Code Name Verity
Wein, Elizabeth
Hyperion Books. 2012. ISBN: 1423152190
Summary
During World War II, two girls meet in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in England and form a fast friendship. On a dangerous and secret mission into occupied France, their plane crashes. One of the girls parachutes down, and is quickly captured by the Gestapo after making a dire mistake. Believing her friend the pilot to be dead, and after being tortured and threatened with execution, Verity makes a deal with her captors to give up everything she knows about the British war effort. As she writes her confession, we learn the story of the friendship between the two women, and their courage and determination to fight for their country.
Critical Evaluation
The book received very favorable reviews from critics, and was chosen as one of the Printz Honor books of 2013. It is well-written and researched, and will also appeal to adult readers. It might, however, appeal more to adult readers than teen readers, because of its abundant detail about wartime operations and fighter planes in World War II. While many books written about war will appeal to all readers because they focus on the human element of the story, like The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, it seems that adequate interest in military history and a mind for detail is necessary to enjoy this book. The other important characteristic of the story is that it is a puzzle, and approaching it as one from the start would be helpful to fully understand and appreciate the story. It would be difficult to speak more about the book without giving away the story, which is essential to the enjoyment of the book.
One great thing about the book is its interesting narrative. It was written as a form of a written confession, as Verity weaves her confession and her current situation into one story. There is another element to the storytelling, adding to the creativity of the work, which cannot be revealed but will comes a great surprise to those who read the book. This is what sets Code Name Verity apart from many other less impressive young adult novels currently.
Because the narrative is very complex and detailed, so this is not a leisurely beach read or a fast-paced adventure story, but requires thought and concentration, not only for the puzzles it contains but the detailed descriptions of military operations. It will appeal to readers looking for a challenging and complex book, and also to World War II or military history enthusiasts of all ages.
Reader’s Annotation
When British spy “Verity” is captured and questioned by the Gestapo in France, she is forced to write a confession detailing her involvement in the Allied war effort.
About the Author
“Elizabeth Wein has lived in Scotland for over ten years and wrote nearly all her novels there. Her first five books for young adults are set in Arthurian Britain and sixth century Ethiopia. The most recent of these form the sequence The Mark of Solomon, published in two parts as The Lion Hunter (2007) and The Empty Kingdom (2008). The Lion Hunter was short-listed for the Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction in 2008. Elizabeth also writes short stories.
Elizabeth’s latest novel for teens is a departure in a totally new direction. Code Name Verity, to be published by Egmont UK, Disney-Hyperion and Doubleday Canada in 2012, is a World War II thriller in which two young girls, one a Resistance spy and the other a transport pilot, become unlikely best friends.” – Elizabeth Wein Biography
Website: http://www.elizabethwein.com/
Genre
Historical fiction, adventure
Curriculum Ties
World History
Booktalking Ideas
- Talk about Verity’s capture and her decision to give up British war secrets to the Nazis.
- Discuss the friendship between Verity and Maddie.
- Discuss women’s involvement in the WAAF and in the war effort.
Interest/Reading Level
Grade 9+/ATOS 6.5
Challenge Issues: violence
Challenge Defense Ideas:
- Have a copy of the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights to show/give to patron.
- In addition to, or in place of the above, explain library policy of inclusion of information that might be controversial. For example, Pasadena Public Library, Philosophy of Selection. Have a printed copy ready, with appropriate sections highlighted.
- Explain the parental rights and responsibilities with their children’s library use. Explain the different card designations and the parents’ right to monitor or restrict borrowing of materials.
- Depending on the library’s policy, either have paperwork to fill out for formal challenges, or the contact information of those who handle challenges.
- Give examples of book reviews from School Library Journal, Library Journal, or BookList. Note any awards that the book received.
Reasons for Inclusion
2013 Printz Honor Book.
The book starts with a boy drowning. He drowns. He wakes up in his childhood home in England, except it looks like it had been abandoned for decades. Everything is as he remembers, even the prison looming forebodingly close to his house and in his memory, but everything is covered in dust and unusable with age. He believes that he is in hell, forced to wake up every day in the house and in the country his family was more than happy to leave behind. But is there more to it than being his own private hell? When he finds out that he is not alone there, is it because he created others out of his imagination or do they exist independent of him?
Teen Picks 