The Bletchley Riddle

Under the British Hurricanes and Spitfires fighting against the German Lutwaffe in the Battle of Britian, there was a secret group of men and women fighting their own battle. Mathematicians, chess players, puzzle solvers, and the military were part of The Bletchley Circle,” an operation that battled the Germans with brain power and the determination to solve the German’s Enigma coding machine.Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, two of the best writers of children’s history and historical fiction books, have partnered to write “The Bletchley Riddle.” Set within the code-breaking compound, siblings Jakob and Lizzie work to break the Enigma codes and find their mother. Their mother may be a hero, or she may be a spy, but Lizzie is determined to find her somewhere in Nazis-controlled Europe. A big part of what makes “The Bletchley Riddle” an excellent read is the Lizzie character. She’s a master at getting in trouble, and then getting out of trouble, and she’s not shy about talking to anyone to find out what she wants to know. The characters of Lizzie and Jakob are teens, which accurately reflects how young some members of the Bletchley Circle were. Her brother is a 19-year-old mathematician who is in the middle of the effort to break the Germans’ code. Like everyone at Bletchley, he’s in awe of Alan Turing, the man who eventually built the computer that broke the Enigma codes faster.Young readers will enjoy learning about an essential part of Britian’s efforts to defeat Germany. “The Bletchley Riddle” will also appeal to mystery-lovers and fans of learning about World War II.

Excellent story, a great novel wrapped in real history.

Fast paced. Exciting. Great book. We got it for our son (6th grade) for Christmas. He read it really quickly and was so excited to tell us all about it. Recommend reading the history around the story in the back of the book too!

THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE by Ruta Sepetys & Steve SheinkinAlthough labeled as a young adult book this intriguing mystery by a delightful author will keep the attention of adults. A love of riddles and puzzles keeps a brother and sister close. So when Jakob disappears to Bletchley in 1940 to work as a secret codebreaker for the British, Lizzie is determined to find him and their mother instead of sailing to America and safety.What ensues is a madcap adventure with Lizzie being chased by her erstwhile chaperon, aided by her new friend Colin and castigated by her brother and the Colonel all while attempting to discover the secrets of Bletchley and searching for her missing and presumed dead mother.Does she succeed in any of these? You will have to read THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE to find out. This is a fast, entertaining and informative read by two award winning authors who excel at historical fiction.5 of 5 stars

I have read and adore ALL of Ruta Sepetys’ books, so when I saw she was co writing a book that has been compared to a World War II version of Enola Holmes, I had to get my hands on it. Between the sweet, relatable, adventurous characters and the mysterious and riveting plot, I would definitely recommend this book, which had me guessing until the very end. In my opinion, the best books are ones where you can see yourself in the characters, and that is exactly what happened with the MC, Lizzie. She is a perfect mix between being curious and resourceful.I really appreciated the sweet sibling relationship between Jacob and Lizzie, as it was written in a way that it was still believable. My favorite character was Collin, the straightforward and lovable guy who matches Lizzie’s energy and personality quite well. Finally, my favorite part was the satisfying ending, which tied up all the loose ends and was not unrealistic or weird.Going into this book, I had high hopes considering her other books are 5 stars for me, and though it didn’t quite live up to those, I still genuinely enjoyed it. The plot felt a little slow at first, but then speeds up almost too quickly and the flow just didn’t feel quite her normal which could be that it was co written with Sheinkin, whom I haven’t read before. It is still a fun and interesting book that I would recommend to any middle grade readers. Mystery, friendship, codes and more is why I give Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin’s book, The Bletchley Riddle, four stars!

I just couldn't get into it.

Well written, funny, historically accurate.

My history loving son and husband loved listening to it on a recent road trip!