The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

The Bletchley Riddle immerses the reader into the world of Bletchley Park, the top-secret codebreaking lab of Britain’s WWII intelligence service. Your wartime history-buff middle grade readers might already be somewhat familiar with Bletchley Park, but this story provided a window into the inner workings of the Park, the historical figures working around the clock, and the fascinating untold stories of the Polish codebreakers.

The Bletchley Riddle is told from a dual point of view, alternating chapters from either Jakob Novis, a reserved but sensitive 19-year-old mathematician hired to break Nazi codes, or his younger sister Lizzie, a precocious spitfire of a young lady with loads of personality and a take-no-prisoners determination. Jakob and Lizzie’s mother has gone missing and the siblings respond in ways that are so vastly different that they struggle to connect with and understand each other. Jakob detaches himself and finds escape from the pain in work; Lizzie refuses to accept the assumption that her mother has died and won’t rest until she’s discovered the truth.

Sepetys and Sheinkin’s story holds broad appeal. It’s got something for everyone: WWIl history, spycraft, family dynamics, the art and science of code breaking, and even an innocent crush between Lizzie and a local Bletchley boy.

(Look for fun cameos from Joseph Kennedy and Alan Turing!)

Reading Level: 10+
Read Aloud Age: 10+

Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin are two young adult writers at the top of their game, and their joint foray into middle grade historical fiction is a triumph by any definition. One of the benefits of introducing The Bletchley Riddle to your middle grade boys is that as they mature as readers, they can move on to these authors’ more complex young adult works, particularly Sheinkin’s. His YA non-fiction tackles diverse 20th century subjects such as the Manhattan Project, Jim Thorpe, and the Pentagon Papers. He creates engrossing true-story narratives that pull young readers into perspectives and contexts outside of their own. It’s top-notch historical storytelling, not textbook dryness.

The authors create another standout feature of The Bletchley Riddle by explaining the Nazi Enigma machine. These passages will enthrall your students who love puzzles, code-breaking, and spycraft history.

Jakob and Lizzie’s relationship is the beating heart of the book, and the authors do a fantastic job with their dynamic. These siblings are polar opposites, and they process the traumatic events of WWll in vastly different ways. Jakob in particular matures throughout the book as an intelligence officer, as a colleague and friend, and as a protector for his younger sister.

Language:
A few uses of “hell” or “damn.”

Sexual Content:
Lizzie and a local boy have an innocent crush on each other. They hold hands at end of the book. There is brief mention of a couple “snogging” which is a British term for kissing. There is a joking reference at one point to there being no harm done to a person’s honor/purity. There is no mention of Alan Turing’s personal life.

Other Things to Know:
Some of the book takes place in a pub (Jakob and Lizzie are temporarily living above it) so you do see some adult characters smoking cigarettes or cigars and drinking alcohol (occasional mention of a person having too much to drink or trying to get someone to have too much to drink). Jakob and Lizzie don’t engage in drinking or smoking. Jakob does put an unlit pipe in his mouth but he declares himself “not a pipe man.”

Jakob and Lizzie refer to their mother throughout the book by her first name. It’s a little strange but at least for one of the characters it feels like a way to detach from feelings of grief and not because of a desire to disrespect her.

This review is written by Good Book Mom contributor, Nancy. To learn more about Nancy, click HERE.

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