Code Name Verity

Becky - hadn't remembered to pick a book, so when she saw the great reviews online, she chose it. Laughed to herself when she thought of how Sandy must be enjoying it. Becky liked how the story wove literature into the plot and how Maddie and Julie bonded. She knew Julie was trying to get information out to someone, but didn't know to whom. She considered it YA fiction because the plot was plausible, but not likely.  Since Julie was trying to stay alive by writing, her part of the story was bogged down in details, but it picked up in the second half. She didn't see Julie's death coming. She found the WWII details interesting, such as uses for kerosene, and the origin of ball point pens. She liked the Peter Pan references.  

Pat - like almost everyone else I thought the first part dragged and the second picked up quite a bit. I found Julie's story of what was happening to her in France much more interesting than what she was writing for Von Linden. I had a hard time with how both characters got their story across. Neither seemed realistic. Julie would have been shot for writing a novel and Maddie wouldn't have risked everyone's lives by writing either. But like Letitia said, fiction doesn't have to be completely believable. And once I accepted that, I began to enjoy it a lot more.

Carolyn - had a hard time getting started with this and thought she'd never get through it She was surprised by how much everyone liked it online.She wondered if she read it a second time through if she could decode the underlined parts and see all the intricate plot connections. She thought she should be feeling sorry for the characters, but didn't, and was confused as to the switched ID between Julie and Maddie. Carolyn didn't take any notes which made her realize she had just been reading without making any connections. She found the French Resistance fighters very brave and thought the second half of the book was better and less confusing than the first. 

Miles - felt bad to say this, but the book didn't really start for him until the French girl got her head chopped off. Until the guillotine, it seemed too YA. The story earned three or four points right there. Miles liked the characters and their friendship, but he found how much they knew about each other incredulous. He wondered if Julie really was a German spy, and was blown away by her death, expecting a pat rescue ending. He found the plot line clever even though it took over half the book to set it up. 

Michelle - had to really focus and concentrate to keep things straight. She had no trouble with the two main characters, but towards middle got tired of going back and forth between the two narratives Julie was writing. During the second half she couldn't wait to read it. She found Julie funny and witty and recalled her description of being like an upside down tortoise when knocked over tied up in her chair. She liked how Julie gave glimpses of Von Linden's humanity, and thought both girls were tough smart women who never would have become friends if not for the war. She found herself thinking a lot about this story which is one of the reasons she rated so high and thinks she would have to read it twice to get it all.

Artie - also thought the first half slogged and that the second half moved along in part because it revealed what Queenie was really doing, which he found very interesting and clever. The characters were believable and likely not far from the truth in regards to people rising to whatever the circumstances of the war demanded. He thought the author did a good job giving both characters, who were strong women in peril, two separate writing styles. Artie found the author's notes at the end bothersome and unnecessary. The piece stood by itself and didn't need her rationale. 

Letitia - loved the first part. She didn't think it was plausible but fiction does not have to be totally believable. She was a bit disturbed with how much she found herself laughing, and thought it was almost too funny at times. She was very entertained yet often horrified which made her wonder what distinguishes a YA from an adult novel. More torture described for adult? She loved Queenie's voice and believed Maddie to be dead until the second half. She thought the second half was beyond imagination and was blown away by its twists. The author impressed her. She felt for the characters, was moved by the book and found it a clever, entertaining read that she would highly recommend.  

K'Lynn - got this in the Teen section of her library and was told by the librarian that she was lucky to find a copy, so she had very high expectations, which she admitted might have biased her opinion. She thought it was an original, well-written story, but Verity's voice annoyed her from the beginning. Her top ten list of fears that included dates and lip gloss seemed so petty that by the time her transition occurred, K'Lynn didn't care about her character. She often asked herself, Really? Really, would that happen? And she asked herself this question so much she was unable to reconcile the book as a whole. 

Maggie - read this whilst poolside in Cabo, which was just one of the advantages she had, hence my use of the British 'whilst'.  It's an English book by an English author, and she knew all the places that were mentioned in England and could picture them very well. Queenie's voice also bothered her (she referred to it as Jolly Hockeysticks) until she learned that Julie was from a privileged background, then it was more acceptable. Maggie also wondered if we'd find out that Julie was really a spy. Something told her that Julie wasn't a coward. Kiss me Hardy were Nelson's last words, and are very famous. Would it be fair to compare them to the American, Remember the Alamo? Nelson is a huge historical figure in England, and every Brit would be familiar with him (see Trafalgar Square). A comrade of Nelson's is buried in the tiny village Maggie grew up in and every year there's a big ceremony commemorating his death. Maggie cried when she read Julie's mother's letter to Maddie. 

Sandy - rated this a 4 and shared her formula:

• 1 Point for finishing the story
• 2 Points for Julie's death
• -2 points for repeating part 1 in part 2
• 2 points for Julie's mother's letter which made for the most perfect ending ever
• 1 point for liking Becky

Sandy knew the underlined parts meant something, but by the time the code was revealed she didn't care. Von Linden would have blown Julie away with how she drug the story out.  Come on, let's get on with it! Sandy thought both characters had the same voice, except that Maddie cried a lot and Julie was a blonde. She counted nine uses of Easy Peasy, and felt like we're supposed to be blown away by the fact that there were women pilots. The Peter Pan references: Oh My God I don't care! She doesn't like mysteries and thinks that pieces of the puzzle are revealed whenever the plot gets weak.