Historical Fiction #2

Book Title: The War the Saved My LifeAuthor: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group, Copyright 2016
Number of pages: 352
Genre: Historical Fiction

During WWII, a young girl named Ada has been cooped up in their tiny one bedroom apartment her entire life. Her mother is too embarrassed of her twisted foot to let her go anywhere, but she quickly steals her chance to sneak away. Her brother is going to be shipped out of the country because of the war and Ada finds herself sneaking with him. They meet a woman named Susan and develop such a loving relationship. Will the bond between Susan, Ada, and her brother, Jamie be strong enough to withstand the war?

There are no illustrations, being that this is a chapter book, but the picture on the cover is intriguing! The reader is able to see a little girl staring off in the distance, and the twisted foot that is responsible for keeping her captive.

Grade level: 4th
Content Area: ELA
Standard: 3) Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). [RL.4.3]

I would use this in a fourth grade classroom as a read loud. This book may be a little above some of the students' independent reading level, but I feel as though the content would be enriching for them. I would hold discussions with them daily as we read through the book, as well as have them create journal entires to organize their thoughts as we read. After reading the story, I would have them choose a character (Ads, Jamie, or Susan) and analyze them on their own. They would then have the opportunity to create some kind of presentation on the character, digital if they have access to iPads, and then share their presentations with the class. They can also post it to SeeSaw, class Facebook or Instagram pages, or even a class blog.