Kimberly Brubaker Bradley facts for kids

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (born June 24, 1967) is an American author who writes books for children and young adults. In 2016, her book The War That Saved My Life won the Newbery Honor Award. It was also named a "Best Book of the Year" by the Bank Street Children's Book Committee.

About Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley went to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She earned a degree in chemistry in 1989. Even though she loved chemistry, she discovered a passion for writing. This happened when a friend convinced her to take a class called "Introduction to Children's Literature." Her teacher, Patricia MacLachlan, who also won a Newbery award, encouraged Kimberly to keep writing. She helped Kimberly learn how to write for kids.

During college, Kimberly started writing for magazines about horses. Her knowledge of horses later helped her write some of her children's books, like The War That Saved My Life. After college, she married her high school sweetheart, Bart Bradley. While he was in medical school, she worked as a research chemist. She also continued to write for horse magazines and worked on her own creative stories whenever she could.

Her Books and Stories

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's first novel, Ruthie's Gift, came out in 1998. Since then, she has published 17 books for children and young adults. She has won many awards and honors for her stories.

Ruthie's Gift

Bradley's first book, Ruthie's Gift, takes place in a small farming town in Indiana. The story begins at the start of World War I. It follows an 8-year-old girl named Ruthie. She is a tomboy who wants to understand herself better and learn to be selfless. This happens during a very important year in her life. It's the year her sixth brother is born. It's also when she makes her first friends, twin girls. She almost dies from pneumonia, and the war affects her family deeply.

Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children

Bradley's 2011 book, Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children, received many great reviews and awards. The story is told by three young boys. Two of them are the children of Thomas Jefferson and an enslaved woman named Sally Hemings. Even though Jefferson's children received special treatment from him, they were still enslaved. They could not tell anyone who their father was.

The children with lighter skin had a chance to live as free white people. But the children who looked more like their mother did not have this choice. As each child grew up, the difference between being free and being enslaved became even clearer.

The War That Saved My Life

The War That Saved My Life is a book for middle school readers. It tells the story of 10-year-old Ada and her younger brother Jamie. They are in London during World War II. When Jamie is sent away from London to escape the bombings, Ada secretly goes with him. She wants to escape their unkind mother. Ada had never left her small apartment before. This was because her mother was ashamed of Ada's clubbed foot.

Ada, Jamie, and Susan Smith, their new caretaker in the countryside, start a new adventure together. Ada learns to ride a pony named Butter. She also finds a friend named Maggie. Ada learns to overcome her feelings of not being good enough. She gains the courage to fight her own challenges. She also finds the love of a mother figure. People have said this story is special. It takes a huge event like a world war and shows its true human meaning.

The War I Finally Won

This book is a sequel to The War That Saved My Life. It continues Ada and Jamie's story in the English countryside during World War II. They are now safe with Susan Smith. Jamie is adjusting well to their new safe home, but Ada still struggles. In this story, Ada becomes close with the Thorntons as the war continues and things change around them.

Fighting Words

This is a touching story that talks about a difficult topic in a gentle way. This makes it easier for younger readers to understand than other books with similar themes.

Awards and Honors

• 1998 Publisher's Week “Flying Start” Award for Ruthie's Gift
• 2011 Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books of 2011 for Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children
• 2012 Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Books of the Year with "Outstanding Merit" for Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children
• 2012 ALA Notable Children's Book for Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children
• 2012 NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People for Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children
• 2016 Newbery Honor for The War That Saved My Life
• 2016 Josette Frank Award Winner and Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Books of the Year with "Outstanding Merit" for The War That Saved My Life
• 2016 Schneider Family Book Award for The War That Saved My Life
• 2016 #1 New York Times bestseller for The War That Saved My Life
• 2018 Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Books of the Year with "Outstanding Merit" for The War I Finally Won
• 2020 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Fighting Words
• 2021 Newbery Honor for Fighting Words
• 2021 Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Books of the Year with "Outstanding Merit" for Fighting Words

Personal Life

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley currently lives in Bristol, Tennessee.