Makayla Harrigan: She Conquered
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is about a young girl, Ada, that has a clubfoot. Ada lives in London with her younger brother and mother. Her mother treats her terribly, Ada is forced to stay in their tiny apartment, take care of her younger brother and take care of the cooking, and anything else her mom tells her to do. The story starts as WW2 is starting and all the children are being sent to the countryside. Once Ada makes it to the countryside, she begins to explore the world with a new found freedom with the help of a horse named Butter.
I think that this book would be a great way to introduce that topic of WW2. It provides some insight, such as what happened with children during war time. I believe that by introducing the topic through this book, it could help children who would otherwise not be interesting in history make connections in other ways. Ada is crippled, and other children who have disabilities may find ways to connect with her, making the book more relatable. It could also be used to discuss bullying or discrimination in a more relaxed way.
One Reply to “Makayla Harrigan: She Conquered”
Oh no! That sounds like a whole lot of messed up stuff in a sad situation! I hope there’s a happy outcome in the story. But I agree that it would be a good thing to read while learning about WWII. Especially because I don’t remember ever learning about children during any war. So this would be a good and easier way to have kids place themselves in that sort of context and make it relevant to them.