The War That Saved My Life Book Review

Every year, whenever the winner of the Newbery Medal is announced, there will always be a handful of readers who say, “This title should have won.”

Readers are entitled to their opinions, but since 2016, some have mentioned that The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley should’ve been rewarded with the Newbery Medal instead of the actual winner The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña. The latter is the first picture book to obtain the coveted prize. After reading the former, it’s easy to see why readers might think that way, especially how it deals with disabilities, abuse, and overcoming one’s struggles.

The War That Saved My Life is about Ada – an eleven-year-old girl who lives with a clubfoot during World War 2. She has never left her family’s one-room apartment. Her mother is far too humiliated by Ada’s disability to let her outside. When her brother Jamie is shipped out to London to escape the war, Ada takes the chance and leaves too. The siblings end up in a village in Kent with Susan Smith – a woman who initially didn’t want to have children, yet she takes them in anyway. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan, and Susan begins to love the children. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?

This book is a 2016 Newbery Honor Book, and it’s easy to see why. Its protagonist is disabled, yet the novel only feels sorry for her when it needs to. For the rest of the time, it highlights what Ada does to become more independent and trusting of others. For example, she learns to ride Butter – a horse that once belonged to Susan’s friend Becky. She figures out how to ride the pony, but it’s with the help of Fred – a farrier at the Thorton estate – and Maggie Thorton – a girl Ada’s age that she befriends – that she is able to take care of the horse. It also shows her as a flawed child. At times, I was frustrated by her because it was clear that the people around her wanted to help, but she would have none of it. However, I understood why she felt that way due to the trauma inflicted by her mother and the environment she lived in prior to residing with Susan. It also helps that she writes her story a few years after the events, which allows her to have a more balanced perspective on it.

Now, let’s talk about Susan. Susan is a woman who at first doesn’t want children because she claims “she’s not nice.”

She’s only assigned to take care of Ada and Jamie because they were the only ones left at the station, and Lady Thorton wanted to find them a home for the time being. Over time, Susan learns more about the siblings and how to fend for them. This is especially true when Ada has her panic attacks whenever she’s reminded of the abuse her mother inflicted onto her. Once Susan understands why Ada freaks out at these moments, she wraps her up in a heavy blanket and tries to soothe her. Additionally, when Susan finds out that Jamie’s teacher has been assaulting him at school for being left handed, she marches down to the school house and confronts her head on. Susan doesn’t always get it right, but she slowly begins to love both Jamie and Ada.

In addition, I enjoy how the book deals with lies and liars. In it, Susan relays to Ada that lies are things people tell to others or to themselves to protect them, while liars are people who fib in order to maintain control over others. Ada tells lies to others about her clubfoot because she wants to protect herself from other people’s prejudices, yet that doesn’t make her into a liar (unlike her mother). I like how it doesn’t entirely judge people for lying, but of course, it’s better to tell the truth. Overtime, Ada tells her real story to others as she becomes more trusting of others as well as herself.

Speaking of prejudices, I also like how the novel handles that. In various media, those with strong animosity against certain people are usually depicted as bad, backward, and even crazy individuals. In The War That Saved My Life, those who possess prejudices against Ada and her disability are often average people like you and me. For example, Ada comes across Jamie’s friend Billy and his family at the station when they’re about to leave. She smiles at Billy’s youngest sister, yet the mother “[pulls] her a little bit away from [her], as though [her] bad foot might be catching” (p. 70)

Later, the mom says to Ada, “I’m that surprised to see you out with ordinary people. I thought they’d put you in an asylum” (p. 71).

Ada didn’t know what to say at that time. She soon reveals that she waved to the mom whenever the latter walked by, and she would wave back. Ada thought that the adult was a nice person. When some time has passed, Ada sees a spy and reports it to the police. The officer at the desk initially doesn’t believe her, but once she says that her foot is a long way from her brain, he agrees to help to find the culprit.

I also want to point out that there are parts that can be tough to get through. For example, the scenes in the apartment can be intense. This is especially true when Ada uses rather cruel methods to keep Jamie in the apartment, and when their mother stuffs her in the cabinet. Fortunately, that’s mainly in the two chapters. As I mentioned earlier, there are moments in which Ada has panic attacks. These sections can be difficult to read through, yet as mentioned before, the novel’s emphasis is on overcoming certain obstacles instead of wallowing in the suffering. This point is clearly illustrated near the end when Ada comes up with a rather ingenious way to take her and Jamie off their mother’s hands after it’s revealed that their mom only took them back to avoid paying the government more money to keep them away.

After examining The War That Saved My Life, I can clearly understand why it got snubbed for the Newbery Medal. The best comparison I can make is that The War That Saved My Life is Saving Private Ryan, while Last Stop on Market Street is Shakespeare in Love at the 1998 Academy Awards. The latters are feel-good media with some exploration on topics like class, while the formers can be too intense for some despite how good the materials are. Also, both The War That Saved My Life and Saving Private Ryan take place during the same conflict. I can see why in the end, the votes went to Last Stop on Market Street, yet that doesn’t mean people won’t stop loving The War That Saved My Life.

To summarize, The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a wonderful historical fiction juvenile book about gaining strength despite fear and prejudice during World War II. Ada is a complex character who’s relatable for both kids and adults. Sure, it can be tough to read sometimes, but the book’s focus on Ada overcoming her fears as opposed to her suffering makes it worth the read. I would recommend this to readers who like reading historical fiction, specifically during World War 2, and about disabled characters. People will always love certain titles even if they don’t win the biggest awards.

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