The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth (Lizzie) Novis is on her way to America. Escorted by Fleetwood, her Gran's estate steward, Lizzie is aboard a steamship at the port in Liverpool. She's to travel to Cleveland to live with her American grandmother, leaving behind England and the threat of invasion by Germany. Gran lives on what used to be called Millionaire's Row in Cleveland. 

But Lizzie has no intention of remaining on the ship. After wearing out Fleetwood by walking him around Liverpool and then telling him she wants to be on deck to wave goodbye at the pier, she races off the steamship and back to London. Lizzie is determined to stay in England with her older brother Jakob and solve the mystery of their mother, Willa's disappearance. They've been told that Willa, who is American, was killed in a bomb blast in Poland. Lizzie has written to Jakob but never received any response. She wants to find out what has really happened to Willa.

After fleeing the ship in Liverpool, Lizzie shows up at the Foreign Office in London where she is picked up by a very annoyed Jakob. She tells him she wants to be in England when their mother returns but Jakob insists that Willa is dead. Willa, who worked for the US embassy, was sent to Poland in late August 1939.  Hitler then invaded Poland and now in May 1940, there is no sign of her. Jakob is certain she was killed during the German offensive. 

Lizzie and Jakob briefly return to their Gran's flat in Mayfair so that Lizzie can pack. The trunk she packed for America was filled with Jakob's rock collection! Lizzie hurriedly packs a trunk and then rushes to Willa's room. While looking for Willa's boots in her closet she discovers a small pale blue leather book under a loose floorboard. Lizzie finds Jakob's behaviour strange; he seems to have accepted Willa's death and she's certain he's hiding something from her. As it turns out, he is.

Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis was studying mathematics at Cambridge. He was recruited in 1938 when the British government first purchased Bletchley Park. Believing war with Hitler was imminent, they wanted a safe location to conduct secret intelligence work. After signing a secrecy document, Jakob finds himself employed by the Government Code and Cypher School! He was put on the government's cryptography team that included people like Dilly Knox, a classics scholar and mathematician, Alan Turing. He cannot tell his sister Lizzie any of this though because it is just so top secret.

Lizzie and Jakob take a train north, out of London to Bletchley.  At Bletchley, Lizzie meets a man her brother refers to as "Colonel" who questions her as to what she knows about Bletchley, which is nothing.  He has her swear an oath of secrecy and gives her a new address of a postal depot. She is to report to Commander Bradley the following day. Jakob takes her to his room at the Shoulder Of Mutton Inn & Pub. There she meets Colin Tilbury whose parents own the inn. He tells Lizzie that his brother is an RAF pilot and that he plans to join up as soon as he is of age. Lizzie notes the smoking man that she saw at the train platform is now in the pub. 

She settles into Jakob's room while he goes off to his mysterious work at midnight. Lizzie is unable to pick the lock on Willa's leather book but she is able to pull a piece of paper out that reveals "...plans for the evacuation of the American embassy in Warsaw and Willa's work to dismantle the office."  She also learns that one of the embassy clerks Willa was to assist, Olivia McQuatters, was friends with her mother. While Lizzie is waiting to see Commander Bradley, she surreptitiously takes the liberty of using his phone to call the American Embassy and learns that McQuatters is back in London. Bradley assigns Lizzie to be a messenger at Bletchley, carrying sealed envelopes to different areas of the compound.

Lizzie is introduced to Marion, a petite girl near her age, who works at Bletchley and who very much wants to go to America. Marion's older sister lives in Florida with a distant cousin. As the weeks pass, Lizzie works at Bletchley while Jakob continues his own work there. He is in Hut 6 with Gordon Welchman. Two new gifted mathematicians, John and Beryl, join the team and are introduced to the Enigma.  Jakob also continues to find himself the interest of William James Jarvis, an MI5 agent. Jarvis tells Jakob that the Security Service wants to know what happened to Willa. He informs Jakob that Willa never left with the embassy staffers she was assigned to help. Jarvis questions Willa's motives, suggesting she might be helping Hitler. This infuriates Jakob. As time goes on, Jarvis becomes more determined to uncover any secrets that Jakob and his sister might be guarding.

