I, Spy: A Bletchley Park Mystery
by Rhian Tracey, illustrated by David Dean
Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9+
Published by Piccadilly Press, 2023
About this book
It is 1939 and Robyn lives with her parents in a cottage on the Bletchley Park estate, where her dad works as a driver. When war is declared, Bletchley Park becomes a hive of covert activity and Robyn is pulled out of school to assist Mr Samuels with his homing pigeons. She loves working with the birds and is amazed to learn that they are trained to carry secret messages home to Britain from allies in France.
Meanwhile, Robyn becomes increasingly suspicious of a sinister visitor to the estate, whom she nicknames the Heron. Together with her friends Mary and Ned, she determines to find out what he’s up to, but Bletchley is good at keeping secrets, and uncovering the truth proves to be a dangerous challenge.
This thrilling mystery adventure is packed full of covert codes, secret passageways and an abundance of intrigue. The book also provides a fascinating insight into the pivotal contribution made to the war effort by a multitude of covert workers at Bletchley Park, many of whom were women. The tale was inspired by the author’s great aunt, who worked as a code breaker at Bletchley Park during the second world war.
More books like this
-
Hide and Seek
by Rhian Tracey
9 to 14 years
-
Wrong Tracks
by Susan Brownrigg, illustrated by Jenny Czerwonka
9 to 14 years
-
Time Travel Twins: The Maya Sacrifice
by Josh Lacey, illustrated by Garry Parsons
9 to 14 years
-
Drive to Victory
by Karun Chandhok, illustrated by Max Rambaldi
9 to 14 years
Lists of recommended reads
-
Mystery books for 9+
Mystery books are very satisfying to read - can you follow the clues and solve the puzzle before the characters? They can be historical or contemporary, about murder or much less serious. Here are some of our favourite intriguing mysteries for ages 9 and older.
-
Books about World War II for teens
The Second World War has inspired many stories, and told the stories of many people over the years. These books for teenagers take a variety of different approaches to representing the events of World War II.
-
Books featuring letters or diaries
Letters or diaries can be brilliantly purposeful ways to learn and practise reading and writing skills. There is a certain magic and excitement to writing a message and sending it out into the world, knowing that somebody somewhere will read it and respond to you. Letters can be as simple or as complex as your need demands, whether you are writing to wish someone a happy birthday, to invite people to an event, to your future self in the form of a diary or perhaps to persuade or inform with a more formal tone. The following books are for a mixed primary age-range and all feature letters or diaries in a variety of forms. We hope that they will help children to see the value in letter writing and maybe inspire them to write a few of their own!