Kid’s Corner: The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

#TheBletchleyRiddle #NetGalley

I am quite happy to (very belatedly) bring this book to the attention of middle grade readers as well as adults.

Readers will be delighted to meet Jakob and Lizzie the siblings who have a lot going on in this WWII set novel. I found them both to be engaging narrators.

Among other things, the two are at Bletchley Park which was, of course, a very important place whose employees shortened WWII through their hard work on codes. What will Jakob and Lizzie contribute to the war effort? There will be puzzles to solve. In addition, their mother is missing. Is she dead? Kids will keep reading to find out how the plot of the story works out.

I loved the many extras at the back of the book so be sure to look. There are an historical note, Q and A with the authors, info on codes and more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group-Penguin Young Readers Group for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Pub date: 08 October 2024

Post first published on 29 January 2026

Description:

from the publisher

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A thrilling mystery and collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin! This historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s disappearance.

“Break out your Enigma machines! Sepetys and Sheinkin have written a thrilling World War II code-breaking adventure filled with ciphers, secrets, and spies.”—Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee

Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act…

Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister, Lizzie, share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amid one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi’s Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother.

The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother’s disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues that unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?

From the Publisher:

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Two powerhouse authors collaborate on an enormously entertaining, expertly researched WWII novel with broad appeal…The authors successfully blend genuine suspense, sibling relationship issues, and humorous hijinks to create a tone both heartfelt and playful…Perfect for fans of Alan Gratz, this is an excellent fictional companion to Candace Fleming’s The Enigma Girls (2024)…Both masters of their craft, Sepetys and Sheinkin’s collaboration will draw fiction and nonfiction fans, not to mention a code-breaking coterie.”—STARRED REVIEW, Booklist

“Swift, snappy, and suspenseful storytelling.”—STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

“An impressive joint effort between Sepetys and Sheinkin . . . With broad appeal to both WWII and mystery enthusiasts, this highly recommended title is a first purchase for all libraries serving tweens and teens.”—STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

“A master class in suspense…With its expert pacing and characterization and its careful delineation of historical and family stories, this is historical fiction at its best.”—STARRED REVIEW, The Horn Book