Code Name Verity

Wein, Elizabeth. (2012). Code name Verity. NY: Egmont. This historical fiction novel starts out with the words “I am a coward.” We soon learn that Queenie, aka Verity, is anything but a coward. She has been captured by the Gestapo and she trades information for paper and pen and she begins chronicling her journey. We are in WWII and the story starts as a first person confession, but we are learning about Queenie and Maddie and their role in the war effort. The story then moves into Maddie’s perspective as we learn she crashed soon after Queenie parachuted out of the plane. Maddie chronicles her journey with the resistance army in her pilot’s journal. The most heartbreaking moment was when the death of Queenie was revealed. The plot twists in this book were amazing. Young adult literature isn’t usually written this well and with as many twists and turns. I was constantly turning back a few pages and reading them again because I was in utter shock. 14-16 year olds will enjoy the friendship of these two main characters. I think they will be equally shocked as the twists keep coming. The plot in this novel is anything but predictable. We actually have two viewpoints happening in this book. It seems entirely plausible that Verity will die by the hands of the Gestapo. Imagine the surprise when the plot twists around and we realize that she does die, but at the hands of her best friend. (It still gives me goosebumps.)