Review Detail

Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his younger sister Lizzie love riddles and puzzles. When their mother is listed as dead after the bombing in Poland, Lizzie questions if that is true. She ends up at Bletchley Park during the summer of 1940. The same place where some, like her brother, are working to break the Nazi's Enigma cipher and end the war. Then she receives coded messages she feels are from her mother. She tried to work with Jakob to break the code. All the time trying not to reveal the secret of what is happening at Bletchley Park.

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.