The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker is one of the best children’s novels I have read in quite some time. Recommended for grades 5-8, this historical fiction novel has everything you’d want to teach your students: history, complex characters, raw events, life lessons, heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes, and so much more. If you’ve never read it, go do so! If you teach this amazing book, here are five activities (with some recently updated bonus activities) for The War that Saved My Life that your students can complete for deeper learning.
Summary of The War that Saved My Life
Publisher’s Synopsis:
An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War II, from the acclaimed author of Fighting Words, and for fans of Fish in a Tree and Number the Stars.
Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.
So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?
This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity—a classic in the making.
Classroom Activities
1. Investigate the Setting
Historical fiction novels are my favorite genre to teach and one of my personal favorite genres to read as well. As a teacher, there’s just something about knowing students are not only reading and tackling all that comes with literature standards but also learning history in the process. Students can learn perspectives of characters, albeit fictional characters, but they can still see, hear, and understand what it must have been like to live during a major historical event. In this case, students can learn about WW2, the London air raids, the evacuation of Dunkirk, Operation Pied Piper, ration cards, and so many more WWII topics.
Learning about the setting and background of a novel helps deepen student understanding. This is especially crucial in a historical fiction novel.
In a background and setting investigation, students can learn all about any particular WWII event that intrigues them. Students pick a WWII topic, research it, and create a poster presentation. Then, students teach the class about the topic they have become experts on. In the end, the whole class learns about many individual WWII topics at once during the presentations.
Grab this very project that includes topics, research pages, websites, and a rubric in our Project-Based Learning Unit on The War That Saved My Life.
I highly recommend a deep dive into the background and events that led to WWII before beginning the novel. Then, as students read the events, more in-depth lessons and discussions can be made as historical events pop up.
2. Character Analysis
The War that Saved My Life has extremely complex characters. Ada, a ten-year-old girl with a club foot, has been emotionally, mentally, and physically abused by her mother. Being isolated in an apartment and never allowed to see the outside world had extreme effects of trauma on Ada.
Coupled with the responsibility of taking care of her younger sibling who was allowed to go outside and experience life, Ada fought with feelings of jealousy and control. Ada also succumbed to harsh punishment by her mother such as being confined under a dirty kitchen sink cabinet crawling with cockroaches for hours on end. Ada was neglected in the worst way possible and was never allowed to get help for her foot.
When Ada and her brother James are sent to live with Susan, the readers encounter another complex character. Susan is in the deep stages of grief as her best friend and roommate, who was like a sister, had recently passed away. Susan doesn’t want children in her home but finds herself drawn to caring for them, despite her initial coldness. We see how Ada’s trauma has affected her through large meltdowns, resistance, and rebellion. We also see how Ada and Susan soften toward each other over time.
Students can analyze the various characters throughout the novel through our FREE Characterization Poster Project. Students analyze the character by investigating their inner and outer character traits, using text-based evidence, and examining direct and indirect characterization through the author’s words.
Grab your FREE Characterization Poster Project today.
Want to dive even deeper into the Characterization of Ada and others in the novel? Grab our full Characterization Unit here.
(Bonus! This unit can be used with any novel or story!)
In Her Shoes Scrapbook
Students can analyze Ada by putting themselves in her shoes by creating a scrapbook from her point of view. The scrapbook can examine Ada’s life by pondering on her thoughts, feelings, and major events she experiences. This can be created digitally (Canva, Google Slides, etc.) or created on paper, using the templates provided. This can also be created using copy paper. The scrapbook can have visual elements, tokens, and artifacts to display Ada’s personality and perspectives.
Grab this full project, along with directions, templates, and rubric in The War that Saved My Life project-based learning unit.
3. Character Transformation
One of the most profound character changes in the novel is that of Ada. She starts off as a neglected, starving, unkempt, frightened young girl who can’t even walk because of her club foot and the abuse and isolation her mother exhibited toward her. With exercise, unconditional love and care, steady food, and freedom, Ada becomes a confident horseback riding, helpful, and happy girl.
One of the activities I always try to include in any novel study is a character transformation analysis. All a student needs is a piece of copy paper, the novel, and coloring utensils. Students fold a piece of paper in half. (Normally hamburger style.) Students choose a character that has undergone a dramatic change, physically and emotionally. In this case, Ada would be the best fit. On the outside, students draw what Ada first looked like with 5-8 quotes from the novel around the drawing supporting Ada’s original appearance. The quotes should also describe what she was like at the beginning of the novel emotionally. It is important, students choose a variety of quotes that describe both the inner and outer traits of the character.
Next, students lift the paper up and draw Ada at the end of the novel. They also write various quotes that support Ada’s new identity on the outside and the inside. Next, they write a paragraph on the back explaining the events that caused this character change.
Another way to dive into Ada’s transformation is through a booklet that explores various direct and indirect quotes from the novel that show the before and after as well as the changes that occur to transform Ada.
Grab the booklet in The War that Saved My Life Project-Based Learning Unit.
4. Would the Story Change if it were Present-Day?
To get students to really understand a character’s perspective, I like to have them think about if they were the main character and if the war is the same, but it has shifted to present day. One of the biggest changes would be the presence of technology. Utilizing that change, there are various activities students can complete to put themselves in that character’s shoes.
