Face Cover 2PCS ，Ship from USA

I bought this book based on reviews for my grand-daughter, and she loved it. She even gave it to my wife to read. When she did, a faint warning bell began ringing in my wife’s heart at the end of it, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She went ahead and bought the sequel for our grand-daughter, “The War I Finally Won”, but that nagging feeling prompted her to read this book before giving it to her. All the way through the book, that “something” continued to trouble her until it became clear what the author’s hidden agenda was: to prepare young hearts to believe that a certain (carefully unspecified) lifestyle is ok, even if some people, such as one’s parents, reject you, and that if you choose that unmentioned lifestyle, you’re not at all wrong; you’re a victim, and you might even become a wonderful hero.This is a very well written book, but extraordinarily crafty in its ulterior motive, that innocent young girls will very much enjoy reading.

In my opinion the topics in this book are for a more mature audience. The main character, Ada, a 10 year old girl, is severely abused and neglected by her mother. Ada was born with a club foot. While surgery could have corrected the club foot, Ada’s mother chose not to forgo the surgery to save money. Instead she kept Ada locked in their flat and told people she was “simple” or mentally handicapped as well as physically handicapped. Sadly her mother’s pure hatred towards her, while may be reality for many children, is too harsh for a children’s book. I was also not happy with the hints of prostitution, lesbianism, and the use of the word slut in the book, as well as many historical inaccuracies. I do not recommend this book to children.

This was a great story about a young girl during the time of WW 2. It's written for elementary/middle school age children. It was a gift for my 12 year old granddaughter so I read it before giving it to her. There are hints of homosexuality in the book, which are disappointing to me. It was not necessary for the story line. I would have given it 5 stars but because of that I can't give it a good rating and I'm not giving it to my granddaughter.

This book is filled with verbal and emotional abuse, a hateful mother, complete lack of regard for a child with disabilities...I could go on and on. I would NOT recommend this book to children or tweens...it is entirely too harsh and dark, besides being inappropriate.

Wow! We really loved this well-written book. I even learned a new word, chivvying! I read it to my 7-year-old. Actually, the entire family listened raptly during a 2-hour car trip even though my husband, mother, and older daughter only heard a portion of the middle of the book during the trip. The story is just that engaging. It really gives you an interesting perspective on that time in history. My daughter had never heard of a newsreel so we watched some showing the evacuation of troops at Dunkirk. It really made history so real for my daughter and for me too really.The book also does an amazing job of showing how the physical and emotional abuse faced by Ada and to a lesser extent Jaime, affected them and their choices. My daughter and I spent a lot of time discussing why Ada acted in a certain way. We often stopped and dissected the scenes even going so far as to discuss PTSD when Ada was afraid of going into the little bomb shelter that brought back the fear of being locked in the damp, crowded, bug-infested cabinet under the kitchen sink in her mam's flat. The author does such a great job of sharing with the reader Ada's inner turmoil and fears. We also spent some time discussing Jaime's behavior and even Susan's. Understanding Mam was much more difficult so I just explained to my daughter that sometimes we do not understand why people do horrible things. Even if we did understand Mam, it would not excuse her for the choices she made. They were still her choices.One reviewer mentioned the bad language. There are a few times bloody (which is a bad word in the U.K. but not here) and hell are used. The only word I edited out on the fly as I was reading to my 7-year-old was sl@t. Mam calls Susan a "lazy sl@t in a fancy house." I substituted cow and my daughter did not notice. I also decided not to go into Susan and Becky's relationship. The book says they were friends from university and that explanation was perfectly fine for my 7-year-old.This is a great book packed with insights not only into the time period of war torn England from the perspective of a child but also into the timeless themes of human nature.

So I enjoyed reading this book with my 10 year old but wasn’t a big fan of the lesbian undertones. I guess I wasn’t expecting that and didn’t really want to have a dialogue about it with my 10 year old. It has some good messages but overall is kind of a dark book.