Despite pouring over Willa's calendar diary, Lizzie, along with Colin and Marion can make little sense of its contents. In desperation, Lizzie travels to London with Colin to seek out Olivia McQuatters at the American Embassy. On the way there, a letter from Willa's housekeeper, Viola, who is in Scotland, reveals that Gran is furious at Lizzie's deception and that Fleetwood is returning to London to take Lizzie back to America by force if necessary. In London, Olivia reveals to Lizzie that Willa never showed at the embassy when they were leaving. Instead, she saw Willa meeting with three men and their families at a restaurant. 

With Fleetwood hot on Lizzie's heels, and new information about Willa, Lizzie needs to outwit Fleetwood again while solving the mystery of her mother's disappearance. One thing is certain: Willa is alive!

Discussion

Sepetys and Sheinkin have collaborated to create a wonderful historical mystery-adventure laced with a touch of humour. The main character is fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Novis, who goes by "Lizzie", the daughter of a Polish-Jewish father and an American mother. The indomitable, irrepressible Lizzie is determined NOT to travel to safety in America during the beginning of World War II. Instead, she is intent on learning what has happened to her mother, Willa who is believed dead after fleeing the Nazis in Poland. 

The novel follows two narratives: that of Lizzie's quest to solve the mystery of Willa's disappearance and her nineteen-year-old brother Jakob, a cryptographer at Bletchley, as he struggles to solve the mystery of the Enigma codes. Lizzie is brought into Bletchley as a messenger, keeping the setting mainly at Bletchley Park. In their Historical Note, the authors note that it would not have been unusual for very young people to be involved at Bletchley. They write, " The Government Code and Cypher School recruited young mathematics students. Messengers as young as fourteen really did run from hut to hut with vital intelligence."  Other aspects of the story are also realistic: "...the town of Bletchley did have an inn called the Shoulder of Mutton..." 

Sepetys and Sheinkin have included many historical figures into their story including Alan Turing, Gordon Welchman, Dilly Knox and Cambridge student, John Herivel, who at the age of twenty-one  really did have the insight "...that careless Enigma operators might be giving away the machine's ring settings." The authors also state that one of their main goals was the highlight the invaluable contributions of the Polish codebreakers who worked on the Enigma. Marian Rejewski was able to build an Engima machine without ever having seen one. Along with Henryk Zygalski and Jerzy Rozycki, they were able to develop ways to decrypt the Enigma codes. With the invasion of Poland imminent they were able to share their work with the British enabling them to eventually break the Enigma. The authors have even incorporated Alan Turing's burial of his silver ingots which he transported in a pram!

This historical detail alone suffices to make The Bletchley Riddle an exciting novel and in particular is the strength of the novel. However, the authors have crafted an endearing heroine in Lizzie Novis. She manages to outwit her crusty American Gran, not once but twice, tricking the poor Fleetwood both times. Her antics and humorous voice add some comic relief to the story. Lizzie is a force of nature, unable to accept that her mother, Willa has died in Poland, and determined to learn the truth about her disappearance. A foil to Lizzie is her steady, intelligent brother, Jakob who as a young mathematician is tasked with helping to break Enigma. His efforts could make or break the war effort of Britain, who faced the Nazi threat alone at this time.  Helping Lizzie is Colin Tilbury, son of the proprietor of the Shoulder of Mutton Inn. Sepetys and Sheinkin offer a twist near the end, that provides readers with a satisfying resolution to Willa's disappearance.

