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THE ENIGMA GIRLS: HOW TEN TEENAGERS BROKE CIPHERS, KEPT SECRETS, AND HELPED WIN WORLD WAR II — Review

rosihollinbeck

Thought for the Day:

“I don’t like to write, but I take great pleasure in having written – in having finally made an arrangement that has a certain inevitability, like the solution to a mathematical problem. Perhaps in no other line of work is delayed gratification so delayed.”    

~ William Zinsser ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Ann R. Allen always has an interesting perspective. HERE she talks about whether or not one needs an agent and what it is they really do. It’s a fun read.

Kristin Hacken South, posting on Writer Unboxed, had a great experience at a conference workshop that not only helped her writing, but it can help all of our writing when it comes to Writing a Sympathetic Antagonist. Read it HERE.

Janice Hardy has a wonderful post HERE called Description Is More than Just “What it Looks Like” that can help all of us put more oomph into our writing.

I’ve been reading like a maniac this week. I had some review books to catch up on, and then the library said, “Hey, we’ve got that new C. J. Box novel you requested.” I know I’ve mentioned how caught up in Box’s Joe Pickett series I have been, but I just got through all the 22 books that were already out, and the newest one just came out in February. So I put everything else aside and am racing through the latest (and I think one of the very best) in the series. I’ll finish it before the day is out. And this is why I don’t really like to read series. Now I will have to wait a year for the next one! But the books in this series are like popcorn. I just can’t leave them alone. Yes, I do recommend them for those of you who like adult mysteries. When I read adult books, they are almost always mysteries, and these have been so much fun. I have a stack of Dennis Lahane mysteries waiting in the wings for when I have time.

Whenever I see a new Candace Fleming book, I do my best to make time for it. She always finds such interesting subjects, and, boy, howdy, does she do her homework! I am a big fan. I saw THE ENIGMA GIRLS: HOW TEN TEENAGERS BROKE CIPHERS, KEPT SECRETS, AND HELPED WIN WORLD WAR II on the review list for the Seattle Book Review, and I had to have it. I was lucky enough to beat the other reviewers to the punch. I planned to give it away here, but my daughter was visiting, and as soon as I finished it, she asked if she could have it. She told me about a TV series called The Bletchley Circle she had watched that was based on the same subject. I’m hoping to get to it soon. I found the book absolutely fascinating. It is marketed as being for kids 8-12, but I think it will also be of interest to older readers. Here is the review I wrote for SBR.

Hitler’s armies are marching through Europe, taking countries one after another. England’s cities are being bombed and her ships are being sunk. Germany has an encryption that keeps England from reading most of the communications they intercept. But they don’t accept that it has to be that way. They set up a secret operation at a country estate, Bletchley Park, and bring together an interesting collection of mathematicians and bright young women, many still in their teens, with some language and clerical skills to work on the problem.

Candace Fleming

All are required to sign an agreement to keep their work secret forever. The work is daunting, with long hours and tedious tasks, but they are determined, and they make good progress, saving many lives with their good work. It is thought their success may have shortened the war by as much as two years.

Candace Fleming focuses on a handful of these young women looking at where they came from, why they were chosen, and what their daily lives were like at Bletchley Park. Her excellent research shines through on every page, and her writing shows her great storytelling technique. This book will satisfy young readers’ curiosity about this aspect of World War Two.

Please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.

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Published by rosihollinbeck

19 thoughts on “THE ENIGMA GIRLS: HOW TEN TEENAGERS BROKE CIPHERS, KEPT SECRETS, AND HELPED WIN WORLD WAR II — Review”

  1. This one sounds so good, Rosie. There have always been plenty of terrific MG reads, but I think the level is as good as it’s ever been.

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  3. Pingback: MMGM for March 18, 2024 | Always in the Middle…

  4. Someone else recommended C.J. Box’s series. I’ll have to check it out. And The Enigma Girls sounds fascinating. I just finished Uprising by Jennifer Nielsen, which is set in Poland in WWII. It was really good too.

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    1. If you check out the C. J. Box series, it is really important to read them in order. It’s well worth the bother. I will look for Uprising. Thanks for the recommendation and the comment, Natalie.

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  8. I think I’ve read two Candace Fleming books, both from back when I was a nonfiction Cybils judge, and they were phenomenally interesting!! I’ve also read several books about codebreakers (primarily Elizebeth Smith Friedman), also from being a nonfiction Cybils judge, so getting to see the story of more of these incredibly talented people who had a disproportionately huge impact in the war sounds really cool.

    Also, it’s delightful that you’ve been so immersed in C.J. Box’s mystery novels! I love when you can find a series that keeps you going for so long, even if it’s a bummer when you get to the end. The quote of the week is also written for me—I always love the end products of my creative writing more than I enjoy actually assembling them! They can be so uncooperative…

    Thanks so much for the wonderful post, Rosi, and have a great week!

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    1. Thanks for all your kind words, Max. Always nice to hear from you. I’ve never had the time to be a Cybils judge. It sounds like you got some great books to read doing that. Candace Flaming is one of my favorite non-fiction writers.

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  9. Thanks for the links. I enjoyed them all especially the one from Janice Hardy. What an intriguing title for the book you featured this week! I will have to find a copy for a future read given your enticing review. Thanks once again for being a part of MMGM.

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  10. I’ve read other books about the Bletchley Park code breakers, and this sounds like another well worth looking at! I didn’t know about Candace Fleming (or the Seattle Book Review), and I’ll be checking both out!

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