I always hope people give books as gifts, especially nonfiction for kids - and this sounded very worthwhile.
THE ENIGMA GIRLS: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets and Helped Win World War II, by Candace Fleming
A gripping narrative celebrating teen girls’ underrecognized contributions to Allied war efforts.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/candace-fleming/the-enigma-girls/
In this WWII narrative that ranges from 1939 to 1945, Fleming (Crash from Outer Space) chronicles the experiences of 10 young women who, with “record players and teddy bears in tow,” took up top secret work at Bletchley Park. Urgent prose sets the scene, detailing a period of barrage balloons, blackouts, and ration cards as government agencies—such as the “hush-hush” Government Code and Cipher School that inhabited Bletchley Park—move to countryside haunts in hopes of wartime safety. Quick-paced, thoroughly researched chapters ... a fascinating and cohesive overview.
www.publishersweekly.com/9781338749571
“This is the story of a handful of young women — teenagers really — who left their childhoods behind and walked into the unknown,” Candace Fleming writes in “The Enigma Girls,” her beguiling new account of their contributions. “For most of their lives, they never breathed a word about their war experiences.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/books/review/enigma-girls-teenagers-bletchley-park-candace-fleming.html