Skip to main content

The Romeo and Juliet Code

By

by Phoebe Stone
Arthur A. Levine, 2011. 296 pgs. Fiction.


Although the cover is inexplicably unrelated to the text (were pink Bozo shoes and ankle socks even invented during World War II?), this is a great story. Felicity Bathburn Budwig, an 11-year old British girl, comes to America to avoid the bombing of the Blitz and stays with her father's family in Bottlebay, Maine. It is quickly apparent that there is some sort of "rift" in the family--her Uncle Gideon refuses to shake hands with her father Danny and is equally chilly towards her mother, Winnie. Though she is determined not to like her new family, Felicity--or Flissy, as she comes to be known--is soon an active member of the household which includes, besides Uncle Gideon, her grandmother, "The Gram," her Aunt Miami, and a mysterious person locked in an upstairs room--Captain Derek. Things soon become even more mysterious as Uncle Gideon receives overseas airmail letters in Danny's handwriting from Portugal, though he denies the letters are from Felicity's father. He also disappears for hours to a deserted offshore island, and hides the letters in a locked room. After Flissy coaxes "Captain" Derek out of his room, the two undertake to crack a secret code, discover the identity of Mr. Donovan , an enigmatic visitor from Washington, D. C., and find a boyfriend for Aunt Miami. Can't reveal much more without spoiling some significant surprises, but The Romeo and Juliet Code is a grand story in the British tradition, written by an American who fell in love with England at age ten. Well done!
Labels:

Comments

Lauren said…
I've passed on this one because of the cover, I might just have to check it out now!
March 23, 2011 at 5:54 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Alice with a Why

By
Alice with a Why By Anna James New York: Penguin, 2026. Fiction. 240 pgs. In 1919, in the aftermath of the first World War, Alyce is living with her grandmother in the English countryside. Her grandmother, also named Alice, tells Alyce (with a y) stories from her childhood adventures in a wonderful land filled with white rabbits and mad hatters. Alyce doesn't really believe the silly stories, she just misses her father who was killed in the war. One day, Alyce receives a mysterious invitation to tea, and subsequently falls into a pond where she is transported to Wonderland. Her grandmother, of course, is that Alice. Alyce is prompted by the Mad Hatter, Dormouse, and March Hare to seek out the Time Being and put an end to the war between the Sun King and the Queen of the Moon. Thus begins Alyce's adventure through Wonderland. I have a certain soft spot for the original story of Alice in Wonderland. It is one of my particular favorites and I often have a hard time reading new int...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall

By
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall By Jasmine Warga New York: Harper, 2024. Fiction. 211 pages. A painting has been stolen from the Penelope L. Brooks Museum and sixth-grader Rami Ahmed is worried he's the main suspect. His mother works at the museum as the lead custodian and Rami spends a lot of time hanging out at the museum while she works. On the day the painting went missing, the only people there were the security guard Ed, the cleaning crew, and Rami. Then, a mysterious girl appears in the museum. She floats around from room to room and only Rami can see her -- and she looks exactly like the girl from the missing painting. To prove his innocence and help figure out who the floating girl is, Rami partners up with an aspiring sleuth at school named Veda and the two dive into unexpected situations as they try to solve the mystery. This is a cozy mystery that is focused mostly on characters and ambiance and only a little on the mystery itself. Don't read this book if yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more