The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ada and her brother Jamie leave London during World War II.  Neglect and abuse is all that Ada has ever experienced. She has never seen a toothbrush or heard a kind word. Because of her disability, she has no reason to trust that any soul could possibly care for her.
Nine reasons to read The War That Saved My Life

1. Butter

           It's true: Butter makes everything better.  Both the scent and the golden color of the pony remind Ada of butter.
   2.    "Your courage Your cheerfulness Your resolution Will bring us victory"
           Miss Smith changes this wartime poster for Ada by substituting the word "us" with the prounoun "you".
    3.    Catch a spy!
           It takes a sharp eye to spot a World War II spy.
    4.    Kent
           No wonder it is called "The Garden of England" 
    5.   Knitting
          Learn the magical art of creating fabric with two sticks and a string.
    6.   Left-handed
          What do Barak Obama, Michelangelo, Joan of Arc, Oprah Winfrey and Helen Keller have in common? 
          A preference for the left hand.
    7.   Bovril
          This British product serves as a name for one of the characters in the story.  
    8.    Alice in Wonderland
         Alice chased the rabbit and "fell into a place she didn't belong, a place where absolutely nothing made sense to her."
    9.   Hope
           "...love cannot, will not, be overcome" Gary D Schmidt