A girl kept hidden at home escapes London with her brother when the children are evacuated in 1939
Finding a home in wartime
Ten-year-old Ada has never left her family's one-room flat in London. Born with a twisted foot that was never treated, she is hidden away by her cruel mother. When children are sent to the countryside in 1939 to escape the coming bombs, Ada secretly slips out with her little brother, Jamie. They end up with Susan Smith, a lonely woman who did not want them, and for Ada a new world begins.
Who will enjoy it
Readers aged about nine to thirteen, and adults who love moving stories of courage, family and healing.
What you will get
A heartfelt, gripping story of a girl discovering her own strength and worth, full of warmth, horses and wartime history, that readers of every age remember.
The War That Saved My Life Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · World War II · Evacuees · Courage
Length
352 pages · ≈ 10 h
More about this book
Ada narrates her story in a direct, unforgettable voice. She has spent her life at the window of a London flat, forbidden to go out because her mother is ashamed of her twisted foot. Her younger brother, Jamie, can go to school and play in the street. When the government announces that children will be evacuated ahead of German bombing, Ada teaches herself to walk on her bad foot in secret, and on the day of departure she escapes with Jamie onto the train.
In a village in Kent, nobody chooses the two dirty, frightened children, so they are left with Susan Smith, who lives alone and is still grieving the death of a close friend. Susan never wanted children but takes care of them anyway, feeding them, sewing clothes and learning how to help. Ada discovers grass, the sea and Susan's pony, Butter, and teaches herself to ride. She also learns to read and to understand that she is not worthless. The war comes closer, with soldiers returning from Dunkirk and planes over the coast, and Ada must decide whether she can trust her new life before her past catches up with her.
Emotional, honest and ultimately uplifting. About 352 pages in paperback, followed by The War I Finally Won.
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