Although the novel is mainly action driven, the authors do take some time to develop the friendship between Lizzie and Colin. Initially, they both have secrets which Lizzie's straightforward manner forces them to share: Lizzie that her mother is missing and Colin that he limps due to a poorly healed leg. With Willa missing, Lizzie is situated to understand and empathize with Colin when his older brother goes missing in action. Eventually the two of them come to the realization that they have a "crush" on one another and the novel ends with the sense that their friendship is blossoming into much more.

The Bletchley Riddle is a well-written novel, very suitable for middle grade readers. The ability of the authors to incorporate so much historical detail into the story and to develop the setting in a realistic way, while telling a good story are the strengths of this novel.

Book Details:

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
New York: Viking     2024

394 pp.

Lion Dancers by Cai Tse

Thirteen-year-old Wei Lee's father, Yuho Lee was part of the Black Tiger Lion Dance troupe that won the championship at the Twelfth Asia International Lion Dance Championships two years ago. Watching his father perform and win made Wei determined to follow his father. But two years later, Wei, a student at Bird's Beak Middle School finds himself a loner, despite being the top student in his grade. He's stuck on the bench during basketball practice. Despite offering to sub, Wei is not allowed to practice. He tells his friend Jun, that he is quitting the basketball team. Jun suggests that Wei hang out more often with their friends but he's not interested, especially when Jun's friends just tease him.

On his way home, Wei bumps into a young man wearing a lion dancer shirt. The man initially denies being a lion dancer but then questions Wei who clearly knows about such dancing. Wei tells him he wants to be a lion dancer but doesn't have a team and asks to join.

On the following Saturday when Jun calls Wei for help with their big essay project, Wei turns her down, much to Jun's shock. Wei is never busy on a Saturday but this time he is - he's going to lion dance practice. When Wei arrives at the temple where the lion dance group has gathered, he is shocked to discover his former best friend, Hung is a part of the ensemble. Hung angrily tells Wei he doesn't belong in the group, but the team members tell him to stop, and welcome Wei.

One of the members, LinWei shows Wei around and he tells her that he used to dance with his father until two years ago. She encourages Wei, telling him that with the Lunar New Year coming, they need new members and that the team is like family. At the first practice, things do not go so well: Wei falls and then is sick to his stomach. While he is recovering, Hyunmin (Min) tells Wei that this lion dance group is called the Southern Phoenix Lion Dance team or the Birds for short. When Wei demonstrates his hei si, the members of the Birds are impressed. After practice, Min questions Hung about Wei. He reveals that he and Wei used to train together on their fathers' old lion dance team. Hung was Wei's tail, where the smaller, lighter Wei was always the lion head. Hung knew that he would never get to be the lion head with Wei around. Hung claims he is just surprised to see Wei again, after he left the other team and stopped being his friend.

At home Hung tells his parents about Wei showing up at lion dancing and that he is planning to stay. They are very surprised but believe Hung to be the best dancer on the junior team. At school, Hung confronts Wei and tells him he's not welcome in the Birds. However, Wei is determined to return every week to practice and to become the best lion dancer. At the next practice, Wei works on basic jumps with Bochen. He is told that they try to pair friends together and also take into account the physical makeup of the dancers. Stronger, bigger dancers are often the tail so they can lift the lighter head dancer.

The first set of performances for the Lunar New Year go well but it evident that Hung is not willing to accept Wei on the lion dance team. When his mother suggests that it would be disappointing if he is made Wei's tail again, Hung is more determined than ever to make sure Wei isn't part of the team and that he's not made Wei's tail. Eventually Hung's jealousy over Wei leads him to go to far, alienating his teammates and getting himself suspended.

Discussion

Lion Dancers is a graphic novel about a team of lion dancers as they prepare for performance and competition. The story is told in eight chapters with an Epilogue. Before the first chapter, a page describing "What Makes A Lion Dancer" explains that a lion is comprised of two dancers: the lion head performer and the lion tail dancer, both covered by the lion costume. At the beginning of each chapter a specific feature of lion dancing is explained. Some of the movements described include "scratching", tan bo, and choy cheng.

