The Secrets Act by Alison Weatherby originally piqued my interest when it was shared by a local bookshop on their social media account and I realised it was about our shared local historic site – Bletchley Park.
I’ve been to Bletchley several times (and you can read about my most recent trip here) and am always fascinated by the stories of those who worked at the Park and lived in Bletchley. Over the years I’ve read several books set there with varying degrees of success. What makes The Secrets Act a bit special is that it is actually a Young Adult book, and one that I originally bought my thirteen year old daughter to read. She really enjoyed it and told me she thought I would too – and she was right.
The main thing that makes The Secrets Act a YA title is that the main characters are in their late teens and as such shows what it must have been like to suddenly go from a wartime childhood to a top secret code-breaking centre. It’s a different angle from books I’ve read there before, but at the same time it is also perfectly accessible as an adult book too. Relationships between some characters are spoken about in a slightly simpler way than an adult book might give you, but the plot easily stands up to adult readers.
As someone who has always been interested in espionage too the fact that there is a spy plot in this book just makes it even better. I also found it really easy to relate to all of the characters in the book, and when reading it really felt like I could imagine myself back at Bletchley Park walking into the main Manor House or one of the huts. Even the scenes set near the garages at the back or in the bike racks felt incredibly real. And that probably explains why I saw this in the gift shop there on my last visit.
If you have any kind of interest in Bletchley Park, the work that went on there and the lives of those who undertook that top secret work then I highly recommend The Secrets Act.
The Secrets Act is available to buy online here*.
Further reading
If you’re still interested in Bletchley Park then take a look at what I thought of The Amber Shadows which was also set there. If you are after Young Adult fiction then here are other titles that I’ve read and written about on Penny Reads.
*Disclaimer: This post contains a link to Amazon. If you go there and buy anything I will receive a small commission, but it will cost you no more than if you’d gone there on your own. Many thanks for any purchases you do make, they are very much appreciated.
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