Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone

Phoebe Stone is a talented writer.  I didn't know if I was going to like this book because its title is sorta cheesy and the cover looks like it's about high schoolers getting handsy, but it was AMAZING. There's love, loss, intrigue, and World War II.  If you like WWII stories, you will like this book.

Felicity Bathburn Budwig leaves home in England with her beloved Winnie and Danny to live with the Bathburns of Bottlebay.  Her uncle, aunt, and grandmother all have quirky names and they soon give Felicity the nickname "Flissy."  Thank God the character doesn't really like that name either, or I would have had to put the book down immediately.  Soon the mystery of where Felicity's parents have gone, who the Captain is, and where Felicity will finally feel that she belongs are in full swing, and with the intriguing setting of the war, I couldn't put it down.  

With references to things I love, like The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Phoebe Stone shows that she really gets kids.  Flissy begins her own journey of love while unearthing a story of love and pain which will change her view of the world forever.  You’ll learn some cool English phrases like “not half chuffed” and you’ll hear some details of the United States during the second World War.  President Franklin Delano Roosevelt even makes a sort of cameo.  Maybe it’s unbelievable, but it just feels right.

Phoebe Stone weaves a tale of love and history and secrets that is captivating.  Growing up and learning that many blessings come in disguise with the quirky Bathburns of Bottlebay is truly entertaining.  I have to own this book.  Tell Phoebe Stone that when I think of good WWII stories, “I think of you.  I think of you.”

Here's the graphic organizer: