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Middle Grade Sidekick Super Review: The Bletchley Riddle (2025) by Ruta Sepetys and Steven Sheinkin
- 14 minutes ago
- 6 min read
The Basics
Page Length: 400
Audiobook Length: ~9.5 hours
Grade Reading Level: 4+
Target Audience Age: 8-13
Goodreads Score: 4.11 out of 5
Buy it HERE
Teacher's guide HERE
Setting: WWII (summer of 1940), Bletchley Park, England
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction/Mystery
Topics: WWII, Nazi Germany, Espionage, Cryptography, Sibling Dynamics, Missing Person, Friendship
Plot: Jakob and Lizzy Novis are teenagers in the summer of 1940. Their father died when they were young, and their mother is now missing. Everyone believes she is dead—including Jakob. But Lizzy has never given up hope.
When Lizzy is ordered to sail to America to escape the growing dangers of the war and live with her wealthy grandmother, she does everything she can to stay in England, determined to search for her mother instead. She turns to Jakob for help—a recent Cambridge graduate who has secured a secretive position working on the Enigma codebreaking machines at Bletchley Park.
As Jakob begins his classified work, he finds himself questioned by an MI5 agent about his mother’s possible involvement as a spy—perhaps even for Hitler himself. Meanwhile, Lizzy fights to prove she belongs at Bletchley, determined to uncover its secrets while continuing her search for answers about their mother. Then mysterious messages begin to arrive—cryptic, puzzling, and seemingly impossible. For the first time, the siblings dare to hope that their mother might still be alive.
But there is one constant obstacle looming over them: the Official Secrets Act. Both Jakob and Lizzy are bound by Britain’s strict secrecy laws, forbidden from discussing any aspect of their work at the Park—even with each other. As each of them uncovers pieces of a larger mystery, they must navigate the dangerous line between national duty and personal loyalty. Will their silence prevent them from connecting the clues that could lead them to their mother?
Themes: Family loyalty, keeping hope in dark times, power of secrets vs. harm they cause, quiet courage, intelligence as a weapon
You might like this book if you like:
Ciphers, logic puzzles, chess
WWII history, visiting museums/historical sites
Coding/cryptography
Books like: Murder is Bad Manners (Wells & Wong series), Secret Coders, The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman,
Shows like: The Mysterious Benedict Society, Mystery Hunters, Silverpoint
Movies like: The Book Thief, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, JoJo Rabbit, Enigma, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Hope and Glory
Other books written by this author: Ruta Sepetys: Salt to the Sea, Between Shades of Gray, I Must Betray You, The Fountains of Silence, Out of the Easy
Steve Sheinkin: Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, Lincoln's Grave Robbers, The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights, The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery
Teaching The Bletchley Riddle in Class
Content
Language: none
Sex/Romance: Some of the characters admit to having crushes on each other. They hold hands.
Violence/Scariness: There is a constant threat of a Nazi attack, "Operation Seagull." Eventually, London is bombed. The main characters' mother is a missing person. An MI-5 agent becomes verbally aggressive with the teenage main characters.
Drinking/Smoking/Drugs: Some adults smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. A teenager holds a pipe in his mouth, but never smokes it
Class Novel-ability:
This book would be SUCH a great class novel. Honestly, the only real downside is the length—but everything else about it makes up for that. It has wide appeal, strong historical content, multiple points of view, and storylines that really pull you in. Plus, there’s a full teacher’s guide with four ready-to-use lesson plans and tons of discussion questions, which makes planning so much easier. And if it feels a little long for a whole-class read, it would be perfect for book clubs or literature circles. It’s one of those books that sparks discussion and keeps students thinking.
