Best Children's Violence Books
In WWII times, Adolf Hitler ordered the book burned in Nazi Germany, while Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, granted it privileged status as the only non-communist children's book allowed in Poland. Ferdinand is a little bull who much prefers sitting quietly under a cork tree-- just smelling the flowers--to jumping around, snorting, and butting heads with other bulls. In a show of bovine irony, the one day Ferdinand is most definitely not sitting quietly under the cork tree (due to a frightful sting), is the selfsame day that five men come to choose the "biggest, fastest, roughest bull" for the bullfights in Madrid.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I found "The Story of Ferdinand" among Amazon's list of "100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime", and am ashamed to say I had never heard of this book that's been around for 80 years now and was the #1 book in America - topping Gone with the Wind! This is certainly not a book most children these days will be used to, with its completely black and white illustrations, but - for the right age - a child who's ready to focus more on a story line versus needing lots of bright colors to hold his/her attention, the illustrations do a beautiful job of reflecting the gentleness of Ferdinand, who much prefers to "sit just quietly and smell the flowers" while the other bulls run and jump around, butting heads, and his wise mother who - though occasionally worried about him and what he may face by not conforming to the norm - understood that he was happy."
"A beautiful book and a sweet story!"
"Reading good literature with an easy to comprehend story line is a great place to start your young readers."
"Loved this book as a kid, I bought it for my neighbor's little girl who is 8."
"I remember well the Disney adaptation with Don Wilson as the narrator."
"Present for granddaughter!"
"Loved this read."
"The original, high-quality Viking editions placed text and illustrations in a layout that let the story breathe -- the amount of text on each page and the space within the drawings set the pace of the story."
In his Napra Nautilus Award-winning novel Touching Spirit Bear , author Ben Mikaelson delivers a poignant coming-of-age story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life. But then a Tlingit Indian parole officer named Garvey enters his life, offering an alternative called Circle Justice, based on Native American traditions, in which victim, offender, and community all work together to find a healing solution. Ultimately, Cole ends up banished for one year to a remote Alaskan island, where his arrogance sets him directly in the path of a mysterious, legendary white bear. Cole elects to participate in Circle Justice, an alternative sentencing program based on traditional Native American practices that results in his being banished to a remote Alaskan Island where he is left to survive for a year. Gross details about Cole eating raw worms, a mouse, and worse will appeal to fans of the outdoor adventure/survival genre, while the truth of the Japanese proverb cited in the frontispiece, "Fall seven times, stand up eight" is fully and effectively realized.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book is an excellent book to use within your family to talk about healthy relationships and how to value yourself."
"I found that even though Cole is nothing like me that I learned many things from his journey in controlling his anger."
"I have 2 children reading htis, one is 11 (girl) one is 13 (boy) they both are very much enjoying it."
"Son I purchased the book for says it's a good story."
"This is a truly incredible book."
"I rated the book at four stars because I thought the story was pretty good."
"This was a gift."
"If you aren't familiar with Restorative Justice, Google it or look for "Restorative Justice of Midcoast Maine.""
Best Indie Book Awards 2015 - Winner. Beverly Hills Book Awards 2014 - Winner. Reader's Favorite Book Awards 2014 - Silver Medal. IPPY Book Awards 2014 - Bronze Medal. Purple Dragonfly Book Awards 2014 - Honorable Mention. Indie Excellence Book Awards 2014 - Finalist. London Book Festival 2013 - Honorable Mention. Supernatural Hero and the Witches (Book 2) is out! Andy is the nerd everyone makes fun of. While the concept of seeing ghosts is not terribly original, it is the execution of the story and the adept characters that sets this one apart from the pack. It is a very entertaining theme where one can relate to Andy and hisnerdy behavior, which sees him being the butt of many jokes in class.The transformation of this nerdy boy is done very well and the change is fluid. The theme covers everything that is part of a child's life: parents,school, friends, bullies, pretty girl, and much more. Eran Gadot is an award winning author, serial entrepreneur, publicist, ideas man, and chaser of dreams.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When Andy's Grandpa falls ill, Andy does his best to find a cure, all the while getting help from Grandpa and Grandma to try and win the heart of the girl of his dreams. Join Andy and the rest of the characters as Andy transforms from average nerd to cool nerd, and find out if he gets the girl of his dreams."
