Author Candace Fleming brings WWII history to life through the stories of ten young women who served in various crucial roles at Bletchley Park in England’s top-secret code-cracking operations. Many of them utilized their advanced mathematics skills to decode Nazi messages and ciphers. The narrative is supported by explanatory connections that clarify cryptography and encourage readers to try their hand at it. – Terrell Young, Mathical Selection Committee
Bletchley Park was a well-kept secret during World War II, operating under the code name Station X. The critical work of code-cracking Nazi missives that went on behind its closed doors could determine a victory or loss against Hitler’s army. Amidst the brilliant cryptographers, flamboyant debutantes, and absent-minded professors working there, it was teenaged girls who kept Station X running. Some could do advanced math, while others spoke a second language. They ran the unwieldy bombe machines, made sense of wireless sound waves, and sorted the decoded messages. They were expected to excel in their fields and most importantly: know how to keep a secret.
– Book description from publisher