The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

 The War That Saved My Life: Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker: 9780147510488: Amazon.com: Books

 The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 

  • Historical Fiction 

  • Grade: 4th-6th 

  • Awards: 2016 Newbery Honor Award 

Summary:

The War That Saved My Life is a story about two children, Ada and Jamie. Ada is disabled by her cleft foot, but her mother, Mam, keeps her inside and claims that she is “simple” in the head. Mam makes Ada care for Jamie and punishes her by making her stay overnight in a cupboard with roaches. The children of London are shipped to the countryside and Ada has been teaching herself to walk secretly so she sneaks away with Jamie. They get placed with Susan who has her reservations about having children. Ada thrives while in the countryside because she is able to go outside, ride Butter (the horse), learn to read, and talk to other children her age. Ada’s mom ignores letter after letter from Susan to fix her clubfoot, but she shows up to take her children back to London because she doesn’t want to pay extra fees. Then, London gets bombed but Susan chases after the children rescuing them from Mam. Susan, Ada, and Jamie return to the countryside where they find the house has been hit by a German bomb so returning for the children narrowly saved her life. 


Evaluation:


 I would not use this book in my classroom. It is a little advanced for a second-grade reading level. It would be more appropriate for 4th or 5th graders. This story was enticing and really draws the reader in because as you read you grow attached to Ada and her story. This book is a great resource when teaching about World War 2 because it is historically accurate. The War that Saved My Life would be great for a unit on comprehension and making personal connections because the main character has a disability and students may be able to relate to her. In addition, this book would be a great resource for a history unit on how wars can affect families socially and economically. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

Image
  Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech Fiction Grades: 3rd - 5th Awards: Bluebonnet 2019-2020 Summary: Saving Winslow is a story about a boy named Louis and a newborn donkey named Winslow. One day, Louis' father brought Winslow home and Louis developed a deep connection with the donkey. Winslow was small and sickly and Louis did not have the best record for nurturing little animals, but he was determined to help Winslow survive. Louis began to form a deep connection with Winslow which distracted him from missing his brother who was serving in the army. Louis' neighbor, Nora, also deeply cares for Winslow, but she has suffered the loss of her baby brother and dog so she does not have faith that the sick donkey will survive. Winslow grows stronger and even gets in trouble for braying loudly until everyone discovers he was trying to bring attention to the crying baby. Winslow becomes ready to go back to Louis' uncle Pete's farm, but Louis doesn't want him to go. An animal c
Read more

Music Everywhere! by Maya Ajmera, Elise Hofer Derstine, & Cynthia Pon

Image
  Music Everywhere! by Maya Ajmera, Elise Hofer Derstine, & Cynthia Pon  Nonfiction Grades: Pre-K - Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Awards: None Summary: Music Everywhere! is a book about children who love music. The children make music by stomping, clapping, singing, and clapping. The children make music using lots of different instruments. The instruments are played in many ways like shaking, whistling, strumming, and thumping. The children think it's fun to play and perform and they can use music to show different moods. The children can play music in school, at home, or in their neighborhoods. The book ends by saying music brings people all over the world together and the children love it. Evaluation: Music Everywhere! would be a fun book to use in my classroom. This is an informational book on the Humanities. Music Everywhere! focuses on music and would be great for engaging students’ curiosity on the topic. This book provides a brief text with uncomplicated illustrations th
Read more

Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert

Image
  Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert  Poetry  Grades: Pre-K - K, 1st - 2nd  Awards: A Horn Book Fanfare List Selection, An IRA-CBC Teacher’s Choice, and A Redbook Children’s Picturebook Award Winner Summary:     Feathers for Lunch is an example of narrative poetry. This poem tells the story of a mischievous cat that escapes his house. He goes on the hunt for a wild lunch. The cat prowls the streets for different birds like the American Robin, Blue Jay, House Wren, and many more. The birds whistle a warning to each other and escape the cat’s clutches by flying away. All the cat catches are feathers for lunch. Evaluation:      I would use Feathers for Lunch in my classroom because this book meets the criteria for a good poem. The illustrations reflect the content of the piece which can be seen through the depictions of the birds flying high in the trees and communicating with one another through whistles and chirping as they narrowly escape the cat’s claw. In addition, this poem gives ch
Read more