Break the Code, Elizebeth!

Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars 

by Laurie Wallmark; illus. by Brooke Smart 

48 pages; ages 7-11

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021

theme: STEM, biography, codes

Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a cryptanalyst with a stellar reputation, agreed to work with the FBI on their top-secret project.

Once she broke the codes, she uncovered a ring of German spies. Pretty good for someone  who got into code breaking by accident. You see, Elizebeth loved languages. She majored in English, studied Greek and Latin, and wanted to work in literature. Instead, she was hired to look for secret codes in Shakespeare’s plays. She liked playing around with codes, and became so good at code breaking that, during WWI the US government hired her to decode enemy messages. When WWII came around, the US still didn’t have a code breaking unit – so Elizebeth had to create one.

What I like about this book: I like how Laurie Wallmark includes quotes from Elizabeth throughout the book. And the glimpses into her private life – like dinner parties with invitations written in code. And the Back Matter (of course): more information about codes and ciphers with a hands-on “Crack the Code!” activity. There’s also information about modern cryptography (fancy name for code breaking), a timeline, and bibliography. There’s even “front matter” on the end pages. This is a fun book to explore, and each time you do, you’ll find more.

Laurie is one of the authors who contributed to the book, Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep. In it, she says that writing about women in STEM lets her combine your two passions - STEM and equal

opportunities for all. So I had to ask her One Question:

Me: With so many unsung women in STEM fields, how did you decide to write about Elizebeth Friedman?

Laurie: I keep an ongoing list of possible women in STEM I might want to write about. With each book, I want to find something that makes that person stand out a little bit extra. In Elizebeth’s case, it’s that unlike most scientists and mathematicians, she wasn’t interested in those fields as a child. Instead, she loved books and studying languages. In fact, she majored in English in college. I thought it would be interesting to discover how a person with her background came to be so accomplished in such a technical field like cryptography.

Beyond the Books: Be a code breaker!

Try your hand at these codes. Back in elementary school I sent many message using the pig pen code. Here are three codes to try.

Send a message in Morse Code. It’s like old-school texting, a code used to send messages through wires or over radio (sound) or using flashing lights (sight). Here’s the secret code. All you need is a flashlight or clicker.

Make up a secret code you and your friends can use. Think about using numbers, letters, symbols (like hieroglyphics or runes…).

 

Want More? In April, National Geographic's Children's Books is releasing Top Secret, by Crispin Boyer. It's filled with everything you want to know about spies, codes, and classified cases. Plus, there’s lots of hands-on activities. You can “go to” Spy School, learn codes, and check out “tools of the tradecraft.” 

Laurie is a member of #STEAMTeam2021. She's written a slew of books about women in STEM. You can find out more about her at her website.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by Blue Slip Media.

Explore Outdoors ~Sit and Listen

 A few times a year I like to just sit and listen to the world around me. My backyard stretches up to a hayfield, so I am usually surrounded by the sounds of nature. But town is less than three miles away as the crow flies, so sometimes I hear sounds from the village: dogs barking, people talking in their backyards.

A couple weeks ago I slogged up the snowy logging road. Half-way to the field, I stopped to listen. I spent five minutes just listening to the sounds surrounding me. This is what I heard: 

wind rattling dried leaves

 a chickadee singing

crows  calling

something - maybe a snowblower - down in town

 

 If I had stayed longer, I might have heard more sounds.

 

To record my observations, I made a sound map - a trick I picked up during a Highlights Foundation workshop on Science & Nature Writing.

 

I cut a cereal box to make a stiff sound map that I could write on outdoors. Then I drew myself at the middle, and an arrow to show what direction the sounds were. I can see now that I should have drawn the nearby sounds (leaves) closer to me, leaving the edge for distant sounds.  

 

There is something else I should have added to my sound map. Can you tell what I forgot? If you guessed the date, you are right!

 

How to make your own sound map:

• Cut a circle from a cardboard box
• take a sharp pencil with you
• go somewhere and sit (or if it's very snowy, stand) for at least 5 minutes
• draw yourself at the center and note direction you are facing
• write the date, time of day, and location
  
• listen
• note down what you hear and from which direction. closer sounds should be closer to you on the map, with distant sounds farther away.  

 Can you do a sound map in the city? YES! Include sounds from nature as well as human made sounds, machinery sounds, and music.

Butterflies and Spiders ~ Oh my!

It's never too cold - or snowy - to read about bugs! I say this as a person who, even in winter (or maybe especially in winter?) discovers ladybugs wandering over the keyboard and boards a jumping spider somewhere behind the book case. Not to mention the temporary guests: wasps and spiders who come in with the furnace-bound firewood. They warm up and begin exploring and next thing you know I've got to get my net out to do a bit of insect control.

The Truth About Butterflies 

by Maxwell Eaton III 

32 pages; ages 4-8

Roaring Brook Press, 2020

Each page introduces facts about butterflies in a fun way. Maxwell Eaton highlights butterfly diversity, shows strategies for survival, and gives a guided tour of the stages of butterfly life. Dialog – from humans, pets, birds, and butterflies (even the pupae have something to say) – add humor and occasional facts. Plenty of text boxes add context.

What I like about this book: It’s a fun approach for kids. And I know I’ll be listening harder for butterfly voices this summer. I like that the section about human impacts include positive action kids can take to make their homes a better place for butterflies. There’s a butterfly file at the back with tons of info about behavior and suggested reading for larvae (kids) and adults.

Jumping Spiders (Creepy Crawlers in Action: Augmented Reality series)

By Sandra Markle

32 pages; ages 8-12

Lerner, 2021

Six chapters introduce the jumping spider’s world and give a close-up introduction to these fascinating spiders. We get to know the spider on the outside as well as the inside  - did you know they have “book lungs?” Jumping spiders spend a lot of time hunting, so Sandra Markle takes us along on a hunting expedition (from the spider’s point of view). We learn about the life cycle of the jumping spiders and how males dance to attract a mate. Back matter includes more information about jumping spiders and their relatives.

This book is part of a brand new middle-grade series that also includes locusts, mosquitoes, praying mantises, stick insects, and ticks. Sure, there are tons of books about bugs - but these books go way beyond the pages. Readers with smart phones can download the appropriate app and, when they come upon the Augmented Reality icon, scan it to watch the spiders - and other arthropods - “come to life.”