It took longer to read than I had planed on because I kept having to stop for a good ole’ cry, but it was absolutely worth it. In this companion volume to the critically acclaimed novel Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein continues to explore themes of friendship and loyalty, right and wrong, and unwavering bravery in the face of indescribable evil. These damaged women must bond together to help each other survive. There, she meets an unforgettable group of women, including a once glamorous and celebrated French detective novelist whose Jewish husband and three young sons have been killed a resilient young girl who was a human guinea pig for Nazi doctors trying to learn how to treat German war wounds and a Nachthexen, or Night Witch, a female fighter pilot and military ace for the Soviet air force. On her way back from a semi-secret flight in the waning days of the war, Rose is captured by the Germans and ends up in Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi women’s concentration camp. Rose Justice is a young pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. Literary Awards: Schneider Family Book Award for Teen (2014), Josette Frank Award (2014), SCBWI Golden Kite Award Nominee for Fiction (2014), Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2015), Carnegie Medal Nominee (2014) Themes: WWII, Concentration Camps, Prisoners of War, Ravensbruck, Nuremberg Trialsįeatures: General Bibliography, Suggested reading – accounts of Ravensbruck Survivors, Suggested reading – Internet Sources Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, WWII Fiction, YA Fiction I don’t care who the intended audience is, Rose Under Fire is one heck of a read, and I would recommend it to anyone. Hell, It’s not often I am hit so hard by a work of YA fiction, but I guess that’s why Rose Under Fire has been awarded so many literary honours.

As I sit here writing this review I am still bawling – just when I think I have it under control I see something in my house that triggers thoughts not only about Rose but also my own grandfather who was also POW and I start crying all over again.

The rose code book summary