"I loved Andy, the main character, a typical six grade nerd with a heart of gold, and his cute childish ignorance about death and cancer (“Stage four advanced, to me that sounds like the name of a new console game” he says)."
"Meet Andy, the protagonist hero from whom the point of view is heard in first-person narrative, a lost, misunderstood, and positively “nerdy” kid stuck in the permanent underclass of the elementary-middle school hierarchy, has a close relationship with his grandfather who is currently in bad health with late stage cancer. The wisdom and tough love of Grandpa’s ever-present spirit will strike a chord with those who resonate with the older generation’s brand of guidance: “If you don’t believe in yourself…Who else is going to believe in you?” Just like the kid who swears up and down that s/he has encountered some form of magic or paranormal occurrence is almost always shot down until something amazing happens…in this case Andy’s mother is trying to get Andy in therapy and grief counseling; the standard fare response for those who turn a blind eye to the possibilities that our deceased loved ones still “hang around” and watch over us. With masterful skill, Andy goes from a shrinking violet ostracized by the peer group to a superhero almost overnight when a scary and bizarre event involving evil spirits threaten Zoe and her family."
"This book is ideal for middle grade students who are looking for a little bit of spookiness, but still avoiding a lot of the relationship and dating-based subplots that are out there. There is a subplot where the boy is trying to get the girl, but it's written in a very innocent format and would make me comfortable to let a younger grade child read it if their reading level was up for it."
Best Children's Nature Books
In WWII times, Adolf Hitler ordered the book burned in Nazi Germany, while Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, granted it privileged status as the only non-communist children's book allowed in Poland. Ferdinand is a little bull who much prefers sitting quietly under a cork tree-- just smelling the flowers--to jumping around, snorting, and butting heads with other bulls. In a show of bovine irony, the one day Ferdinand is most definitely not sitting quietly under the cork tree (due to a frightful sting), is the selfsame day that five men come to choose the "biggest, fastest, roughest bull" for the bullfights in Madrid.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I found "The Story of Ferdinand" among Amazon's list of "100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime", and am ashamed to say I had never heard of this book that's been around for 80 years now and was the #1 book in America - topping Gone with the Wind! This is certainly not a book most children these days will be used to, with its completely black and white illustrations, but - for the right age - a child who's ready to focus more on a story line versus needing lots of bright colors to hold his/her attention, the illustrations do a beautiful job of reflecting the gentleness of Ferdinand, who much prefers to "sit just quietly and smell the flowers" while the other bulls run and jump around, butting heads, and his wise mother who - though occasionally worried about him and what he may face by not conforming to the norm - understood that he was happy."
"A beautiful book and a sweet story!"
"Reading good literature with an easy to comprehend story line is a great place to start your young readers."
"Loved this book as a kid, I bought it for my neighbor's little girl who is 8."
"I remember well the Disney adaptation with Don Wilson as the narrator."
"Present for granddaughter!"
"Loved this read."
"The original, high-quality Viking editions placed text and illustrations in a layout that let the story breathe -- the amount of text on each page and the space within the drawings set the pace of the story."
Best Children's Drug Use Books
Another classic from the author of the internationally bestselling The Outsiders Continue celebrating 50 years of The Outsiders by reading this companion novel. In That Was Then, This Is Now , one of her most admired novels, S. E. Hinton paints a richly textured portrait of two boys at a crossroads in their friendship. With careful, intimate strokes, Hinton reveals a boy struggling over whether to protect his best friend or whether to follow his own beliefs about right and wrong. "— The New York Times "This unforgettable classic still packs a powerful message even after nearly thirty years in print.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great book!"
"Really Good!"
"Good for young people struggling and a good way I would think in getting them interested in reading in general."