4.5 stars!“I don't know what to say," she said, after a pause. "I don't want to tell you a lie, and I don't know the truth."It was maybe the most honest thing anyone had ever said to me.Man this book really packed in the feels! There were moments where I felt like I had been punched with emotion!The War That Saved My Life is about Ada, a young girl with a deformed foot whose mother kept her inside all her life. When London fears Hitler will start bombing it, all the children are sent to the countryside and Ada sees the outside world for the first time.“I wanted to say a lot of things, but, as usual, I didn't have the words for the thoughts inside my head.”Loved this story, so so much! Ada is such an amazing heroine with so much perseverance even when life literally kept her down. The author really did well on the historical aspects and the writing in this book flowed.I think this is a story everyone needs to read, not just children.“It had been awful, but I hadn't quit. I had persisted. In battle I had won.”

This is World World II genre children's book very similar to Good Night Mr Tom, in fact almost exactly like it except the main character is a little girl and her brother and a kind lady called Susan, instead of Tom. It was really well written and I read it in one day, as soon as I started reading I couldn't put it down. I do think the book though, need to be read to children with parental guidance and explanation as there are quite horrifying scenes from the start: the mother slaps the child whenever she gets annoyed or when she gets an answer she doesn't like, puts her child inside a cupboard under a sink and calls her daughter stupid, shameful just because she's got clubfoot.Even when I read those scenes I was shocked, and I couldn't understand the beginning until it was explained that the mother was ashamed that her daughter was a "cripple". She wouldn't let her daughter Ada go outside or go to the school, she simply didn't want her daughter to be seen as she felt she'd be ridiculed by neighbours. I think parents need to tell their children when they read them this that they are loved and will never be treated this way, or it could scare the children. I felt scared and I'm an adult. It also gets a bit repetitive that Ada keeps saying "you never wanted us", "you didn't want us" many times throughout the book. Sometimes it felt her anger was unfounded, but maybe the writer wanted to say that her abuse gave her anxiety issues and insecurity, so when she doesn't understand something, a feeling for example, she gets angry and starts to act out.Luckily, the children escape their horrible London home as war evacuees and start their life over with a lonely and sad lady called Susan. There the children are well looked after, loved, fed 3 meals a day, bathe every night, make friends, help the war effort, learn to ride, learn to write, and most importantly, feel needed for the first time in their lives. So, they are saved by the war, as they would have never known this life had they always stayed with their mad and ignorant mother. I felt the ending was too quick, as I wasn't prepared for it to end so suddenly. I half expected a chapter about Ada going to school, winning riding competitions after the war etc, and maybe Susan will find love. An enjoyable read and good pacing, recommend for children 11+

I loved the story of Ada so much. It is a perfect book for a 9-12 years old, but also for a grown up. It makes me company during this period of lockdown.

I wish I had found this year's ago. A semi tragic tale set in the war where three people manage to win happiness from despair

A lovely read. I throughly enjoyed every page. Tears to my eyes and laughter to my mouth and sometimesall on the same page. I hope this author has more books to offer. She is definitely through to the next round.

Good strong story for preteens.

Daughter has read this book about 10 Times - she loves it!

I bought this book for my ten year old daughter. She is absolutely loving it; says it's the best book she's ever read; and that without a doubt it needs to be given 5 stars!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

My 9 year old son says: I absolutely loved the book. It's one of my favorite books my mom has ever read to me. Thank you for writing this book.

Very happy with my purchase.

Wonderful read very inspiring . Loved it .

My 12 year old daughter loved this book. Read it in few days and said it was a great story.

Girls and boys of 11 and up could enjoy this novel. It is simply written and well crafted, with clear progression in the lives of the two children, and of the spinster who reluctantly takes them in when they have to leave London during the bombing. The girl's emotions are complex and strong, and the bonds that tie her and her six year old brother are expressed well in the dialogue. While the story has history at its roots, the real roots are in the capacity of children, and adults, to recover from the short or long battles that could have defeated them. It's an uplifting story.

Foi uma surpresa muita grata! Gostei demais da história e me emocionei várias vezes com a Ada... Livro de escrita fofa e história muito gostosa de ler.Sobre a leitura em inglês, acho difícil avaliar o nível necessário para um entendimento completo, mas diria que se você consegue assistir ao seriado Friends (ou algo equivalente) sem precisar de legenda, não terá dificuldades aqui.

My son's (8yrs) third grade class is reading this book, but after being home sick he asked if we could buy it so he could read what he missed. He really enjoys this book, and has been reading by himself, occasionally asking for help reading single words, or asking for definitions.I think it's a great book, well written, good story!