Wow! I just finished The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. I loved this book. The story tells of two children, Ada and Jamie Smith, who are living in London with their neglectful and abusive mother at the start of WWII. Ada, the oldest, was born with a club foot, and her mother seems to blame Ada for this and never allows her to leave the walls of their small apartment. Jamie is younger but attends school and knows much more of the world than Ada does. When the conflict between Germany and Britain escalates, children are moved from London--where bombing is expected-- to the surrounding countryside, to live with families there. Ada knows her mother won't send her along, so she sneaks out with Jamie and is soon on the train along with all the other children. The two are placed with Susan Smith, a single "spinster" who lives alone and is reluctant to take them. Susan takes her responsibility of caring for Ada and Jamie seriously, however, and does much to help them both, including looking into the possibility of surgically correcting Ada's clubfoot. Much occurs during the time Ada and Jamie spend with Susan, and all three characters change significantly despite all the emotional baggage each carries. The growth of each character is inspiring and helps readers to understand how sad and lacking each character was before this experience. This heartwarming story will help readers better understand the period of time surrounding WWII, including attitudes people had toward those with disabilities, women, and the poor. I loved Bradley's style of writing. It happens that I read this as an audiobook, and the performance of it was also exceptional. This is one of my favorite reads of 2015!