The War I Finally Won Book Review

The War I Finally Won

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Dial Books

Historical Fiction, Middle Grades

Publication Date: October 3, 2017

If you haven't read The War that Saved My Life, start there! It's an amazing tale of Ada, a nine year old who has never left her apartment because her mother is too embarrassed by Ada's clubfoot. Her mother even locks her in the cabinet at times for punishment. When the war gets too close to London, Ada's brother Jamie is shipped off to stay safe from the bombings. What is Ada to do other than venture out of the apartment to join Jamie?

The War I Finally Won starts a week after The War That Saved My Life ends. Ada is in the hospital under Susan's care. She's just had surgery to fix her twisted foot. Something her mother would never approve of. Ada's mother always told her she was damaged, but she's not anymore. Ada's also just lost her mother to a bombing, and though she never had a good relationship with her mother, it's still her mother. As Ada and Jamie start their life with Susan seeking legal guardianship of them, the three chapter Sneak Peek ends! I can't wait to read the whole novel. October 3rd can't get here soon enough!

If you’re interested in reading The War I Finally Won, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

Cloud and Wallfish Book Review

Cloud and Wallfish

Anne Nesbet (Author)

Candlewick

Middle Grades, Historical Fiction

Publication Date: September 2, 2016

Noah Keller is just your normal, average, every-day kid except for two things. One, he has an "Astonishing Stutter" that makes speaking difficult. And two, his parents just told him that his name isn't actually Noah Keller. It's Jonah Brown. And his birthday isn't his birthday. And he's not even eleven. He's still ten. And they're leaving town. Today. For East Berlin.

Set just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Cloud and Wallfish follows Noah's/Jonah's journey from America to East Berlin where his name and his parents’ names are different, where there are bugs in the walls that always listen, and where there is an intriguing new friend named Claudia.

While historical fiction can be dry, Cloud and Wallfish is not! Noah's journey keeps you guessing about who is listening, how he will survive in a new land, and what the truth about his situation and his parents truly is.

If you’re interested in reading Cloud and Wallfish, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

------------------------------------------------

Get book suggestions for your kids right in your inbox!  

Sign up for my monthly newsletter by clicking here.   

------------------------------------------------ 

The War that Saved My Life Review

The War that Saved My Life

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

*Newbery Honor Book*

Dial Books

Middle Grades, Historical Fiction

Publication Date: January 8, 2015

While set with the backdrop of World War II, Ada’s war is much more personal.  Born with a club foot, Ada is rejected and neglected by her mother and forced to stay inside their house at all times, only knowing about the outside world from what she sees out the window.  Her brother Jamie is allowed outside, to go to school, and to play with friends, but Ada still has to protect him from her mother’s wrath.

As the outside war draws nearer, Ada’s mother plans to evacuate Jamie, and only Jamie, from London but Ada sneaks off with him.  Their new life in the rural village is miles apart from their home both in distance and in life experiences.  Ada and Jamie are taken in by a recluse named Susan Smith and together they stumble through the obstacles of their new situation. 

Though a middle grades novel, readers of all ages are quickly drawn in by Ada’s deplorable living conditions, but also by her voice and her wit. The War the Saved My Life is an excellent piece of historical fiction where the historical setting strengthens an already remarkable story.  It would be a great addition to upper elementary classrooms studying historical fiction or for middle school classrooms looking to pair literature with a study of World War II.   

If you’re interested in reading The War that Saved My Life, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon.