Ruth Eastham

This is the first book I have read by Ruth Eastham and I appreciate how she intertwines a modern-day narrative with historical ideas and events in a very seamless way. Nathan, the main character, is very ordinary and likeable as are his friends and the rest of his family.
The story starts when Nathan's dad is arrested for breaking the Official Secrets Act. He works for the Ministry of Defence and is accused of leaking top-secret information. As he is dragged into a police car he leaves Nathan a message, or rather a riddle to solve. He must to solve this first riddle, then find and work out subsequent clues if he is to save his dad from a life in prison.
Nathan and his family have recently moved into a house owned by a great Aunt fascinated by WWII. There is memorabilia throughout the house. The clues Nathan is given lead him to another mystery that was started by Lily Kenley, a Bletchley Park employee in the 1940s, who stayed in the house during the war and then disappeared suddenly. The clues Nathan is given by his dad follow a path left by Lily and take him on a journey around his local area and to Bletchley Park.
Nathan is sworn to secrecy but his friends, Sasha and Josh, learn about his quest early on and are determined to help. He has to be careful as his father indicated there are traitors in the Ministry. There certainly seems to be someone watching his every move and listening in on his conversations. With the help of his friends, Nathan must solve the mystery before the Ministry of Defence figures out what he is up to and the evidence of his father's innocence disappears.
It is a good story for younger readers upper primary / lower secondary. The book very neatly incorporates mystery, history and adventure all into one story. The references to Bletchley Park, the Enigma code and the Coventry Blitz are fascinating. An image of Coventry Cathedral's ruin is incorporated into the cover.
For those who have had their appetite whetted by the story there is a short reference section a the back for anyone who wants to know more about Bletchley Park or the Enigma code… (mais)

YA / Adult Crossover Book.

This was such a touching book, I can quite see why it has been attracting such excellent reviews.
There is also a lot squeezed into its 240 pages.

Alex is a wonderful character, with an unusual background - he was a survivor of the Balkan wars, having lost all his family in the atrocities. He was adopted into the Smith family at the age of 6, suddenly finding himself with an older sister and a brother of the same age, plus little Sophie who is born later. Although he tries to shut off his frightening past, it still haunts him from time to time.
He also finds himself with a lovely Grandad.
When we join the story, Grandad is starting to show signs of Alzheimer's disease and it seems to be progressing rapidly. Grandad is Alex's closest confidante and he is desperate to save him from being put into an old people's home. His attempts to remind Grandad of his past (and hence, slow the memory loss Grandad is suffering) result in many of his own submerged memories resurfacing.
This journey back into the past also brings out hidden family secrets and war stories.

Eastman cleverly intertwines all these diffuse elements to produce a YA novel that is informative and beautiful at the same time.
Highly recommended for both adults and younger readers.… (mais)

This is the story of Alex, a Bosnian boy who was adopted into the Smith family after the conflict in former Yugoslavia. His grandad is becoming very forgetful and Alex wants to try and dig into his past to help him to remember.

This is a lovely book. Alex is a great creation, a boy who genuinely wants to do the right thing. He doesn't always get thanked for the digging around he is doing, but it pays off eventually. I really enjoyed following Alex as he found out about his grandad's past, through photographs, stories, talking to people, gravestones etc. As somebody who enjoys history and research this all really appealed to me.

The author has produced a little gem with this book. It's a young adult or children's book, but adults can definitely enjoy it too. Highly recommended, and a useful tool to help explain the effects of Alzheimer's, or to encourage discussion about family histories.… (mais)