The War That Saved My Life

Nine-year-old Ada has never been outside her family's one-room apartment in London. Her mother, ashamed of Ada's twisted foot, keeps her indoors. When the city sends children away to escape the war, Ada's little brother Jamie is among them, and Ada slips out to follow him.

The two end up with Susan Smith, a woman who is made to take them in and who did not ask for the job. Ada and Susan begin as wary strangers. Ada has to learn what a home can be, and Susan has to learn what two children need from her.

This is a historical novel for children set in wartime, told through Ada's eyes. Her days fill with things she has never been allowed to do: teaching herself to ride a pony, learning to read, and watching the sky and the coast for German spies. Trust builds slowly, and Susan's affection for both children grows alongside it.

The tension comes from what lies ahead. The war could pull the household apart, and their mother could take Ada and Jamie back into her cruel care. Expect a story that is warm in its small domestic moments and uneasy about whether the bond will hold.