It’s the summer of 1940. Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister, Lizzie, share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside one. The siblings find themselves mixed up in one of the greatest secrets of World War II.
It’s the summer of 1940. Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister, Lizzie, share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside one. The siblings find themselves mixed up in one of the greatest secrets of World War II.
In the summer of 1940, much of the world is at war. Germany has already invaded and conquered Poland. The German Blitzkrieg is sweeping through Western Europe. And the citizens of the United Kingdom know that the Nazi bombers will be heading their way very soon.
Those in special departments in the British government believe that the key to diffusing this assault rests in cracking the secret of a small, typewriter-looking contraption called the Enigma Machine. With this incredible electromechanical cipher device, the invading Germans have been sending coded orders around the world.
That code is seemingly unbreakable.
The British, however, have gotten their hands on one of those amazing machines. And if they can solve its interchangeable rotor-and-switch puzzles, they would know when and where the enemy would strike. And it could impact everything.
Lizzie Novis, 14, doesn’t know anything about any of that. She only knows that her mom went missing when the Germans hit Poland with tanks and planes. Mom was there helping to dismantle a government embassy. And even though everybody thinks she didn’t make it, Lizzie is convinced she’s still alive.
Lizzie and her 19-year-old brother, Jakob, are both pretty good at riddles and puzzles. In fact, Jakob is so good at them that he’s been recruited to help at a government codebreaking factory called Bletchley Park—a very super-secret place where they’re trying to figure out that Enigma Machine.
While Jakob has been working to break Enigma, Lizzie has been solving mysteries closer to home. Baffling messages have landed on their doorstep.
Are these puzzling messages meant for Lizzie and Jakob alone … or are they some kind of trap? If Lizzie tells Jakob everything she thinks she knows, will it hurt his role at Bletchley Park? Is their mom a spy? Could the riddle of the Enigma and the riddle of their mom’s disappearance be connected in some way?
The siblings seem to be surrounded by secrets within secrets within secrets. Some are so secret that they can’t even talk to each other about them.
But if there’s any hope of a happy ending for their family, Lizzie and Jakob must find a way to work together. They must race to decipher clues and unravel a shocking conundrum as the enemy’s bombs begin to drop.
It’s mentioned that some who live near Bletchley Park attend church.
Lizzie and Jakob are of Jewish descent on their father’s side. (It’s implied that their family was never devout, and they didn’t regularly go to synagogue.)
[Spoiler warning] We never meet Lizzie’s mother, but it’s clear that she is a very important part of Lizzie and Jakob’s lives. Is she a spy? An innocent victim? A traitor? Those suggestions are all bandied about, but Lizzie holds out hope that she is alive and well.
Lizzie’s dad died when she was 3, so we don’t meet him either. But he turns out to have been a legendary decoder during the First World War.
Lizzie’s guardian, Gran, is a rather cranky individual who clearly wants to protect (and control) her rambunctious young granddaughter. Gran only calls her by her given name of Elizabeth, saying that “nicknames such as Lizzie are reserved for barmaids and axe murderers.” That gives rise to a running joke where people declare that Lizzie is their favorite barmaid and axe murderer. Lizzie says that she loves Gran, “but I’m not always certain that I like her.”
A tall smoking man in a trench coat turns out to be a British secret service agent named Jarvis who suggests Lizzie’s mom is a traitor and strives to prove it. He threatens both Lizzie and Jakob with imprisonment for obstructing his inquiries.
Gran’s hired man, Fleetwood, is a gruff cigar smoker whom Lizzie outfoxes several times. He’s also a heavy drinker.
Mrs. Tilbury is the owner and proprietor of a small inn where Jakob and Lizzie stay outside of Bletchley Park. She’s a kind and caring woman who takes Lizzie under her protective wing. Lizzie also becomes good friends with Mrs. Tilbury’s son, Colin.
Several people smoke in the story, but Jarvis is a guy who seems to be smoking every time we encounter him. (He admits that he’s trying to quit.) Fleetwood drinks heavily. On two occasions, he drinks until he falls asleep. Men drink beer at Mrs. Tilbury’s Inn. Lizzie attends an embassy party, and people drink wine and alcohol there.
Early on, Lizzie takes pride in the fact that she’s quite an accomplished liar, and we see her using that skill repeatedly.
For instance, Lizzie tricks and lies to an adult who’s hired to transport her from London to her wealthy grandmother’s home in Cleveland. In this case, the book forgives her actions since she’s also diligently trying to find and help her mom. However, we also see her called out and punished for some lies, too.
There are moments of peril involving the younger kids. And since it is a time of war, we hear of the destructive aftereffects of a bombing raid (i.e.: devastated buildings and vehicles in the London streets). Colin’s brother is a pilot and is reported missing over the English Channel. We also hear of other military attacks that killed innocent people.
Colin and Lizzie become close and both get to the point of admitting they have a crush on one another. The two hold hands at one point, but they both agree that since it’s a first crush for both, they’ll “just be better friends now.” (Lizzie also notes that good friendships can also feel like family, and “sometimes the families we build are just as strong as those we’re born into.”)
Did you find Lizzie and Jakob’s riddle solving fun? Would you have been able to think outside the box and reach for puzzle solutions like they did?
The book also examined what it might have been like to live in a time of war. How do you think kids growing up during World War II Britain dealt with always being afraid that an enemy might attack? Take a look at Joshua 1:9. What do you think that verse is telling us?
What does God want us to focus on when things are frightening? How do you think He gives us strength? Is there something “good” about sometimes being afraid? Can our fear help us make wise choices?
What was your favorite part of this story?
This well-written story, while fictional, is historically accurate and it gives young readers insight into real-world events of WWII. The Bletchley Riddle also praises devotion to friends and family members. It encourages young people to use their skills to help others in times of need.
That said, this is a story that deals with the threatening things of war.
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