Code Name Verity

by Elizabeth Wein

Told in two halves, Code Name Verity throws us directly into the dark side of World War II. The first half is a gripping, stream of conscious confession of a captured British, teenage girl spy.

The second half brings us the flip side: Maddie’s story. The spy’s best friend and pilot, ferrying planes back and forth across the British countryside.

And that’s all I feel comfortable saying.

So. Code Name Verity.

I loved this book. I really, seriously adored this book. I mean, whoa.

I’m not exactly wordsmithing this post, but here’s the deal: it is so hard to figure out what to say without giving too much away. Without completely ruining the book. So. Hard.

Here’s what I will say: I love reading books about strong, resilient teens. Specifically teen girls. I also love when those teens have flaws and do things wrong and must rise to the occasion. Code Name Verity had all of this.

But what I love most of all is when a story centers around a friendship. And Wein’s gorgeous novel is grounded in the story of two best friends. There may be a hint of a love story, but it doesn’t even matter. What matters is the relationship between these two girls and how they interact and help each other through the war.

Clearly, this is a historical novel. So, if that’s not your cup of tea, then maybe Verity isn’t for you. I’ve also read a few reviews about how the book can be boring/dragging. And I understand that, especially in Part 1. The stream of conscious writing can seem full of random, unnecessary details and suffer from a lack of editing. But let’s be real. The confession she’s writing would not have been edited. But I do get it.

Also, on the fair warning front, there are some pretty graphic descriptions of torture. So, there’s that.

I think it’s amazing, though. And how Wein handles the storyline is super impressive. This book both gutted me and gave me hope. Just a lovely, lovely read and one of my Top 5 of the year, so far.

Published by: Disney/Hyperion; Hyperion Books for Children
How I Stumbled Upon this Book: egalley provided by publisher