Ada is both annoyed by and envious of the emotional ease with which her little brother, Jamie, seems to have adapted to their new life with Susan, their guardian, in this sequel to The War That Saved My Life. Ada loves Susan, but still harbors anger over years of her own mother’s neglect and cruelty. The death of their mother in the London Blitz, which opened the door to Ada finally having surgery to repair her club foot, makes for complicated, messy feelings. With Susan’s house in the village where Ada and Jamie were evacuated after leaving London also damaged by German bombs, the three of them move into a cottage on the Thornton estate. They’re soon joined by teenage Ruth, a German Jewish refugee whom Susan has been asked to tutor in math. Mrs. Thornton is furious: Jewish or not, Ruth is German and therefore the enemy. When the British military takes over the Thornton house, tensions rise even higher as Mrs. Thornton, too, moves into the cottage. Ada finds respite riding Butter, her beloved pony; in a burgeoning friendship with Ruth, dealing with her own trauma; and with her best friend, Maggie. Wonderful character development again distinguishes a book exploring grief and anger, loss and hope, love and family. (Ages 8-12)

A New York Times bestseller

Like the classic heroines of Sarah, Plain and Tall, Little Women, and Anne of Green Gables, Ada is a fighter for the ages. Her triumphant World War II journey continues in this sequel to the Newbery Honor–winning The War that Saved My Life

When Ada awakes from surgery on her club foot, the news that greets her will change the course of her life. Doors that her mother had shut tightly are swinging open—
 
But World War II rages on. Ada and her brother, Jamie, are forced to move into a cottage with the iron-faced Lady Thorton and her daughter, Maggie. Life in the crowded home is tense. Then Ruth arrives. Ruth, a Jewish girl, from Germany. A German? Could Ruth be a spy?
 
As the fallout from the war intensifies, calamity creeps closer to Ada’s doorstep, and life grows more complicated. Who will Ada decide to be? How can she keep fighting? And who will she struggle to save?
 
Ada’s first story, The War that Saved My Life, was a #1 New York Times bestseller and won a Newbery Honor, the Schneider Family Book Award, and the Josette Frank Award, in addition to appearing on multiple best-of-the-year lists. This second masterwork of historical fiction continues Ada's journey of family, faith, and identity, showing us that real freedom is not just the ability to choose, but the courage to make the right choice.

"Honest . . . Daring." —The New York Times
"Stunning." —The Washington Post
★ "Ada is for the ages—as is this book. Wonderful." —Kirkus, starred review
★ "Fans of the first book will love the sequel even more." —SLJ, starred review
★ "Bradley sweeps us up . . . even as she moves us to tears." —The Horn Book, starred review
★ "Perceptive . . . satisfying . . . will stay with readers." —PW, starred review
"Beautiful." —HuffPost