A review by mjenae
How I Became a Spy by Deborah Hopkinson

adventurous hopeful informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Reasons I enjoyed this book:

  • London! This story has a pretty strong sense of place for a middle grade book. Not enough in the dialogue or prose to notice, but all the familiar landmarks were there. 84 Charing Cross Road, Big Ben, Baker Street. (Since it is a mystery, the stories of Sherlock Holmes play a big part.)
  • The feeling of historical accuracy. I say “feeling” because I don't know enough about London during WW2 to verify any of the facts. But it included a couple real historical figures and a lot of real events. I feel like the author must have conducted a good amount of research.
  • Girl spies! I love a girl spy in any book. And this one didn't let me down. Also included a lot of coding, which was interesting. If you're in the mood to learn different cyphers and put them to use (I wasn't, but maybe another time), you'll enjoy the intermittent coding exercises.
  • Character diversity. A Jewish refugee, an American girl (who, yes, did kind of fill the same role as would a British boy in an American MG book), a French spy, a senior bookstore owner—I loved it.
  • Emotional backstory. That was the real hook for me. I don't think I would've been as interested if not for the anticipation of watching the emotional conflicts being resolved. It wasn't quite strong enough to elicit much of a reaction from me, but it was a solid theme. Solid—that's a good word for the book in general. A solid piece of WW2 children’s fiction.