Discussion Guide:
The War That Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Why does no one from Ada’s neighborhood help her overcome these clearly abusive circumstances taking place at home?
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(Ada’s mom has everyone convinced that Ada is a feeble-minded mental patient/cripple. People have no idea what is really going on, and so they have no reason to question the mother’s decision making. Perhaps the poor tend to be invisible in society?)
- What motivates Ada to overcome her handicap?
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(fear of losing Jamie. She can’t stand the thought of Jamie going to school. The isolation for her mixed with seeing the promise of his freedom causes her to find her backbone a bit.)
- What realization does Ada make when she discovers that she is, in fact, the grubby girl in the mirror?
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(she sees how badly she has been neglected. She sees herself through an objective lens.)
- What factor causes Ada to stake her claim on Miss Smith’s residence?
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(Butter, the horse. Ada had seen a girl riding horseback while on the train, and was immediately enchanted. Now, the opportunity to get up close and personal is more tempting than she can resist.)
- Miss Smith makes it clear that she is not a nice person. How does Ada react to this information throughout the book?
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(Ada is no stranger to abuse, so she is not concerned. It turns out that Miss Smith uses her unfriendly side to protect the children from many insults and even physical harm, which teaches Ada much more about this character trait)
- Why is Ada so self-conscious about not being able to read?
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(Ada has learned to be ashamed of her “ugly” foot. Her mother created a snowball effect by not having it fixed and then denying her the opportunity to go to school. As a result, Ada cannot read – plus she is ignorant of everyday experiences and meanings, which makes her feel like she is worthless.)
- Ada refuses an invitation to tea with Stephen and the Colonel, yet she craves friendship with Margaret. Why is it harder to be friends with someone you helped versus someone who has helped you?
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(everyone wants to be the hero; nobody wants to need one. Needing one is a reminder of our inabilities.)
- Mr. Grimes is frustrated with Miss Smith for not properly caring for Butter. Fred asks how she would feel if someone just fed you but didn’t care for you? What is Ada’s response and what does it tell us?
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(Ada replies, “I wouldn’t feel hungry.” This indicates that she doesn’t have any experience with being nurtured. Most of the time she doesn’t know how to feel. She is certain that she is Jamie’s primary caregiver but she has had no example of real mothering in her own life.)
- Ada now calls Mr. Grimes by his first name, Fred, yet Miss Smith has repeatedly asked to be called Susan. Why does Ada resist one and embrace the other?
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(much like Margaret and Stephen, she feels indebted to Miss Smith who is caring for her rather against her will – at least in the beginning. Mr. Grimes treats Ada like a capable helper who has much to offer in the way of work ethic.)
- What is it about Bovril the cat causes Jamie to stop wetting the bed?
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(Jamie needs the cat in order to feel secure enough to ease his nerves.)
- Ada concludes that she wants her mother to be like Susan, but doesn’t trust Susan not to be like her mother. What does she mean?
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(Ada can’t help but compare these women, and she holds onto hope that her own mother will express love to her if she makes herself worthy enough. She wishes her mother would be as caring as Susan is, but she worries that Susan’s caring is only skin deep and that underneath it all, she resents having to care for Ada and Jamie.)
- How does Ada’s green Christmas dress compare to Alice in Wonderland?
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(Ada has a violent reaction to her beautiful dress because she is terrified. She sees herself as an undeserving fraud. It becomes excruciating to sort out the truth of her worthiness. She feels as though she has fallen through a rabbit hole and nothing makes sense anymore.)
- How does Ada become the hero of her town?
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(she reports suspicious activity that results in arresting a German spy.)
- How would you describe the feeling that washed over Ada and Jamie when their mother reclaims possession of them and brings them back “home”?
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(crestfallen and despairing to find out that Mam only wanted to avoid having to pay the cost for their continued proxy care. She never wanted them and she still doesn’t. They bitterly grieve the loss of their hopes, and resolve to make their way back to their real home.)
- Why is Jack grinning as he says “We’ve been shipwrecked?”
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(because Susan came and rescued them from a lifetime of abuse in London and all they needed was to survive the war together, no matter where that was. Also ironic that by going to London to retrieve the children, Susan’s life was saved. Now they can live out Swiss Family Robinson together, in a way.)