Saturday, November 22, 2014

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Title: Code Name Verity
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Release date: May 7, 2013
Pages: 339

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.
Code Name Verity is the story of two young British women in WWII.  One of them is a spy captured by the Nazis in German occupied France.  The other is the pilot who brought her there.  Verity (the spy) is forced to write a confession about the British war efforts.  The beginning of her friendship with the pilot is told through this confession.  The second half of the book is told from the pilot's point of view detailing what happened following the plane crash.

Code Name Verity is historical fiction and so it may not appeal to most readers.  However, it's a thrilling, informative novel great for teen readers.  Because of some content I would recommend this for late middle school/high school age readers.

My full review!

Themes:

  • friendship
  • loyalty
  • war
  • death
  • bravery
  • right and wrong
Extra content:

The Book Smugglers' review: "Above all though, Code Name Verity is about its two main characters, two incredible women (I LOVE them. I.LOVE.THEM) and the friendship they had – they are indeed sensational and I wish I could tell you how or why but I can’t really tell you more about Verity without stealing her thunder."

Dear Author's review: "“Code Name Verity” is unlike any book I’ve ever read before."

Interview with Elizabeth Wein

Another interview with Elizabeth Wein

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