Instagram Profile
Students can make an Instagram profile and page for Ada. What kinds of pictures and captions would you have if you were Ada? This can be done on the actual app or by finding an Instagram template.
Grab your FREE Instagram Research Template today.
Vlog
Students can make a Vlog of a day in the life of Ada in present-day England, during a major war. Students can include video clips, narration, and any multimedia elements like photos, music, or graphics that enhance the storytelling. The vlog would explore how Ada’s life would change with access to modern technology at Susan’s home. This could include using the internet, social media, smartphones, or video games. The project would show how these technologies would influence her daily life, interactions, and coping mechanisms. Additionally, students can reflect on other elements that would change if Ada lived in present times such as would her mother have been able to get away with such abuse and neglect. Would Ada have been able to get surgery right away as an infant?
The What If? Vlog project is included in The War that Saved My Life Project Based Learning Unit.
5. Scrapbook Timeline
As a historical fiction novel, the sequence of events is extremely pertinent. Operation Pied Piper, the evacuation of children from London to the countryside, was a real-life event portrayed in the book. The Battle of Britain to destroy Britain’s army was described as well. There are major historical events that occur in the novel such as the Dunkirk Evacuation which occurred after the Battle of Britain. It was the evacuation of Allied troops from the shores of Dunkirk, France.
Digital Timeline
Students can create a digital timeline or a poster timeline with pictures and captions to record major historical events. They can also record important fictional events as well. Students can visually discern how the author wove the fiction with the historical happenings. By adding pictures to the timeline, students are able to better understand the history behind the novel. This in turn helps them better comprehend their reading.
Aged Letters
By incorporating a scrapbook theme, students are free to add many types of pictures, primary or secondary resources, and even create their own scrapbook pieces such as a drawing of Ada’s horse or a seashell from when she first saw the ocean. In the past, my students have written letters from the point of view of a character. They then in turn added coffee stains for a dramatic effect. The sky’s the limit for students’ creativity. The scrapbook timeline allows students to synthesize their comprehension of the novel.
Grab the full scrapbook timeline project in our project-based learning unit.
Bonus Activities!
Bomb Shelter Shoebox Diorama
In the novel, Susan, Ada’s caretaker, has an Anderson bomb shelter built in her backyard. Anderson Shelters were routinely installed in England during WWII to keep civilians safe during air raids and bombings. The shelter was a source of discomfort for Ada as it reminded her of her mother’s abuse, but Susan found ways to make the small space homey.
Task students with creating an Anderson Bomb Shelter Shoebox Diorama. Students can learn all about the history behind the Anderson Bomb Shelter and then create their own diorama from craft supplies. Students can also place personal items inside the shelter to decorate it or make it cozy, just like Susan did, and countless other civilians who spent hours in those shelters.
(Picture courtesy of Gayhurst School, UK.)
Propaganda Posters
In the novel, the story mentions posters being put up around town. “The next time we went into town, we saw an enormous poster pasted to the brick wall near the train station….Miss Smith read it aloud, tapping the words with her fingers as she went,“’Your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution, will bring us victory.’” (Chapter 13) This poster was known as wartime propaganda.
During World War II, propaganda posters were a powerful tool used by governments to influence people’s thoughts and actions. These posters were colorful, eye-catching, and designed to grab attention quickly. They appeared in schools, workplaces, and public spaces, carrying messages that encouraged people to support the war effort.
Your students can study various wartime propaganda posters used in WWII and then, gaining inspiration from these real primary source posters, can create their own. Students can utilize real, relevant topics such as saving fuel, growing a garden, and enlisting in the military, to create their propaganda posters. This is a project that merges creativity and ingenuity with history.
Book Cover Project
The War That Saved My Life is an interesting and unique title. It is hard to believe that something as traumatic as a war could save someone’s life when wars cause damage and death. The title is an oxymoron. It makes little sense, but it does explain the book very well. WWII did, in fact, save Ada’s life. Task students with diving deep into the title of the novel all while creating a new title as well. Students can also create a new book cover virtually or on paper that displays the new title, choosing a new cover design that fits the book’s events.
Victory Gardens
In the book, victory gardens were mentioned as part of the wartime efforts on the British home front during World War II. Victory gardens were small plots of land where civilians grew their own vegetables and fruits to supplement their food supply, reducing the demand on the public food system, which was strained by the war. This was a way to ensure civilians had enough food because food rationing made it difficult for families to get large quantities of supplies.
Students can research the specific food grown in a traditional victory garden in Kent, England (Ada, Jamie, and Susan’s town) during WWII. Research Kent England’s climate, growing zone, sun or shade needed, the spring/summer or summer/fall climate, and what grows best in that area. They can research how to best grow those specific plants and create their own traditional victory garden mock-up on poster board.
Conclusion
Students and teachers alike have fallen in love with The War that Saved My Life. It is truly a moving novel. The added historical element creates interest for students as they learn about true events. The transformation of characters is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. By utilizing learning the history of WWII, analyzing characters, changing the setting to the present day, and making a scrapbook timeline, students can submerge themselves in this wonderful novel and learn so much in the process.
