Sepetys, Ruta. Bletchley Riddle, The. Addl. Creator Steve Sheinkin. Viking, 10/2024. 400pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-0-59352-754-2. GRADES 5–8. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Two very different orphaned teen siblings are drawn into history’s crucible as World War II accelerates and Britain prepares for invasion. Fourteen-year-old Lizzie is straightforward, fiendishly observant, terrible at secrets, and determined to find her definitely not dead mother. Jakob, a diffident nineteen, avoids his grief and his sister, burying himself in the thrilling war-work of cracking German codes. Told in alternating first-person chapters, Lizzie and Jakob’s story has plenty of action and intrigue to keep the pages turning, with loads of historic details and some period photographs bringing an exceptional chapter of history to life. Lively dialogue adds to an admirably quick pace, but an occasional anachronistic phrase or sentiment seem not quite true to type. Fans of the authors or of history, cryptography, or teen action-adventure will be admirably entertained. A historic note separates fact from fiction and encourages further exploration, though in the ARC no additional sources are included. All characters read as white. Review based on an ARC.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired