This heartwarming tale introduces us to Robyn; an inquisitive twelve year old girl who, along with her parents, lives in Bletchley Park.
At the start of WW2, life in the park changes dramatically.
There is much secrecy and Robyn, who is so used to tinkering around in the garages whilst her father works there, finds herself shut out from her usual haunts.
She is then told she is to be removed from the local school, and finds herself constantly being reprimanded by 'The Heron' , as she and her friends have nicknamed the tall and gangly head of operations.
At first distraught at being made to sign The official secrets Act and becoming housebound after being withdrawn from school, Robyn quickly becomes busy in her new job as assistant in the aviary.
She strikes up a friendship with the carrier pigeons based there and is keen to do her best to help care for them.
As time passes, a friend from school; Mary, who has been evacuated to the countryside also finds employment as a message courier; and the two girls also befriend Ned, the son of a local tradesman employed to assist in the building of huts to house the new influx of staff to the secretive site.
Together the three friends set about trying to crack the codes they find in an attempt to solve the mysteries around them.
The book is incredibly well written and I really enjoyed reading this heartwarming tale. I found myself so invested in finding out what happened next and whether the three friends survived the perils of the war effort that I honestly forget that this is essentially a book aimed at children.
Such a good read, definitely recommend!
At the start of WW2, life in the park changes dramatically.
There is much secrecy and Robyn, who is so used to tinkering around in the garages whilst her father works there, finds herself shut out from her usual haunts.
She is then told she is to be removed from the local school, and finds herself constantly being reprimanded by 'The Heron' , as she and her friends have nicknamed the tall and gangly head of operations.
At first distraught at being made to sign The official secrets Act and becoming housebound after being withdrawn from school, Robyn quickly becomes busy in her new job as assistant in the aviary.
She strikes up a friendship with the carrier pigeons based there and is keen to do her best to help care for them.
As time passes, a friend from school; Mary, who has been evacuated to the countryside also finds employment as a message courier; and the two girls also befriend Ned, the son of a local tradesman employed to assist in the building of huts to house the new influx of staff to the secretive site.
Together the three friends set about trying to crack the codes they find in an attempt to solve the mysteries around them.
The book is incredibly well written and I really enjoyed reading this heartwarming tale. I found myself so invested in finding out what happened next and whether the three friends survived the perils of the war effort that I honestly forget that this is essentially a book aimed at children.
Such a good read, definitely recommend!