"As always, the author has parentless boys virtually raising themselves, in this case Bryon and his friend Mark, who had taken in the orphaned Mark after his supposed father shot his mother - as it turns out because he realized that Mark was not his son. He already shows signs at the beginning of the book of a lack of conscience, no doubt the result of seeing and hearing the argument regarding his parentage as a child followed by his 'father' shooting his mother."
"Hinton's and the first one I read that started me on my journey to read all of her books."
"best book ever, arrived quickly."
"I am removing my original review as it pertained to the *condition* of the book sold by an Amazon market vendor, not realizing the review was posted as one for the *content* of the book."
"Emotes many feelings in middle schoolers--great novel!"
Best Children's Runaway Books
Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. "VOYA", starred review "?cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes." "Publisher's Weekly", starred review Marie Lu works as an art director for a Los Angeles video game company - the book is built around the world she created for a popular Facebook game, also called Legend.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Confusing at times."
"I'm going to start off with kind words by saying that this was a easy, simple book to read. On that note, I would like to say that although the story line was intriguing-there was a point in the middle of the book where I just COULD NOT put it down-the characters were too perfect, flawless. I mean come on 15-year-olds who have superhuman observation, tracking, hunting and survival skills of assassins is unrealistic. Perhaps, if Day and June had the potential of being the best of the best, but were just as they should be-just teenagers for the moment, learning their craft."
"June Iparis' brother Metias dies, apparently killed by a young criminal named Day. June is a prodigy who scores a perfect 1500 in a trial that all young people have to take in order to be chosen for education and privilege."
"Skimming through my library and ran across this series."
"Cliff hangers are great, leaving mysterious little sub plots is interesting, not giving total explanations can be intriguing but most authors screw it up. Most authors, especially dystopian authors, leave too many little holes and if you step back for a second and look at all of the unknowns, even good books look like Swiss cheese sometimes."
"The plot is similar to other books -- the country split into factions (or in this case, the Republic and the Colonies) who are warring; a dictator-type leader; a selection system that creates an upper class elite who enter the military or politics and keeps the rest of the population down in fear and poverty; and, of course, the hero and heroine -- Day and June, 15 year-olds who fight back. Two very different teens from two very different 'worlds' -- he's the poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks; she's an elite prodigy who goes off to college at age 12 and is destined for a successful military career -- but they're great together!"
"This one though, was very highschool essay sort of thingy."
"It was a quick read and didn't require a lot of thought."
Best Children's Abuse books
#1 New York Times Bestseller. Newbery Honor Book. Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award (Middle School) Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of 2015. New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing. An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War II, from the acclaimed author of Jefferson’s Sons and for fans of Number the Stars . Ada watches the world through the narrow confines of the apartment window, waves to neighbors in the street, and carefully gauges the danger of being beaten during each encounter with her hateful mother. When her mother prepares to ship Jamie out to the countryside with other children being evacuated from London, Ada sneaks out with him. Though Susan is reluctant and insists that she knows nothing about caring for children, she does so diligently and is baffled by the girl's fearful flinching anytime Ada makes a mistake. There is much to like here-Ada's engaging voice, the vivid setting, the humor, the heartbreak, but most of all the tenacious will to survive exhibited by Ada and the villagers who grow to love and accept her.—Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ A Newbery Honor Book. Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award (Middle School). Winner of the Josette Frank Award Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of 2015. New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing. Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books 2015 Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2015 Kirkus Best Books of 2015 Horn Book Fanfare Book 2015. "Achingly lovely . Nuanced and emotionally acute, this vivid tale from the wartime home front will have readers ages 10-14 wincing at Ada's stumbles and rejoicing to the point of tears in her victories. * “Ada's voice is brisk and honest; her dawning realizations are made all the more poignant for their simplicity. Set against a backdrop of war and sacrifice, Ada's personal fight for freedom and ultimate triumph are cause for celebration.”