About This Book:
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?
*Review Contributed by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer*
What worked: Historical story based on a real place where cryptanalysts worked together to break the Enigma code. It wasn’t until recently that their stories were told. Fascinating, mesmerizing this story sweeps readers away to 1940 England. The US wasn’t involved in the war yet. There’s more than puzzles and riddles in this story. There’s intrigue, mystery, and one quirky heroine who refuses to let others stop her investigation into what really happened to her mother.
Lizzie is stubborn and persistent in her quest. Even when her American grandmother tries numerous times to ship her back to Ohio for her safety. Lizzie has other plans.
This story is told in two alternative POVs. Her brother as he works in secret at Bletchley Park and how frustrated he is with Lizzie for not listening to others. But later, he realizes that by working together, they can figure out the riddles left for them.
There are other characters shown. Like Alan Turing who was instrumental in finally breaking the Enigma cipher.
Great pacing. Also love the illustrations that show readers a glimpse of 1940 with photos of Bletchley Park and the Enigma machine. Loved how the authors broke down one-way cryptanalysis looked for patterns in the cipher.
Intriguing details on how some tried to break the Nazi’s Enigma cipher with a heroine that refuses to let others stop her determination to find the truth. Perfect for those who love WWII history and Ruta Sepetys’s novels.
2. Ruta Sepetys
3. Intriguing details on how some tried to break Nazi’s Enigma cipher
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