When Ada’s clubfoot is surgically fixed at last, she knows for certain that she’s not what her mother said she was–damaged, deranged, crippled mentally as well as physically. She’s not a daughter anymore either. What is she? World War II continues, and Ada and her brother, Jamie, are living with their loving legal guardian, Susan, in a borrowed “cottage” on the estate of the formidable Lady Thorton–along with Lady Thorton herself and her daughter, Maggie. Life in the crowded cottage is tense enough, and then, quite suddenly, Ruth, a Jewish girl from Germany, moves in. A German? The occupants of the house are horrified. But other impacts of war are far more intrusive and frightening. As death creeps closer to their door, life and morality during wartime grow more complex. Who is Ada now? How can she keep fighting? And who will she struggle to save?

As with The War That Saved My Life, I learned so much from this novel. Up until these books, I had no idea how the war affected the average person in Great Britain. The food shortages, the bombings, the daily sacrifices that all were called on to make are clearly apparent from these books. I also had no idea that they would have viewed all Germans, even Jewish ones, with mistrust. The thread of the story involving Ruth is fascinating. But more than all of these things, I am just so pleased to see a story that deals positively and humanly with Ada’s post traumatic stress. None of the characters are perfect, but they all genuinely try and grow in their humanity. The way Susan deals with Ada is so lovely, even when she makes mistakes. This will be an incredibly helpful novel to build empathy in its readers for those who are dealing with similar issues. It is an absorbing read and I highly recommend it to all collections serving middle grade readers.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley lives on a forty-two-acre farm in Bristol, Tennessee, with her husband and two children. She is the author of several middle grade novels, including the widely acclaimed Jefferson’s Sons and the Newbery Honor- and Schneider Award-winning New York Times bestseller The War that Saved My Life.