— Kirkus , starred review. * "Proving that her courage and compassion carry far more power than her disability, Ada earns self-respect, emerges a hero, and learns the meaning of home. "— The Horn Book , starred review. "The home-front realities of WWII, as well as Ada’s realistic anger and fear, come to life in Bradley’s affecting and austerely told story, and readers will cheer for steadfast Ada as she triumphs over despair. "I love Ada's bold heart, keen wit, and amazingly fresh point of view. "—Sheila Turnage, author of Newbery Honor book Three Times Lucky. "In Ada's small war lies our large hope that love cannot, will not, be overcome.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Selective in that I studiously avoided any and all works of fiction that might conceivably be considered "depressing". So when I read "The War That Saved My Life" I had to explain to her, at length, that in spite of the premise, cover (again with the kids staring out into nothingness), and time period this isn't the bleak stretch of depressingness it might appear to be. Enormously satisfying and fun to read, Bradley takes a work of historical fiction and gives the whole premise of WWII evacuees a kick in the pants. Born with a twisted foot her mother considers her an abomination and her own personal shame. Escaping to the English countryside, the two are foisted upon a woman named Susan who declares herself to be "not nice" from the start. I may have mentioned it before, but the word that kept coming to mind as I read this book was "satisfying". She has this enormous task of making Ava strong in every possible way after a lifetime of systematic, often horrific, abuse. Honestly it made me want to reread the book several times over, if only to figure out how she managed to display Ada's anger and shock in the face of kindness with such aplomb. Kids who have so little experience with the wider world that they don't know a church from a bank or vice versa. Or, perhaps worse, their inability to comprehend simple everyday objects and ideas will strike readers as funny or something to be mocked. By the same token, child readers can also pity Ada for not understanding stuff that they already do (banks, church, etc.). American born (Indiana, to be specific) she has set her novel in historical England (Kent) where any number of accents might be on display. She could have peppered the book with words that tried to replicate the sounds of Ada's London accent or Susan's Oxford educated one. Because this is a children's book and hope, in whatever form it ultimately takes, is the name of the game. Ms. Bradley understands that and in "The War That Saved My Life" she manages to concoct a real delight out of a story that in less capable hands would have been a painful read."
"Having had foster grandchildren, this book is perfect to help understand some of the behaviors that the children have had and how they couldn't communicate their feelings."
"i love this book, it's amazing !"
"Dealing with many sensitive topics it informed and explained the issues and the emotions without being condescending or melodramatic."
"My son, age 9, raves about this book."
"My son told me to read this so I promised I’d start it, but after the first two pages, I literally could not put it down!"
"“The War that Saved My Life” is a beautiful allegory of how love (and education) transforms wounded individuals."
"This is an incredibly beautiful book with wonderful prose and an inspiring message."
Best Children's Death & Dying Books
The 40th anniversary edition of the classic Newbery Medal-winning title by beloved author Katherine Paterson, with brand-new bonus materials including an author's note by Katherine herself and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Kate DiCamillo. Here they reign as king and queen, fighting off imaginary giants and the walking dead, sharing stories and dreams, and plotting against the schoolmates who tease them. Together, they create an imaginary, secret kingdom in the woods called Terabithia that can be reached only by swinging across a creek bed on a rope. But one morning a tragic accident befalls Leslie as she ventures alone to Terabithia, and Jess's life is changed forever. Contemporary instrumental interludes featuring guitar, piano and drums signal the beginning and end of each tape side.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that it's an amazing look inside one boy's life in times of great joy and sadness."
"As time passed, mingling thoughts kept returning to that story, that memory that felt so real to me. Bridge to Terabithia relates a compelling tale of childhood curiosity and woe. the author weaves the story with and ease that catches the reader off guard."
"One of the best Children's book I have read."
"Brilliant piece of writing that meshes vivid imagination with real feelings - feelings of friendship and goodness."
"excellent product, good attention!"
"bought book for our club to go with the movie."
"Cute book for young ones."
"Excellent!"
