Title: Code Name Verity
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Genre: Yound Adult Historical Fiction/Thriller
Published: 2012
Length: 332 pages
Additional Details: Stand alone book (not part of a series)
Publisher Blurb:
Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it’s barely begun. When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she’s sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy? A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called “a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel” in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.
My Thoughts: There has been a lot of buzz about this book, but I was hesitant to read it. I am not usually a fan of war stories, but this one took my breath away. It grabbed my attention with its opening line: “I AM A COWARD”, and I couldn’t put it down. It is a beautifully written story of survival and deep friendship, with the additional draw of being a female adventure story. It is divided into two parts, each told by one of the main characters. The plot is full of twists and turns, so I hesitate to say any more.
Audience: High school students and adults, most certainly, but it will also appeal to mature 7th and 8th graders who enjoy historical fiction. There are some disturbing parts related to Nazi treatment of prisoners.
My Rating: 5/5
Other thoughts and Related articles:
- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (isthisbookevengood.wordpress.com)
cooking with the book club 