Code Name Verity

Wein, E. (2012). Code name Verity. New York: Hyperion.

Truth. Verity. Elizabeth Wein intricately weaves past and present to deliver the story of two best friends. Maddie and Julie…aka Eva Seiler….aka Queenie bonded together in a time of uncertainty as a spy and a pilot for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Hitler had invaded France and WWII was on the horizon. By fate their paths cross and endure a plane crash in enemy territory. Julie is captured and interrogated by the Gestapo’s Amadeus von Linden. Julie and Maddie’s story is told through Julie’s written confession continually flashing back and forth from her POW experience to the events that lead her that point. Through the confession, the journey of their special friendship in which they become like family over time is felt beyond the pages. Each puts their life on the line for the other without a second thought. In the end, the narrative point of view changes, and the story is then concluded in Maddie’s perspective. Maddie’s attempts at saving Julie fail, but the event adds to the believability of the time in which the book is set. Code Name Verity is a fascinating historical fiction novel. The characters are so vivid and details so precise it reads like non-fiction. It would be a great supplement to high school WWII instruction as an analysis of women’s place in war as well as giving insight to the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.