The main story is that of a lion dance team, the Birds, training in the weeks before the Lunar New Year and the troubled relationship between two of the young dancers, Wei and Hung who have a past together.  Wei and Hung's fathers were lion dancers with the Black Tiger Lion Dance troupe. They trained with the Black Tiger troupe, with Wei being the lion head and Hung being the lion tail. Wei's father (and his mother?) died in a car accident on the way to the wedding of one of the lion dancers. Wei was only eleven-years-old at the time. After his father's death Wei left lion dancing and stopped being friends with Hung, 

The root of the disintegration of Wei and Hung's friendship seems to be Hung's jealousy over Wei being given the position of a lion head dancer. This causes Hung to bully and shame Wei at school for doing lion dancing.  and his belief that being a lion tail dancer is demeaning. At home Hung's parents place enormous pressure on him, telling him that he is so good he needs to be in every performance. After the first Lunar New Year performances, his mother states, "They wouldn't know what to do without you, Hung. Carrying the team like that." Hung's parents are reinforcing his own belief that he is the most important member of the team, when in fact each person is important because it is a team effort. After a particularly intense performance, before leaving the temple, Wei thanks Hung for subbing in for him as he was becoming exhausted. Instead of graciously accepting Wei's compliment, Hung tells him his dancing was so embarrassing he didn't have a choice and that he did it for the team and not to help Wei. 

Determined to make sure he remains a lion head dancer and not in the tail, and makes the competition team, Hung continues to bully Wei at school too. The situation finally reaches a crisis point when Hung deliberately directs Wei to the wrong venue for a performance. He reveals to his teammates what he really thinks about being in the tail - that it is for losers, and how he considers himself the best. Hung's cruel, self-centered outburst leads Wei to try to quit the team, but LinWei encourages him to stay telling him that "....it's not only hard because of the exercise. It's hard because it's teamwork. You also have to learn how to navigate all the different personalities within the team and for some that can be the hardest thing to do." LinWei asks Wei, "How do you respond to this problem, Wei? How you've always responded?"  She challenges him to try a different approach with Hung who it not allowed to perform that day. 

When Hung's parents learn what that he tried to get Wei kicked off the team, they encourage Hung to apologize to his teammates. He does so thanking Gian for lifting him when he was a lion head. He realizes just how exhausting this must have been for the smaller boy. But Hung still remains somewhat hostile to Wei, insisting that he is the best chance the team has to win. Wei explains to Hung he doesn't view the tails the way he does: he sees them as the most important part of the pair, doing the heavy lifting. He tells Hung that some of the best lion dancers are tails. In this way, Wei takes the high road, praising Hung for his ability and his strength, something Wei will never have. He also tells Hung he intends to remain on the team. Wei learns to stand up to Hung, and believe in his own abilities as a lion dancer. 

Lion Dancers is a very well done graphic novel, with an solid story that is well portrayed using the graphic art medium. The beautiful graphic panels effectively capture the incredible physicality of Chinese lion dancing, the jumps, lifts, and the motions of the lion head to express emotion.  Most readers outside of Chinese culture likely know little about lion dancing and Lion Dancers offers a good introduction to what is a very significant cultural element in the Lunar New Years celebrations for millions of Chinese. Young readers are encouraged to check out lion dancing performances on YouTube. Author Cai Tse is a lion and dragon dancer with the Chinese Youth League of Australia. She has been dancing since 2016.

Book Details:

Lion Dancers by Cai Tse
New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers 2024
299 pp.

Spooky Lakes by Geo Rutherford

Spooky Lakes by Geo Rutherford features twenty-five strange and mysterious lakes found on planet Earth. The book opens with an introduction to limnology, the study of lakes. "A lake is typically a large body of water surrounded by land." They are found in all regions of our planet and can vary in size, depth, shape, and colour. Lakes can be created by glaciers, dormant volcanoes, earthquakes, meteorites and dams. A second chapter, titled Lake Facts offers seventeen fascinating facts about lakes including that Canada has the most lakes of any country at almost two million!

