The Bletchley Riddle
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?
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I enjoyed this but didn't love it. While I enjoyed learning about the code-breaking efforts - and especially the info about the Policy codebreakers and Alan Turning's cameos - I think it could have been a little shorter. It felt a little overstuffed to me and strained my suspension of disbelief.
I was sooo excited to get an ARC of this because Ruta Sepetys is such an amazing writer of historical fiction and Steve Sheinkin is so good at writing compelling nonfiction. Dream team!!
Also like a lot of people I am intrigued by the Bletchley code breakers. So just like, a lot of great stuff going on.
That said I sort of...wish this weren't middle grade maybe? It was hard to keep feeling like, why is Lizzie being so immature, this is so serious?? When like...yeah because she's 14, right right right. Anyway that's more a me problem, I am sure it will hit for middle grade readers.
That said I really enjoyed this overall, I loved the clever plot element of the missing mom mystery (I was also like, “surely this isn't going to imply that children cracked the Enigma code??” and it doesn't, they have their own thing going). I also appreciated the minor appearances from Alan Turing as like, kind of a weird guy but nice to the kids-which like, was a complaint from historians about the Benedict Cumberbatch version of Alan Turing that portrayed him as like an isolated genius weirdo when apparently he was well-regarded by everyone as being really kind (but weird). And the story of the Polish codebreakers!! Really cool and I appreciated the end note saying that one of their goals with the story was to highlight their bravery since it hasn't gotten as much press as Alan Turing etc (who ofc only somewhat recently got public notice himself...bc of the Secrets...)
anyway, great book but also for me? I hope Ruta gets back to writing YA that makes me cry soon!! xoxox
