Wein, E. (2012). Code name verity. New York: Hyperion.
Code Name Verity is the story of two friends. Two young women who both work for the British war effort with two different jobs. Julia also known as Queenie (code name Verity) and is a spy. Maddie (code name Kittyhawk) is a pilot. The story is told in two parts. One is the confession of Queenie to the Gestapo who have kept her a prisoner after she has been tortured and interrogated. The confession is also her story of friendship with Maddie. The second part is through the diary of Maddie who has crashed landed in France after taking Queenie to her mission.
Code Name Verity is classified as historical fiction based on the setting details of a particular time and place. The characters "personalize history by showing how societal conditions affect their lives" (Chance, p.76). It focuses on friendship within the cruel conditions of war particularly the inhumane conditions of WWII. I would highly recommend this book to both literature and history teachers as part of any high school students required reading in combination with their study of history in this particular time. It's a different and unique point of view than that of a male war hero or a runaway Jewish family, yet it still shows the intense and heart breaking conditions of the war through a personal story of friendship.
Chance, R. 2014. Young adult literature in action: a librarian's guide/ second edition. Libraries Unlimited. Santa Barbara, California
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