Best Children's Homelessness & Poverty Books
When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life, and her own, depend on it. Told in a lyrical, fairy tale - like style, Ryan's (riding Freedom) robust novel set in 1930 captures a Mexican girl's fall from riches, her immigration to California and her growing awareness of class and ethnic tensions. Readers will be swept up by vivid descriptions of California dust storms or by the police crackdown on a labor strike ("The picket signs lay on the ground, discarded, and like a mass of marbles that had already been hit, the strikers scattered?"). (Oct.). Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Grade 6-9-Ryan uses the experiences of her own Mexican grandmother as the basis for this compelling story of immigration and assimilation, not only to a new country but also into a different social class. Set against the multiethnic, labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete, including dire illness and a difficult romance.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is great fictionalized story telling based on actual facts. This starts of telling the story of a happy a wealthy kind family who own a vineyard in Mexico."
"This book has an engrossing plot that makes it hard to put down because one wants to find out how things will turn out in the end."
"There are many books and movies out there about young people and their families as they struggle to survive in Mexico and then in California when they decide to cast their lot with the American Dream...Esperanza has everything she could ever want or need on her father's El Rancho de las Rosas near Aguascalientes, Mexico, when he is killed by bandits in 1924."
"Arrived in a timely manner and was as described in product description."
"The author brings to life the story and the human spirit of the characters in such a way that reading the book was almost like watching a movie, or even like being right there in the book, reliving an important part of our nation's history."
"My daughter loved this book I didn’t read it but she told me all about it she says it has its pros and cons and you have to realize how things were before compared to now to understand the book."
"I am doing a project on the Hispanic culture in my Cultural Diversity class, and part of this was reading a book about the culture written by someone within that culture and write a paper about the insights we gained from it."
"My nine year old granddaughter was reading this from her recommended reading list at school."
Best Children's Prejudice & Racism books
“Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both.”. -- The Washington Post Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. A New York Times Bestseller. An International Bestseller. A New York Times Notable Book of 2011. A Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2011. A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2011. The iTunes 2011 Rewind Best Teen Novel. The #1 Book on the Spring 2011 IndieNext List. A School Library Journal Best Book of 2011. A Booklist Best Book of 2011. A Kirkus Best Book of 2011. 2012 IRA Children’s and Young Adults Book Award for Young Adult Fiction. 2012 Indies Choice Young Adult Book of the Year. A Carnegie Medal Finalist. A William C. Morris Finalist. *Starred Review* Sepetys' first novel offers a harrowing and horrifying account of the forcible relocation of countless Lithuanians in the wake of the Russian invasion of their country in 1939. Lina's great hope is that somehow her father, who has already been arrested by the Soviet secret police, might find and rescue them. Whether or not this will be possible, it is her art that will be her salvation, helping her to retain her identity, her dignity, and her increasingly tenuous hold on hope for the future. Sepetys, the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, estimates that the Baltic States lost more than one-third of their populations during the Russian genocide. Though many continue to deny this happened, Sepetys' beautifully written and deeply felt novel proves the reality is otherwise.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A lot of us know about the Nazi Holocaust but little about Stalin's holocaust. The Nazi Holocaust deserves every bit of noise it can make!"
"Deeply evocative writing that captures a piece of history of which many outside these nations are unaware."
"An event I didn't even know that had even happened."
"This was an eye opening book for me as I read about the horrors the people of the small Baltic countries endured during the take over of Stalin and Hitler."
"And the really sad thing about the book is that no one ever talks about what happened to these people. People usually talk about the Holocaust which was another tragic sad event that was happening at about the same time."
"The Russians tied people to the front of their tanks and then moved into take villages."
"In her Author's Note Ruta Sepetys explains that in 1939 the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Not long after, the Kremlin drew up lists of people considered anti-Soviet who Sepetys accurately states "would be murdered, sent to prison, or deported into slavery in Siberia. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, military servicemen, writers, business owners, musicians, artists, and even librarians were all considered anti-Soviet and were added to the growing list slated for wholesale genocide. Fortunately for the author's father (and my own parents) they (and their families) were able to escape to refugee camps set up in the American occupied zone of Germany. Packed into railroad cars, starved for food, fresh air, even bathroom facilities these people, like the Jews in many parts of Europe, were stripped of their homes, their possessions, their very lives. Again the author reminds me that "Upon returning in the mid-1950's, the Lithuanians found that Soviets had occupied their homes, were enjoying all of their belongings, and had even assumed their names."
"Excellent book!"
