The Bletchley Riddle
| Modern Age |
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 The Bletchley Riddle
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World History > Modern Age > WWII
A stunning collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, this middle grade historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s disappearance.
Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act…
Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amidst one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother.
The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother's disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues which unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?
Emily's Review
I was so excited to read this one and it did not disappoint! Sepetys and Sheinkin are phenomenal at crafting unputdownable stories that are deeply researched.
Told from dual perspectives, we follow brother and sister Lizzie and Jakob as they lived and worked in Bletchley Park during WWII. Their mother is missing and presumed dead after going on a mission to Poland, but Lizzie won't let go of the idea that she is still alive. When her grandmother insists that she evacuate London for America before the Blitz, Lizzie refuses to go. She has a job in London - Find her mother! Jakob is dedicated to helping to break the enigma code and doesn't have time to help Lizzie with her project, but she keeps pulling him back into it.
This is an edge-of-your-seat story filled with riddles and puzzles and clues to solve. Will they be able to unravel the German code in time? Is their mother alive? Where is she?
This is everything I could want in a historical fiction book. I highly recommend it for ages 10+
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