The Romeo and Juliet Code
Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Felicity Bathburn Budwig does not appreciate being deposited in Bottlebay, ME, by her parents, but she understands the necessity as it is 1941 and London is under constant bombardment by the Germans. She is welcomed into her father's family's Victorian house populated by The Gram, Aunt Miami, Uncle Gideon, and the reclusive "Captain Derek," who turns out to be a boy recovering from polio. Felicity and Derek team up to discover why Gideon receives letters from her father that she is not supposed to see and to puzzle out the code they contain. In doing so, the girl uncovers family secrets surrounding her parents' estrangement from the Bathburn clan. Felicity's internal observations propel this mystery forward with good effect. She rather resembles a combination of Noel Streatfeild's English waifs and Polly Horvath's Primrose from Everything on a Waffle (Farrar, 2001). Her insecure whisperings to her bear, Wink, show her private feelings in an endearing flashback to childhood, and readers will identify with the protagonist in all her schemes. The girl's thoughts articulate clues for readers to notice, making this a story truly told through the eyes of its narrator. Her perspective is not necessarily accurate, yet just like the codes she deciphers, it allows readers to uncover the truth. Pair this up with Noel Streatfeild's "Shoes" books (Random) or Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn Dixie (Candlewick, 2000) as a quietly touching story of finding one's place in the world.-Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.