Best Children's Dysfunctional Relationships Books
#1 New York Times Bestseller. Newbery Honor Book. Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award (Middle School) Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of 2015. New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing. An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War II, from the acclaimed author of Jefferson’s Sons and for fans of Number the Stars . Ada watches the world through the narrow confines of the apartment window, waves to neighbors in the street, and carefully gauges the danger of being beaten during each encounter with her hateful mother. When her mother prepares to ship Jamie out to the countryside with other children being evacuated from London, Ada sneaks out with him. Though Susan is reluctant and insists that she knows nothing about caring for children, she does so diligently and is baffled by the girl's fearful flinching anytime Ada makes a mistake. There is much to like here-Ada's engaging voice, the vivid setting, the humor, the heartbreak, but most of all the tenacious will to survive exhibited by Ada and the villagers who grow to love and accept her.—Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ A Newbery Honor Book. Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award (Middle School). Winner of the Josette Frank Award Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of 2015. New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing. Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books 2015 Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2015 Kirkus Best Books of 2015 Horn Book Fanfare Book 2015. "Achingly lovely . Nuanced and emotionally acute, this vivid tale from the wartime home front will have readers ages 10-14 wincing at Ada's stumbles and rejoicing to the point of tears in her victories. * “Ada's voice is brisk and honest; her dawning realizations are made all the more poignant for their simplicity. Set against a backdrop of war and sacrifice, Ada's personal fight for freedom and ultimate triumph are cause for celebration.”— Kirkus , starred review. * "Proving that her courage and compassion carry far more power than her disability, Ada earns self-respect, emerges a hero, and learns the meaning of home. "— The Horn Book , starred review. "The home-front realities of WWII, as well as Ada’s realistic anger and fear, come to life in Bradley’s affecting and austerely told story, and readers will cheer for steadfast Ada as she triumphs over despair. "I love Ada's bold heart, keen wit, and amazingly fresh point of view. "—Sheila Turnage, author of Newbery Honor book Three Times Lucky. "In Ada's small war lies our large hope that love cannot, will not, be overcome.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Selective in that I studiously avoided any and all works of fiction that might conceivably be considered "depressing". So when I read "The War That Saved My Life" I had to explain to her, at length, that in spite of the premise, cover (again with the kids staring out into nothingness), and time period this isn't the bleak stretch of depressingness it might appear to be. Enormously satisfying and fun to read, Bradley takes a work of historical fiction and gives the whole premise of WWII evacuees a kick in the pants. Born with a twisted foot her mother considers her an abomination and her own personal shame. Escaping to the English countryside, the two are foisted upon a woman named Susan who declares herself to be "not nice" from the start. I may have mentioned it before, but the word that kept coming to mind as I read this book was "satisfying". She has this enormous task of making Ava strong in every possible way after a lifetime of systematic, often horrific, abuse. Honestly it made me want to reread the book several times over, if only to figure out how she managed to display Ada's anger and shock in the face of kindness with such aplomb. Kids who have so little experience with the wider world that they don't know a church from a bank or vice versa. Or, perhaps worse, their inability to comprehend simple everyday objects and ideas will strike readers as funny or something to be mocked. By the same token, child readers can also pity Ada for not understanding stuff that they already do (banks, church, etc.). American born (Indiana, to be specific) she has set her novel in historical England (Kent) where any number of accents might be on display. She could have peppered the book with words that tried to replicate the sounds of Ada's London accent or Susan's Oxford educated one. Because this is a children's book and hope, in whatever form it ultimately takes, is the name of the game. Ms. Bradley understands that and in "The War That Saved My Life" she manages to concoct a real delight out of a story that in less capable hands would have been a painful read."
"Ada learns to trust and love despite her attachment issues caused by her mean biological mother."
"i love this book, it's amazing !"
"Dealing with many sensitive topics it informed and explained the issues and the emotions without being condescending or melodramatic."
"My son, age 9, raves about this book."
"This is a MUST READ book."
"It was beautifully written ... fell in love with the main characters ..."
"My nephew read this in 5th grade and he thought it was a great book."