The War That Saved My Life: (Newbery Honor Award Winner)

I am a 4th and 5th grade teacher and I read this aloud every year to my students, as well as the sequel, The War I Finally Won. I understand the "concerns" you may have regarding the abuse that takes place- that's a real world problem and discussion you should have with your students. Now, the "undisclosure of sexuality" of Susan, however; the author does this in such a beautiful, tasteful way by offering it in a way that there is no "indoctrination" to our kids. When I got to the word "slut", I simply changed it so it wasn't read aloud, and I did not have to address what that was. Be smart people, you can change words. About Susan, being gay, my students have never figured it out, they just know that Susan's bestfriend was named Becky, and Susan was very sad, and became extremely depressed when she died. Clearly, I feel this is a "normal" way of displaying grief. I have read this book aloud to my 4th and 5th grade students for the past 5 years, and not one "figured out" that Susan was gay-they only know if you tell them. And I have never had that discussion with them-- There are subjects that you do not have to discuss as a teacher, use your own discretion. This book is amazing. I WANT to read it every year because it truly holds the interest of everyone of my students and they never want me to stop reading it. To be fair, if these subjects do come up, know your audience, yet use wisdom and discernment on how to approach these subjects. It's not the bulk of the story, it's subliminal. If you want to control of the story, read it aloud like I do. If you decide to let your child read it, have those discussions with them if its warranted. Honestly, this age is too young to understand "Susan", but as they get older, have the discussion. It doesn't mean you are going to ruin them. It's a beautiful story. The author does an amazing job with all of the characters- and Ada is a true warrior! As a teacher, you can do an amazing novel study with this book. It's a YES in so many ways!

One thousand stars! Not even kidding. This book was incredible. It was intended for children but has so many deep themes that adults could discuss it at length. The story dances on the surface while also plunging into your soul. I can’t rightly describe it, but my heavens- it was good.I read it as an ebook from my library and then immediately bought a hardback copy. Just to own it, to let my kids read it. I also have since listened to the audio book version- and it was excellent (I typically can’t stand being read to).Honestly, it is now one of my fav books. So good.Note: I’m 40. My bookclub (adult women) read it and really enjoyed discussing it. And my 14yo daughter has read it too and loved it. I think it’d be great for anyone 10+. It’s not inappropriate for younger kids but would be over their heads a bit, I think. The darker themes are skimmed over enough to be fine for littles but super poignant for olders.Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. Ha.

Read this with our 9 year old girls and we loved it. It was hard to put down. The content pushed them at 9, but with guidance they were fine with it. The writing was comfortable and easy. I can’t say enough about this book. We fell in love with the characters and may even start our own victory garden!

I bought this book because it got a rave review from my aunt, a retired middle-school teacher and guidance counselor. I thought it would be a good read with my 10 yo daughter, and we're working our way through it together right now. However, I read it first, and I loved it. Like all great children's literature, it is good reading for adults too!Ada, the protagonist and narrator, is 10, so it's nice for my daughter to listen to a story about a girl her age. However, Ada's world is very different from my daughter's, and not just because her story is set in England at the outbreak of World War II. She comes from a background of abuse and physical disability that make her feel worthless. Then she and her brother Jamie escape from London into the countryside of Kent as part of a group of evacuee children removed from London for fear of German bombs. Since this happens in 1939, they're ahead of the Battle of Britain, but throughout the book, the war finds its way into their lives with their guardian, Susan Smith, a single woman nursing her own sorrows and disappointments.The war in the book isn't just the Second World War - it's also Ada's struggle to come to terms with herself in a world that is different from the one she's known for so long. Suddenly she's faced with kindness, surrounded by people whose understanding of her bears no resemblance to many of the things she believes about herself. As the rest of the world falls apart, Ada finds herself experiencing stability and safety that she's never had before, and it's both comforting and terrifying to her. Even as she is given the freedom and encouragement to become herself, she struggles to find anything she trusts enough to hold on to. This often makes Ada challenging and difficult, but Susan, for all her own struggles, turns out to have the compassion and smarts to meet her where she is.Some of Ada's conflict may prove difficult for young readers to comprehend; as an adult, I found it compelling and believable. My daughter seems to get the gist of it when I check in with her, which I try to do regularly as we read. There are a lot of well-drawn characters around Ada, Jamie, and Susan, along with enough historical detail to keep the reader engaged and invested throughout. I reached the end wanting to know more about Ada's story, but at the same time, the author's decision to end the story where she does also makes a lot of sense. By then, the novel has earned its title, and there's reason to feel hopeful about what the future holds for Ada, Jamie, and Susan.Read this book.