Welcome to Litsy!

Like other books set in WWII Philippines, parts of this book is brutal. The treatment the soldiers received from the Japanese was horrendous and this book does not sugar coat any of it. Specifically, the scenes on the warship were the stuff of nightmares.

I liked that the story was told from the perspectives of the two main characters, Sam and Sarah.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/01/15/review-hold-strong/

Carryover read from 2024. Overall, a good middle grade book set at Bletchley Park. There‘s a mystery element, along with code breaking and ciphers. It seemed like the ending was a bit rushed. Still, fun read.

I finished this at my parents‘ house with one of their cats Della on my lap.

Some Sunday reading now that grocery shopping is complete and laundry is underway.

This was a riveting story of codebreaking, spies, and a country under pressure from its enemies. There was a fantastic blending of historical information with fascinating characters and a well-paced plot. I do wish the ending had been tied up a bit better.

Middle grade historical fiction set at Bletchley Park during WWII. Lizzie is a clever girl who escapes her guardian who is supposed to take her from London to her grandmother in Cleveland. She joins her brother, a code breaker, at Bletchley Park and investigates their mothers disappearance.

"But let's be honest, shall we? When adults tell a child or a teenager that they're precocious, what they're really saying is, 'Please don't say that aloud.'"

The accuracy...

Also stationed at Arlington Hall, Virginia during WWII learning to break codes

#WhereAreYouMonday
@Cupcake12

I absolutely loved this book for so many reasons. Next I love books based on historical events, especially ones I am not familiar with. This book starts off with a riddle and I was hooked. I fell in love with Lizzie. Her character was so funny I would laugh out loud. This was a fantastic book and both authors worked so well together with their writing. This book is definitely a winner in my opinion and I would highly recommend it.

I think I'm an outlier here, but I didn't really enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. I thought it was a really interesting premise but I found the writing to be clunky. This definitely reads as more of a middle-grade book, so perhaps this would have worked better if at least Lizzie was younger.

I am only able to listen to history audiobooks while at work.… but the books I choose are about the powerful and scary women in history. I‘d consider that a win.