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Friendship in the Midst of WWII: code name verity by Elizabeth Wein

code name verity Tidbits

  • Author, Elizabeth Wein
  • Published 2012
  • 332 pages
  • Historical Fiction
  • Edgar Allan Poe Award (2013) for Best Young Adult Novel (YAL)
  • Michael L. Printz Award honor (2013) for Excellence in Young Adult Literature (YAL)
  • UK Literacy Association Award, 2013


Novel Summary

    Code Name Verity is a story that takes place during World War II and follows two young women serving in the British army. The bulk of the novel is framed as a written narrative confession by Verity, who is captured by the Gestapo in Nazi-occupied France. They believe she is a spy. Her account highlights her friendship with Maddie, the pilot who flew her into France. The plane crash-lands in enemy territory and Verity believes that Maddie is dead. Verity continues to write confessions and details of her and Maddie's time prior to the the crash.
    The very cool aspect of the story--and Verity's written confessions--is the clever deception and coded messages she weaves throughout her storytelling. This misleading serves as survival tactic, a way to protect critical intelligence, and resistance...I won't say more because I don't want to spoil anything for readers. 

Teaching Considerations

First of all, as with many riveting YAL works, student readiness needs to be assessed prior to using this text in any classroom/school setting. Some of the scenes are graphic/violent as well as the themes may be hard for students to understand if they aren't mature enough. Most students ages 13+ would be well-suited to read code name verity; however, the prose was so detailed and full that even I struggled to keep up with all the intricacies of the story. This should definitely be a book that is assigned through choice due to its complexities. 

Classroom Ideas

  • code name verity would be a great accompaniment to a larger unit/project about women who fought/served during WWII. The two main characters' experiences demonstrate the time period where women were still discriminated and limited in their personal lives and in military life. 
    • An engaging and authentic project idea could be for students to write a letter to modern-day women service members connecting WWWII women's service to today. 
    • A unit on the genre, historical fiction, could utilize code name verity along with other historical fictional YAL. Students could be organized/grouped/paired based on individual choice of novel. I found a good opinion source online for Historical Fiction YAL reads that includes code name verity: 20 Must-Read YA Historical Fictions
  • The theme of friendship is apparent throughout code name verity. This text could be one of a handful of novels for students to choose from in order to work through a unit about friendship. This text--and the two main characters' friendship--could be compared and contrasted to the friendships between main characters in other YAL works. Here are some great read aloud excerpts to spark or further discussion about the theme of friendship. This first one is from the latter part of the novel so should be used towards the end of reading. 
"Suddenly she laughed wildly and gave a shaking yell, her voice high and desperate. KISS ME, HARDY! Kiss me, QUICK!..." (pg. 285)

                    This excerpt, including heartbreaking line, is one of the novel's most memorable and emotional moments that summarizes the unbreakable bond between the two friends. It's a reference to Admiral Lord Nelson's alleged last words at Battle of Trafalgar in the Napoleonic Wars and a way for one of the friends to show the other what she needs in this intense moment. 

  • Exploring figurative language, more specifically motif. Peter Pan motifs are littered throughout Code Name Verity, such as when Julie's mother writes to Maddie, 

                    "Please come see me, Maddie darling, as soon as they let you...Please come back soon. The window is always open." (pgs. 331-332)

I honestly had a hard time noticing these motifs throughout the story until I researched awards and acclaim for code name verity. 

    There is so much symbolism in the story since Julie's written confessions are actually the opposite and seek to manipulate the Nazis along with throwing them off. I found myself having to reread many parts because there was so much symbolism and clues that Julie was providing. I still kind of struggled to understand it all once more of her actions were realized towards the latter part of the novel. 

Further Steps and Conclusion

    There are a plethora of real-life female hero figures from WWII that Elizabeth Wein may have researched during the creation/writing of code name verity; however, she discusses her real inspirations in other fictions as noted in her own writeup here: The Book Smugglers. I'd love to read more about fictional--and real women figures during times of war as that is what I often find happens when I read a historical fiction novel: I want to know more about the time period and/or the author's inspirations. code name verity did that for me, too!

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