Unbreakable: The Spies Who Cracked the Nazis' Secret Code

Ages 10 to 14

Bomb meets The Imitation Game in this edge-of-your seat, middle grade narrative nonfiction book about a group of codebreakers, spies, and soldiers that cracked the Nazis's infamous Enigma machine, allowing the Allies to read secret military messages and turn the tide of WWII.

During WWII, as the Germans waged war, every Nazi plan, every attack, was sent over radio. But to the Allies listening in, the messages sounded like gibberish. The communications were encoded with a powerful cypher—unless you could unlock the key to Germany's Enigma machine.

Featuring historical photos, Unbreakable tells the story of one of the most dangerous war-time code-breaking efforts ever. As Hitler marched his troops across conquered lands and deadly "wolfpacks" of German U-Boats prowled the open seas, victory—or defeat—for the Allies hinged on their desperate attempts to crack the code. Told in riveting multiple points of view, Unbreakable is perfect for fans of Alan Gratz, Jennifer Nielsen, The Boys Who Challenged Hitler and The Nazi Hunters.

About the Author

Rebecca E. F. Barone holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Bucknell University along with multiple graduate degrees in mechanical engineering. Her technical projects include injury analysis for the National Football League, and her short-form STEM writing has been published in the award-winning Muse magazine. She is passionate about serving and mentoring underrepresented populations in STEM and has continued to mentor in the kidlit arena with her participation in the #kidsneedmentors program. She is also the author of Race to the Bottom of the Earth: Surviving Antarctica (which received four starred reviews).