The War that Saved My Life

Book Review of a Perfect WWII Read for Elementary and Middle School

The War that Saved My Life is based in WWII England, starting out in London. It follows the story of a girl named Ada, and her younger brother, Jamie. The war is merely the backdrop throughout the book however, as the focus is on Ada’s struggles to live with a disability and trust others.

I’m a huge fan of tackling real life issues in literature for children. One of my favorite authors, G.K. Chesterton thought the same.

Fairy tales do not tell children dragons exist. Children already know the dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.

G.K. Chesterton

Subsequently, another of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, also argued for the fact that children need to read fiction and hear stories to be prepared for real life, but so too do adults.

Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.

C.S. Lewis

I first encountered this book because of my husband, had to look it over for a school research project for the education portion of my degree, and then was delighted to find later that year that my mother had picked it up to read to my siblings.

Why was I delighted? Because this book tackles the hard topics with grace, truth, and no small sense of the fact that children can indeed handle life much better than we think because of that so very prized childlike faith.

Ada, the main character, has a clubfoot, which causes her intense pain and makes it almost impossible to move around. Throughout the book however, she refuses to let this stop her, at least on the outside. An additional struggle however leaves more than just physical problems, in the form of her mother. Mam, as she is called, sees no use for a disabled daughter, and while she allows her son to have more freedoms, she torments Ada throughout the book in ways that made even my adult blood boil.

Due to the Blitz, Ada’s brother Jamie is sent to the countryside, and while Mam sees no use in sending a cripple to safety, Ada sneaks off with him. In the town of Kent, they are placed with Miss Smith, a woman who does not want to care for children. She is a testy woman who warms slowly, reminiscent of Marilla Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables.

Despite this, Ada discovers a whole new world in Kent, vastly different from London. Not only are the people and place different, but they treat her differently too. As she gets to know Miss Smith, she begins to trust her, especially as the woman encourages her to try to do as much as she can, despite her disability. Ada is faced with the reality that her inner scars do not lessen her value, and Mrs. Smith’s story unwinds and she also begins to heal.

While the main focus of the book is the discussion of disabilities and hardships, there is still the backdrop of the war, and Bradley masterfully weaves in age appropriate historical details and real-life events such as Dunkirk, making the story a perfect read to complement any WWII history studies. Despite her difficulty in walking, Ada offers to help take care of the wounded men, returning to the town hall where she and Jamie had stood waiting for someone to pick them up.

The growth that the reader sees blooming within the character of Ada is not something often done well within a children’s novel. I find that too often character growth is made too complex, or too simple, no real balance of younger age reader paired with the need for good material. One finds characters suddenly changing on a dime, or taking ten books to become a different persona. This book moves at a solid pace, showcasing clear moments where Ada has the chance to react and her reactions shape how she will continue through the story.

Mam makes a reappearance towards the end of the book, taking Ada and Jamie back to London. In contrast to the beautiful respite and exciting adventures that one has seen with Ada and Jamie in Kent, London is the epitome of dreary sameness. Despite all of Ada’s growth, her mother is still the same, and she must choose how to react with all of the new experiences and lessons she has learned.

The book does have a surprising ending, and I will not spoil it as C.S. Lewis also said, “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”

Overall, I really adore that in this book, the reader can dig into deeper themes such as grief, trust, healing, working to earn love, and never letting ourselves be held down by what we “can’t do.” Ada is referenced as having a clubfoot, a physical impairment that causes her foot to turn inwards and face sideways. This means that walking is highly painful for her, and she cannot move quickly. This is one of the key reasons I love this book so much, as when you being to read, you think you understand the character’s dilemma—her disability—but then find that in fact, this is not her key struggle.

Ada is not just flawed outwardly, but inwardly too. While she believes it is her physical flaw that is her worst enemy, she finds instead that it is her heart flaw that hurts her most. Ada struggles to see her own value, internalizing all that her mother has said and her own misgivings. She feels she will never be worthy of love, and cannot understand why Mrs. Smith would choose to care for her through no merit of her own. Even a child can find this relatable, and it is one reason that I recommend it so much as a read-aloud; there is such good opportunity to discuss the fact that we can feel similar with Jesus, and yet He loves us all the same!

I would consider this book to fit the range of ages 10-12 if you’re looking for it as a solo read. If you’re looking for a good read-aloud, there is much more flexibility. Personally, we read this book at my house as a read aloud for my younger siblings, and they were anywhere from 4 to 13 at the time. I would say that this was possible because we were able to pause and explain things to the younger audience, which is a real pro to reading out loud. I truly cannot recommend this book enough for your older elementary and middle school readers, either as a solo read, or better yet, as a family read-aloud.