The Star Qualities
This book includes an excellent teacher’s guide available for free on the publisher’s website. It features an extensive list of thoughtful discussion questions and four detailed, ready-to-use lesson plans. It’s a unique and valuable classroom resource—truly ready to implement right away. You can find it here
The book also contains photographs and a compelling historical note at the end. The images are actual photographs of Bletchley Park, which makes the setting come alive—the pond where the characters swim, the paths where messages are carried back and forth. I loved that these visuals were woven directly into the book; they make the world feel tangible and real. The historical note is another standout feature. I appreciated learning which elements of the story were grounded in fact and which were fictionalized, as well as discovering new details about Bletchley Park’s history.
The dual points of view are another major strength. One narrator is an older teenage boy; the other is a spirited and engaging younger teenage girl. Their perspectives alternate frequently, keeping readers invested and the pacing dynamic. The contrast between their voices broadens the book’s appeal—both boys and girls will find characters to connect with, and the story works well for middle school and high school readers alike. The multiple POV structure is a strong draw for student audiences.
Both authors are highly respected voices in YA historical fiction. Seeing them collaborate feels special. While Bletchley Park is one of the more widely known declassified secrets of World War II, the story of the Polish codebreakers is less familiar. Sepetys brings her gift for illuminating lesser-known historical stories, while Sheinkin contributes his expertise in YA nonfiction, blending research and storytelling seamlessly. And if students are captivated by this book, there’s an extensive list of additional titles by both authors to explore next.
Book Talk Read Aloud Section
If you have the physical book, read pages 1-2. Chapter 1. (If you have time I would also read chapter 2. Pages 3-7)
If you don't, read the same pages in the Kindle reading sample here.
"Reading Like a Writer" Mentor Texts
There are several passages like this throughout the book, all written in Lizzie’s POV. I love how dramatic she is — the repetition and parallel structure, the sentence fragments, the strategic paragraph breaks. The pacing and rhythm are expertly controlled. These are craft moves students can easily imitate to produce writing that feels strong and intentional.
This sentence is powerful because of the tension it builds. It includes vivid sensory detail, especially through sound. There is personification and imagery, making the creepy staircase feel alive. Internal warnings create foreshadowing, alluding to the fact that the narrator is in danger. The paragraph breaks, ellipses, and short, dramatic sentence fragments all work together to create a sense of unease and fear. This is a GOLDEN mentor text.
I love this passage because it vividly conveys the confusion and sadness of war. Although the narrator is running from someone, she ultimately becomes lost in her own city — a place she has known her entire life. Her disorientation is conveyed effectively through the use of a rhetorical question and the stark, fragmented description of the city’s changes. The final two sentences deepen the emotional impact, pairing the slow image of her turning in a circle with the haunting metaphor of the city’s color.
Sentences for Combining and Imitation
Sentence sets for combining:
"There are piles of stuff everywhere: books and newspapers, loose papers and boxes, grubby plates." (The Bletchley Riddle, p. 263)
There are piles of stuff everywhere.
There are books.
There are newspapers.
There are loose papers.
There are boxes.
There are grubby plates.
"I nap in the cinema in town, slumped in the back row with my Tigers cap pulled low over my eyes, drifting off to the eerie string music of Son of Frankenstein." (p. 170)
I nap in the cinema in town.
I'm slumped in the back row.
My Tigers cap is pulled low over my eyes.
I'm drifting off to music.
It's the eerie string music of Son of Frankenstein.
"They stand in a huddle, smoking, fidgeting, and checking their watches." (p. 136)
They stand in a huddle.
They are smoking.
They are fidgeting.
They are checking their watches.
Sentences for Imitation:
These sentences use parenthetical asides, colons, internal monologue, and short, dramatic fragments. Each is a simple, powerful move that students can imitate to instantly add drama and voice to their writing.
"When the air raid sirens sound–which has been happening almost every day–Tooth gets everyone into the shelters." (p. 262)
"Message delivered: You’re not trusted, Novis. If anyone comes to see you, I’ll know." (p. 262)
"This is war. Of the worst kind. Family war." (p. 172)
Used this book in your classroom? Tell us how in the comments!
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