he War That Saved My Life Discussion – Post by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday November 12

he War That Saved My Life Discussion – Post by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday November 12
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Each student should contribute one post answering any one of the questions below. Your answer should be about 100 words in length (more is fine) and should incorporate textual evidence (primarily quotation) from the book The War That Saved My Life. In addition, each student should post a reply to any other student’s answer to a question (don’t simply reply to another student’s reply, although you can do that in addition to your reply). Keep in mind that although you can choose any question to answer, if by the time you are ready to post, the question you have chosen has already been answered and you have nothing new to add, it would be better to choose another question; the goal here is to create a complete and meaningful group discussion, which involves covering as much ground as possible.
Here are the questions to choose from:
What is the narrative voice in the novel, and why is it an effective choice? Give specific examples from the story to support your answer.
The story is told in flashback, and Brubaker Bradley has explained that choice, saying, “The reader needs to understand her [Ada’s] ignorance without the story being hampered by it.” Explain what Brubaker means, using specific instances and lines from the book as support.
Ada is severely mistreated by her mother. The book’s American publisher, Penguin/Dial (both imprints of Penguin Random House), recommends the book for children ages 8 to 12. Is that age recommendation appropriate given the theme of abuse?
In chapter 2, Ada reflects on her attempts to learn to walk, saying, “I didn’t want Mam to know until I was good at walking.” She imagines her mother would then smile, call her “clever,” and lead her “out on the street, saying to everyone, ‘This is my daughter. See, she’s not so hopeless as we thought’” (10). Yet Ada runs away with Jamie and the other local evacuees. What does this tell us about her relationship with her mother?
Why is Mam so cruel to her daughter?
What does the title of the story mean, and how does it connect to Ada’s comment that “There are all kinds of wars” (3)?
This is a historical novel, set in England during the months just before and just after the start of World War II in England. Identify some words, terms, and references Brubaker Bradley includes that establish the setting but that were unfamiliar to you. Reflect on why the author might have chosen them to include in her book.
Consider The War That Saved My Life in terms of Curtis’ stated novelistic goal—to “make history come alive”—and explain how well this novel succeeds. Include specific details from the novel to support your claim.
Describe Ada’s relationship with her brother, pointing to specific textual evidence in support of your answer.
Some readers interpret the relationship between Susan and Becky as a romantic one, but other readers point out that the nature of their relationship is never made clear. How do you think Brubaker Bradley intends it to be read? Point to any textual evidence you can find to support your answer.
Why is the pony Butter so important to Ada?
Brubaker Bradley does not shy away from exposing young readers and, of course, Ada, who is ten years old, to the gruesome realities of war as visited upon the soldiers evacuated during the battle of Dunkirk. Why do you suppose she decided to include such graphic details? Does their inclusion strengthen the book?
Brubaker Bradley has said she is often asked if she has considered telling Mam’s story to explain what made her the way she is. Brubaker Bradley replies that she has no interest in telling that story, saying, “I kind of don’t want to give her an excuse.” Do you agree that telling Mam’s story would tend to excuse her, and do you think that telling it would weaken the novel in any way?
The teachers’ guide to the book provided by Penguin identifies the themes of the book as “self-discovery, acceptance, and family.” Choose one or more of these themes and explain, with textual support, how the book conveys that theme.
Does the story have a satisfactory ending? In what way is Ada’s life “saved”?