Spies, Lies and Disguise: The Daring Tricks and Deeds that
Won World War II by Jennifer Swanson, illustrated by Kevin O’Malley, 132
pages. Bloomsbury, 2019. $22.
Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Fifteen different stories are summarized in
this nonfiction account about World War II.
The chosen chapters revolve around little known operations that helped
win the war. Some of the topics cover
the Code Talkers, different spy missions, Operation Mincemeat, Bletchley Park,
and the plans behind D-Day.
What a great
idea, but the writing style is condescending. I enjoyed the compilation of the many ways
the Allies worked at winning the war but could not get over the tone and voice
of the author. She asks a ton of
questions and uses phrases that are patronizing. She also downplays the horrid nature of war
and Hitler, while trying to be witty, but just comes off disrespectful. Cool pictures, great premise, poor
execution. I do think there’s pieces of
information that teachers could use and present in a better way to their
students.
Reviewer, C. Peterson
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