THE ENIGMA GIRLS: HOW TEN TEENAGERS BROKE CIPHERS, KEPT SECRETS, AND HELPED WIN WORLD WAR II, by Candace Fleming, Scholastic Focus, March 5, 2024, Hardcover, $19.99 (ages 8 and up)
Learn about some of the young women who helped break ciphers at Bletchley Park during World War II in The Enigma Girls, by Candace Fleming.
“You are to report to Station X at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, in four days time….That is all you need to know.” This was the terse telegram hundreds of young women throughout the British Isles received in the spring of 1941, as World War II raged. As they arrived at Station X, a sprawling mansion in a state of disrepair surrounded by Spartan-looking huts with little chimneys coughing out thick smoke―these young people had no idea what kind of work they were stepping into. Who had recommended them? Why had they been chosen? Most would never learn all the answers to these questions.
Bletchley Park was a well-kept secret during World War II, operating under the code name Station X. The critical work of code-cracking Nazi missives that went on behind its closed doors could determine a victory or loss against Hitler’s army. Amidst the brilliant cryptographers, flamboyant debutantes, and absent-minded professors working there, it was teenaged girls who kept Station X running. Some could do advanced math, while others spoke a second language. They ran the unwieldy bombe machines, made sense of wireless sound waves, and sorted the decoded messages. They were expected to excel in their fields and most importantly: know how to keep a secret.
Scholastic Focus is the home of thoroughly researched works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle-grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills, so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future. —Synopsis provided by Scholastic Focus
Candace Fleming has a way with middle-grade nonfiction. The author of The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb, knows just how to bring facts together in a way that draws in young readers rather than push them away. Fleming’s clear and welcoming voice makes her books read more like novels than history books.
That’s certainly true of The Enigma Girls, a book so enthralling, it will capture older readers’ attention, too. The second my 10-year-old saw the cover of The Enigma Girls, she was begging to read it, and when she learned it was written by the same author as her favorite book about Egypt, she practically grabbed it out of my hands.
The premise of The Enigma Girls is an easy sell. The book features the stories of 10 teenage girls who broke ciphers, kept secrets and helped win WWII. That on its own makes the book a winner, but then you add in special “top secret” sections that explain the difference between codes and ciphers and how to solve them, it becomes even more special. The book is chock full of black-and-white photographs that bring the time and place to life.
The Enigma Girls is a fascinating story of WWII that remained secret until 1977 when the British government released 70,000 intelligence documents related to the work done at Bletchley Park. The book is a fascinating read about the ability of young people to step up when needed.
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