An engaging examination of the important although often unsung work of spies.
Spies played a critical and fascinating role in World War II.
Ruelle provides interesting and sometimes suspenseful biographies of eight active, important, and often heroic spies who worked during World War II. Ruelle profiles Juan Pujol Garcia, a talented Spanish storyteller; Jasper Maskelyne, a British magician; Josephine Baker, an African American performer; Eddie Chapman, a British thief; Virginia Hall, an American State Department employee and amputee; Noor Inayat Khan, a biracial (Indian/White) Sufi woman who grew up in France and England; Roy Hawthorne, a Navajo Code Talker; and Moe Berg, a Jewish American major league baseball player. (With the exception of Baker, Khan, and Hawthorne, Ruelle’s subjects presented White.) They took varied paths to their dangerous new careers, but many were already experienced travelers who were fluent in several languages. All of them seem to have shared steely nerves and a willingness to put their lives in significant peril. For young Noor Khan, her efforts would ultimately result in her execution by the Nazis. Brief, unobtrusive, but useful sidebars provide additional information, and ample period photographs and maps are sprinkled throughout the text. Covering similar material and aimed at the same age group, this effort is far superior to Jennifer Swanson’s Spies, Lies, and Disguise, illustrated by Kevin O’Malley (2019). Additional material includes information about several other spies, codes, and suggestions for crafting secret messages.
An engaging examination of the important although often unsung work of spies. (bibliography, recommended reading, source notes, index) (Collective biography. 10-14)Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3757-3
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality.
An examination of the history of Chinese American experiences.
Blackburn opens with a note to readers about growing up feeling invisible as a multicultural, biracial Chinese American. She notes the tremendous diversity of Chinese American history and writes that this book is a starting point for learning more. The evenly paced narrative starts with the earliest recorded arrival of the Chinese in America in 1834. A teenage girl, whose real name is unknown, arrived in New York Harbor with the Carnes brothers, merchants who imported Chinese goods and put her on display “like an animal in a circus.” The author then examines shifting laws, U.S. and global political and economic climates, and changing societal attitudes. The book introduces the highlighted people—including Yee Ah Tye, Wong Kim Ark, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, and Vincent Chen—in relation to lawsuits or other transformative events; they also stand as examples for explaining concepts such as racial hierarchy and the model minority myth. Maps, photos, and documents are interspersed throughout. Chapters close with questions that encourage readers to think critically about systems of oppression, actively engage with the material, and draw connections to their own lives. Although the book covers a wide span of history, from the Gold Rush to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the Covid-19 pandemic, it thoroughly explains the various events. Blackburn doesn’t shy away from describing terrible setbacks, but she balances them with examples of solidarity and progress.
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality. (resources, bibliography, image credits) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567630
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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