This book captures readers with the high stakes of wartime secrecy and the intellectual thrill of solving complex puzzles. It highlights young women using their academic talents to gain independence and achieve an unexpected military victory. Books in this family share a focus on hidden history, female agency, and the technical details of real life mysteries.
Reach for this book when your daughter or student begins to doubt the real world value of her academic interests, or when she is searching for proof that quiet, intellectual labor can change the world. This young readers edition of Liza Mundy's bestseller introduces girls to the thousands of female codebreakers who used math and linguistics to defeat the Axis powers during World War II. It is a powerful antidote to the idea that history is only made on the front lines by men. The book explores themes of patriotism, intellectual grit, and the breaking of glass ceilings. While it deals with the serious context of war, it remains age appropriate for middle schoolers by focusing on the fascinating logic of cryptology and the social shifts of the 1940s. It is an excellent choice for a child who loves puzzles and needs to see their own potential reflected in the unsung heroes of the past.
