Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

As you can tell from the title of this entry, I'm about to discuss a book I've read recently.  Before I begin, I should remind you that this book like others I've mentioned here, was one I read for my Young Adult literature course.  And I will also remind you that I am a champion of YA literature for adults as well as for the intended audience.  In previous entries I've talked about how these books are marketed, how the publisher often makes the decision about whether to publish a book as adult or young adult, and how too often worthy books are ignored by a reading public that might otherwise snatch up a YA book if it only were marketed for adults.  Enough said.

 

We started our year with historical fiction, and I found myself hoping to avoid the preponderance of WWI and WWII books usually on the list.  Too many of those books are wrenchingly hard to read due to their subject so I was thrilled to find books on medieval Wales, Tudor England, and early 20th century New York City to name a few.  There were also three about WWII (or at least I read three - I don't think there were others).

 

The first I read, Faraway Island by Annika Thor, was about Jewish sisters from Vienna who were relocated to Sweden and was quite good.  It covered a facet of the war (relocation of children at risk) that I hadn't seen covered before.  It was correctly labeled a YA book, and I recommend it for that audience. 

 

The second WWII novel, My Family for the War by Anne C.Voorhoeve, quickly became my favorite read from this year's choices in historical fiction.  It's a translation from the German, but I didn't notice any issues (some classmates did) because I was captured by the story of a girl who got out of harm's way on the Kindertransport* and wound up with a family in England.  Similar to Faraway Island?  Superficially, yes, but . . .  While this book is YA, I think adults would read and appreciate this story.  The protagonist in this book starts out as a young teen but is an adult by the end of the book.  It's very moving (check it out on Amazon or somewhere on-line that has plot summaries).

 

It was my favorite until I read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, and then, oh my!  I am including a plot summary from Eva Pohler's review of

September 21, 2012 (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/416397564) because it is a very complex plot, and I don't want to give anything away.

This story, about two young women, a Scottish spy and an English pilot during World War II in Nazi-occupied France, pulled me in, yanked me around, and left me feeling breathless. The narrative begins in Queenie's point of view, as she writes to literally save her life as a prisoner of war in a French hotel that's been converted into a place of torture by the Nazis. Queenie oscillates between recalling what she knows of the wireless operators working for the Resistance and Ally forces--including their codes, locations, and activities--and details about her torment as a prisoner. As a once refined, upperclass student at Oxford, Queenie employs literary devices to dramatize her story for her captors, writing more than required. She also needs to write, to help her deal with her terrifying situation and to return to a time when she was still with her best friend, Maddie.

Maddie, the English pilot, is not refined. At a time when women were discouraged from flying--used only as a last resort--she just wanted the opportunity. Raised by grandparents who own a motorbike store, Maddie has her own motorbike (and independence) and quickly learns how to work on engines. Once her talents are recognized, she quickly becomes the go-to pilot for a French Resistance unit flying by moonlight on secret airfields getting people in and out of the country, not far from where her best friend is being held captive.

This book covers things that occurred during WWII that I didn't know about, and after reading books, granted only fictional ones, that cover that war, I thought I had a passing understanding of the period.  This novel proves to me the more you know the more there is to learn.  Anyway, I think this book will be (if it isn't already) short-listed for an award.  Indeed, the NYT's review (www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/books/review/code-name-verity-by-elizabeth-wein.html) hints that it could be a contender for the Prinz Award (aka "Michael L. Prinz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature").

 

Whew, what a book!  Do read the review which will explain more about why it's such a good book, and if you enjoy historical fiction (remember, this is fiction), try to get this one from your local library.  It's worth it.

 * The Kindertransport (children were taken by train - the transport) was a rescue mission mounted by Britain to save European children from death.  Before the war broke out, England managed to rescue 10,000 children who were placed with British families until the end of the war.  Unfortunately, the majority of those children were never reunited with their families because they had died in the war.   Again, if you're interested, look up "Kindertransport"; it's fascinating reading.