The lakes profiled begin with Lake Superior, famous for its violent storms, one of which sank the Edmund Fitzgerald in November of 1975. One feature of Lake Superior is its cold, fresh water that is bacteria-free, meaning that shipwrecks often are in excellent condition. It also means that those crew who are trapped within the ships, do not decay and can be seen floating inside.

Lake Karachay in Russia is one example of a lake that is contaminated with radioactive waste from a nuclear facility, making it deadly. The Mayak facility located near the lake, exploded in 1957, spewing highly radioactive material into the surrounding environment. Today the lake is a "...dry nuclear waste storage facility" having been filled with tons of concrete blocks, rocks and dirt. 

Perhaps one of the most fascinating lakes is Lake Maracaiho, located in Venezuela, South America. This lake "...is illuminated by thousands of lightning strikes" almost every night of the year. There can be as many as twenty-eight lightning strikes per minute during the frequent storms over the lake. The geography and climate are the primary factors which result in a large number of storms forming over the lake.

Lake Nyos is a very deep volcanic crater lakes in the African country of Cameroon. On August 22, 1986, over seventeen hundred people, their pets and livestock were found dead in the area adjacent to the lake. It was determined that a massive cloud of carbon dioxide gas, from a limnic explosion, raced down the crater sides of Lake Nyos, killing every living thing in its path including insects.

Lake Vostok can be found more than two miles beneath the ice sheet in Antarctica. However, this lake is not frozen! This is due to the immense pressure of the overlying ice sheet. This means that water remains a liquid at temperatures lower than its freezing point of 32 F. It is also believed that the lake is heated from below by a geothermal vent. The lake was discovered by the Russian military and there is now a Russian research station over it. A borehole was drilled to the lake reaching the water surface in 2012. It is not known if sampling the water of Lake Vostok resulted in contamination of its pristine waters.

These are just five of the remarkable lakes profiled in Spooky Lakes.

Discussion

Spooky Lakes profiles twenty-five unique lakes providing a detailed overview of this geographical feature that is so common on our planet. 

What is a "spooky" take on many unusual lakes, is also a fascinating and fact-filled read.  There are lakes created by glaciation such as Lake Superior, lakes that are extremely toxic such as Lake Nyos. There are lava lakes such Mount Nyiragongo Lava Lake, lakes of pitch or natural asphalt like those in La Brea, Trinidad, lakes polluted from nuclear waste such as Lake Karachay, and lakes created by atomic blasts. There are lakes formed from rock slides like Lake Kaindy in Kazakhstan which features a well-preserved submerged forest. 

Rutherford explains many interesting science concepts in Spooky Lakes. For example, she describes how human bodies come to be preserved in the cold, fresh water of Lake Superior. Readers will learn why some lave flows faster than other lava, due to a lower silica content. In describing Yellowstone Hot Springs, the author explains how the hot springs are part of a the Yellowstone Supervolcano complex.

There are also many cultural references included where relevant. For example, Pitch Lake in Trinidad is believed to be "...a site of mythical punishment" by the Indigenous Arawah people. The section on Lake Guatavita explains the origin of the legend of El Dorado, the mythical city of gold that the Spanish were so determined to find.

Spooky Lakes is richly illustrated by author Geo Rutherford, who hand-painted them using gouache on watercolour paper. A fun twist to this book is the placement of tiny ghosts throughout many of the illustrations, which the author encourages her readers to look for!

Although the illustrations are colourful and simply wonderful, it would have been interesting to see photographs of these lakes where possible. Nevertheless, Spooky Lakes, with its catchy title, lovely artwork and large format size is likely to engage many young readers.

Book Details:

Spooky Lakes by Geo Rutherford

New York: Abrams Books For Young Readers     2024
96 pp