnerable and only has her brother to trust. When her little brother, Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada secretly sneaks out to join him.

As evacuees, Ada and Jamie get placed with a single woman named Susan Smith. Throughout their time together, they begin to trust and love each other. Susan opens the world for Ada, who begins to experience and love life. What happens will happen when the war ends and Ada and Jamie return to their home with their mother? You will have to read and see what happens!

Educators Guide for Parents and Teachers

With the current coronavirus epidemic, we are all grasping for wonderful learning opportunities for our children. After my daughter and I each read this book, I used the lesson plan that was created for the book here.

I loved this guide and used many of the questions in the guide for an assignment for my daughter. One of my favorite questions was to create a short presentation about the Women’s Voluntary Services. Susan Smith was an important member of this organization in the book and I wanted my daughter to learn more about this organization and the impact they had on helping others. To learn more, click here.