Written by: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
First line: You can know things all you like, but that doesn't mean you believe them.
Why you should read this book: Beginning very shortly after the end of The War That Saved My Life, this book begins with Ada about to have her clubfoot surgically corrected, after which she must heal, not just physically from the surgery, but emotionally, from a lifetime of abuse at her mother's hands. She, her brother, and their guardian Susan are offered a "little" house on the Thornton estate, which is soon filled when Lady Thornton decides to move in with them (there's a war on, after all) and Lord Thornton brings Ruth, a German-Jewish refugee to stay as well. Despite being very different people from very different circumstances and being suspicious of each other, this strange blended family come to share each other's pain and joy and to learn what it means to love.
Why you shouldn't read this book: It made me cry even more than the first one.