The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

This is the sequel to The War that Saved my Life and it was just as good as the first. I am blown away by how well Bradley writes about Ada's character and her slow and gradual recovery from her abusive childhood. The book begins with Ada getting surgery for her bad club foot, and she learns to walk and get around on two feet for the first time. They move into a home on the Thorntons' property and eventually a German Jew also moves in with them, and all of the characters learn a lot about judging people based on their nationality alone. Throughout the book, she also begins to make baby steps towards feeling safe and feeling trust towards Susan, her new adopted mother, since she says she never felt safe before in her life. It was this process that was so moving and believable about these two books. As someone who hasn't experienced an abusive childhood, I want Ada to love and trust Susan right away, but it takes Ada years to really believe that Susan isn't going to hit her or put her in a cupboard when she does something bad. And Susan understands her--so well. In fact, it's surprising to me how well Susan understands her, especially in a time when there aren't really resources for how to handle children who have lived through trauma. That seems almost a little unbelievable, but oh well. It was really nice to read anyway. I would love for there to be a third book in this series, because it was so well done and such a great introduction to life in England during WWII for kids. (There are references to Susan's past same-sex relationship with a "friend" named Becky who died, but it's never explicit and I bet most children reading this book wouldn't think much of her being more than a friend.)