Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Major Awards: Newbery Honor Book
Age Group: 6th - 12th
Summary:
Ada, 10, and her little brother Jamie, 6, are sent away from their mother "mam" because of World War II. Once they arrive with the other school children, they are taken in by Susan Smith. Before getting taken in, Ada had stayed indoors and got abused by her mother ever since she was born with clubfoot. Her mother was ashamed that she had to be with and take care of a crippled child, resulting in her treating Ada with shame, hatred, and brutality. She was never allowed to step outside into the real world and only looks out the window at her chair, she is forced to stay inside all day so nobody sees her ever. Ada is also used to being punished and treated unfairly by her mother. She would be hit, told she isn't worth anything, and closed in a cabinet infested with roaches under the sink. This life was nothing new to Ada and was all she ever experienced. Now that they are sent away to avoid the bombs of the war, Ada and Jamie begin to experience life a lot different from their own, for better or for worse. Miss Smith was hesitant to take in the siblings, but was given no choice. She lived alone in a huge house and never really wanted children, at least that's what she told herself. During the time they are living at Miss Smith's house, they have a hard time adjusting to everything from the environment and their new life. Ada finally realizes how much she doesn't know. All she knows is that her Mam has been "lying" to her all these years, not letting her do anything her brother does and experiencing the outside life. Ada doesn't know how to a lot of things regular people know like reading, writing, maybe just a little walking that she taught herself before they ran away. She doesn't even know her and her brother's birthdays because Mam never let them know! Everything Ada does is to try to get Mam to like her just a little bit. Ada finds a little happiness in her new life with being able to roam around freely outside and riding Susan's horse, Butter. Jamie also takes care of a pet cat, Bovril. Over time, the three of them undergo significant transformations of growth in their relationships with one another. Slowly, Ada realizes that she does have value and deserves to be cared for despite her crippled foot. They become family, fight together through the many wars, and even find comfort in each other. One day, Mam comes back for Ada and Jamie after ignoring the many letters that were sent to her. When she sees them, they are not the same children they were from before coming to live at this new place. This makes Mam angry because Ada learns her worth and is brave enough to stand up to Mam. Later, she learns that her own mother never really wanted them in the first place and can never care for them the way Miss Smith did. Suddenly there was a bomb in the building they lived in which meant they had to go in a shelter with a bunch of other people, too. In the end, after it was over, Miss Smith and the children get reunited and return to their home in Kent. When they returned, they found that the house had been bombed. They realize that even though they had lost their house, they still have their friends, neighbors, pets, and most importantly each other. It was a good thing that Miss Smith had gone to find Ada and Jamie, otherwise she would be dead in the house. Like the title, the war had saved their lives for both the children and Miss Smith.
Evaluation & Comments:
I wouldn't necessarily use this for elementary school as it deals with hard hitting topics that are not suitable for them. While I read the book, I felt a bit sad and angry at times because of how the children were treated. I know that there are some families out there that are suffering like this and it should be brought to everybody's attention. The book definitely does not take it lightly and does a great job giving the effect as it progresses throughout. Between the child abuse, the book still shows the loving and caring life after they get transferred to another family. We get to see a comparison between an abusive mother, Mam, and a caring guardian, Susan, who stood by her side and tried to accommodate Ada as best she could.
Since this book would be most suitable for middle to high schoolers, I would try to connect this in History and English Language Arts. When I plan the lesson, I would have to research facts about World War II in England so I know what I am talking about, then have the students research information as well. Especially because we usually only get the perspective of America, so that would teach them more about perspective and different points of view. I thought that would be a nice twist from the typical lessons we learned in the past! For English Language Arts, I would have them write any thought or ideas they have while reading the book. It is a good idea to write things down in a notebook so that they aren't jumbled and overwhelmed with so many details while reading, especially when I thought it was a lot for myself. Besides the notebook, I would hold discussions with the class and talk about things like how Ada, Jamie, and Susan changed throughout the book, and what was the meaning of freedom for Ada and Jamie. For writing prompts in their notebook, they could write about why they think Mam thought Ada's crippled foot made her so shameful and unlovable. They could also write about the importance and significance of lying in the book. Students could feel uncomfortable participating in the discussion, so any of the topics or prompts brought up to them can be either in discussion format or writing in their notebooks.
Comments
Post a Comment