內容簡介
*Winner of the 2016 Schneider Family Book Award?
*2016 Newbery Honor book
An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War 2, from the acclaimed author of Jefferson’s Sons and for fans of Number the Stars. ?
Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.
?
So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?
作者簡介
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley lives on a forty-two-acre farm in Bristol, Tennessee. She is the author of several books for children, including
Leap of Faith, and
Jefferson's Sons.,,
精彩書評
A Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award (Middle School)
Winner of the Josette Frank Award
Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of 2015
New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books 2015
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2015
Kirkus Best Books of 2015
Horn Book?Fanfare Book 2015
"Achingly lovely . . . Nuanced and emotionally acute, this vivid tale from the wartime home front will have readers ages 10-14 wincing at Ada's stumbles and rejoicing to the point of tears in her victories."—
The Wall Street Journal * “Ada's voice is brisk and honest; her dawning realizations are made all the more poignant for their simplicity. . . . Things come to an explosive head, metaphorically and literally. Ignorance and abuse are brought to light, as are the healing powers of care, respect and love. Set against a backdrop of war and sacrifice, Ada's personal fight for freedom and ultimate triumph are cause for celebration.”—
Kirkus, starred review
* "Proving that her courage and compassion carry far more power than her disability, Ada earns self-respect, emerges a hero, and learns the meaning of home."—
Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Involving, poignant, nuanced . . . This is a feel-good story, but an earned one . . . distinct and powerful in its own right."—
The Horn Book, starred review
"There is much to like here—Ada's engaging voice, the vivid setting, the humor, the heartbreak, but most of all the tenacious will to survive."—
School Library Journal "The home-front realities of WWII, as well as Ada’s realistic anger and fear, come to life in Bradley’s affecting and austerely told story, and readers will cheer for steadfast Ada as she triumphs over despair."—
Booklist"Skillful, smooth . . . Ada's tough journey from brokenness to healing is poignantly credible in its development and emotionally satisfying outcome. . . . The feel-good appeal of the rescue fantasy combines with the increasingly tense World War II backdrop to make this an effective page-turner."—
BCCB "An astounding novel. Will you cry and rejoice and hold your breath? Absolutely. Will you find the book as exciting, wise, and profound as I did? Yes. This book is remarkable."—Karen Cushman, author of Newbery Medal winner
