CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

Elizebeth Smith’s introduction to codes and ciphers came while working for wealthy eccentric George Fabyan on a project involving a Shakespeare folio. Her future husband, William Friedman, also worked for Fabyan, who liked gathering the best and brightest around him. In fact, he was reluctant to let either Elizebeth or William leave his employment. But their growing expertise in codes and ciphers caught the attention of the military, and eventually they broke free. Elizebeth was hired by the U.S. Coast Guard to help their efforts against rum smugglers. Elizebeth’s mastery of her work was rooted in a gift for recognizing patterns—an essential element of deciphering and decoding. She was humble but confident, and angry when others, like the FBI, took credit for her achievements. During World War II, the couple worked for separate branches of the military, each doing top secret work that they couldn’t discuss with the other. With love and support for one another, they navigated work, raising two children, and William’s bouts of depression. In fact, it was Elizebeth’s determination to write a book about William after his death that helped ensure her own amazing life and career weren’t lost to history. Periodic “Code Breaks”—short pieces between some chapters providing more information about codes and ciphers (starting with the difference between them!)—add additional intrigue to this page-turning biography. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats: Biography, Autobiography and Memoir Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects: 20th Century Biography Codes and Ciphers Crime Girls and Women Love and Romance Soldiers/Military World War II
Diversity subjects: Christian Jewish
On CCBC Booklist: Math Books You May Have Missed 

Publisher: Random House Studio
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 328
ISBN: 9780593127193
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Friedman

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