Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2024 Gr 8 Up—A thrilling account of how teen girls helped break Nazi code intercepted during World War II. Through impeccable research and magnetic writing, Fleming uncovers the lives of young women who were recruited to live and work at Bletchley Park in the UK countryside, often leaving their homes for the first time, without knowledge as to how they would be aiding the war effort. From all walks of life and with different skills to commend them, the Wrens, part of the female branch of the UK's Royal Navy, were sworn to secrecy and threatened with treason charges and death if their mission was ever revealed to their families. Readers are given a mix of personal stories set against the backdrop of major World War II events, such as the London Blitz, Pearl Harbor, and D-Day. The teens' efforts influenced these monumental milestones, and the gravity of their work was not lost on them. Still, they were young women who played pranks on one another, liked to dress up for local dances, and got homesick. Intermingled throughout are "Top Secret" chapters that feature in-depth explanations of the type of work the Enigma girls (named after the Enigma machine they used to break Nazi code) did, such as illustrating the difference between codes and ciphers and how to decipher coded messages. Fleming captures the emotional and psychological burdens that these teenagers carried and balances it with detailed descriptions of the technology used to carry out their lifesaving tasks. The narrative is broken up by copious black-and-white photographs of the rooms the Wrens worked in; important figures of the time, such as Winston Churchill; the machines they worked on; and other wartime events. The work features a bibliography, source notes, index, and more. VERDICT Fleming does it again! Purchase this compelling blend of WWII, cryptography, and women's history that will mesmerize middle schoolers and inspire them to make an indelible impact on history, too.—Shelley M. Diaz - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2024 *Starred Review* While many books for adults have explored the secret facility at Bletchley Park in England and the lives of those working there during WWII, relatively few resources are available for a younger audience. The Germans believed that their complex encryption system was impenetrable; the people working at Bletchley proved them wrong. For three decades after the war, those who had worked on this secret project were not allowed to speak or write about it. In this absorbing book, Fleming approaches the subject by telling the individual stories of 10 young women (most were 18 years old) who left their homes to work secretly on projects related to the German military’s Enigma cipher machine. The book's many archival photographs offer glimpses of buildings and projects at Bletchley and scenes of men and women working there during the war, as well as pictures of world leaders, landmarks, and ships at sea. Even readers with little interest in codes and ciphers will find the women’s experiences intriguing. Fleming organizes the material well and provides extensive source notes. The book explores the Enigma girls’ lives and the importance of their war work, while showing that their choices, actions, and achievements helped the Allies change the course of history. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.