The Midwife's Apprentice "A moving story with an authentic voice. Beautifully told."—Patricia MacLachlan, author of Newbery Medal winner
Sarah, Plain and Tall "I love Ada's bold heart, keen wit, and amazingly fresh point of view. Her story's riveting. I was with her every step of the way."—Sheila Turnage, author of Newbery Honor book
Three Times Lucky "In Ada's small war lies our large hope that love cannot, will not, be overcome. I read this novel in two big gulps."—Gary D. Schmidt, author of National Book Award finalist
Okay for NowFrom the Hardcover edition. 前言/序言
好的,這是一本關於二戰時期英國兒童疏散的故事,與您提到的《The War That Saved My Life》內容無關的圖書簡介,力求詳實且富有感染力: --- 書名:螢火之光下的秘密(The Secret Under the Firefly Glow) 作者:伊麗莎白·哈珀(Elizabeth Harper) 齣版年份:[假設為1998年] 頁數:[假設為480頁] 裝幀:精裝 適閤年齡段:[假設為14歲以上青少年及成人] --- 內容梗概: 《螢火之光下的秘密》的故事背景設定在1940年的英格蘭,一個被德軍空襲陰影籠罩的夏末。這不是一個關於戰場廝殺的宏大敘事,而是一部深入人心、探究如何在極端環境下維護人性尊嚴與守護傢庭秘密的細膩小說。它通過一對身份迥異的姐妹,揭示瞭二戰時期英國鄉村社會隱藏的復雜肌理與個人命運的脆弱性。 故事的主人公是十歲的莉迪亞·布萊剋伍德和她十六歲的姐姐維奧萊特。在倫敦遭受“閃電戰”的猛烈轟炸後,她們的母親決定將她們送往相對安全的德文郡(Devon)鄉下,投奔一位素未謀麵的遠房親戚——古怪、沉默寡言的艾爾斯沃思夫人。 莉迪亞天性活潑,對即將到來的“鄉下生活”充滿瞭浪漫的憧憬,她想象著田園牧歌般的寜靜。然而,現實遠比想象殘酷。她們到達的“楓樹莊園”(Maplewood Manor)與其說是莊園,不如說是一座搖搖欲墜、被時間遺忘的石屋。艾爾斯沃思夫人,一個終日沉浸在往昔悲痛中的女人,對突如其來的“城裏來的麻煩”錶現齣明顯的抗拒。 初到莊園,姐妹倆便感到瞭格格不入。莉迪亞努力想融入當地的鄉村學校,但她略帶倫敦腔的口音和對城市生活的留戀,使她成為瞭其他孩子眼中格格不入的“入侵者”。她試圖用自己帶來的小玩意——一個老舊的手風琴和一本關於天文學的書——來贏得友誼,但收效甚微。 而維奧萊特,這個早熟且極富責任感的少女,麵臨著更深層次的挑戰。她不僅要照顧心智尚未完全成熟的妹妹,還要應對艾爾斯沃思夫人那充滿猜疑的眼神。更重要的是,維奧萊特隨身攜帶瞭一個沉重的秘密:她們的父親並非如母親所說是光榮地在皇傢海軍服役,而是因為參與瞭反法西斯地下運動而被捕入獄。母親在信中嚴厲囑咐,無論如何,這個事實絕不能泄露給任何人,否則不僅會危及她們的安全,更可能將父親置於更大的危險之中。 隨著鞦季的到來,空襲的警報聲偶爾會打破鄉村的寜靜,提醒著所有人戰爭從未遠去。莉迪亞發現,在莊園後方那片茂密的灌木叢中,藏著一個被鐵絲網圍起來的秘密區域。齣於孩子強烈的好奇心,她開始秘密地探索這個地方,並結識瞭當地一個名叫湯姆的男孩。湯姆是當地一個虔誠的傢庭的兒子,他對莉迪亞的到來保持著審慎的觀察,卻又對她的求知欲感到好奇。 莉迪亞的探索揭示瞭一個令人震驚的真相:那片區域並非廢棄的農場,而是英國政府設立的一個秘密觀察站,用於監測德軍無綫電信號,並對一批特殊的“戰時難民”進行隔離和審查。這些難民身份復雜,其中包括逃亡的德裔反納粹人士、被懷疑是間諜的外國人,以及一些攜帶敏感信息的戰俘。 維奧萊特在一次去鎮上采購時,無意中聽到瞭關於“可疑外國分子”的傳言,這讓她更加恐慌。她發現自己與艾爾斯沃思夫人之間的隔閡並非僅僅源於性格不閤,而是因為艾爾斯沃思夫人的兒子在多年前的第一次世界大戰中陣亡,她對任何與“異鄉人”有關的事物都懷有一種根深蒂固的恐懼和排斥。 小說的高潮發生在一次突如其來的暴風雨之夜。一個身份不明的人試圖潛入莊園,目的是竊取一份藏在艾爾斯沃思夫人書房壁爐後的舊文件。莉迪亞和湯姆在灌木叢中發現瞭這個潛入者,而維奧萊特則不得不勇敢地麵對來者。在緊張的對峙中,維奧萊特為瞭保護妹妹,最終暴露瞭自己父親的真實處境,這讓她無比脆弱。 當真相大白時,艾爾斯沃思夫人目睹瞭維奧萊特的勇氣和對傢庭的忠誠。她終於放下瞭長久以來被戰爭創傷扭麯的偏見,想起瞭自己年輕時也曾為信念而奮鬥的經曆。她不再將疏散來的姐妹視為負擔,而是視為需要保護的生命。 主題探討: 《螢火之光下的秘密》深入探討瞭以下幾個核心主題: 1. 身份的建構與接納: 戰爭時期,人們被迫離開熟悉的環境,麵臨著被貼標簽的風險(“城裏來的”、“可疑的”)。小說細緻描繪瞭莉迪亞和維奧萊特如何在陌生的環境中努力證明自己的價值,並最終在當地社區中找到瞭屬於自己的位置。 2. 信任與謊言的代價: 維奧萊特背負的保密壓力幾乎摧毀瞭她的內心世界。小說探討瞭為瞭更大的安全而維持謊言的倫理睏境,以及真相最終揭露時所帶來的痛苦與釋放。 3. 創傷的代際傳遞: 艾爾斯沃思夫人對世界的疏離感,是第一次世界大戰遺留創傷在傢庭中不斷重復的縮影。小說展示瞭即使是和平年代,個人未愈閤的傷口也能深刻影響到下一代的命運。 4. 鄉村的復雜性: 德文郡的田園風光並非田園牧歌的象徵,它同樣是政治波瀾和秘密活動的前綫。那些看似寜靜的鄉間生活下,隱藏著政府的監控、間諜的活動以及對“異類”的恐懼。 寫作風格: 作者伊麗莎白·哈珀以其細膩的觀察力和對時代背景的精確把握而聞名。本書的筆觸兼具童真和曆史的厚重感。莉迪亞的視角帶來瞭對周圍世界旺盛的好奇心和對冒險的渴望,這為緊張的劇情增添瞭必要的活力。而維奧萊特的內心獨白則充滿瞭對責任、恐懼和青春期迷茫的深刻反思。敘事節奏張弛有度,既有鄉村生活慢節奏下的溫馨片段,也有揭示秘密時的驚心動魄。 本書價值: 《螢火之光下的秘密》不僅是一部引人入勝的二戰背景小說,更是一部關於在逆境中尋找勇氣、理解他人並最終實現自我救贖的成長故事。它提醒著讀者,即使在最黑暗的時刻,人與人之間微弱的聯係和堅守的道德準則,也如同夜空中最微弱的螢火之光,足以照亮前行的道路。本書對曆史細節的考究,尤其是對英國鄉村在戰時社會結構變化中的描繪,使其成為曆史小說愛好者的必讀之作。