Velvet Undercover

August 1, 2015
A British girl with a brilliant mind is recruited into a shadow organization to extract an unnamed spy-and hopefully learn about her missing father. Samantha Donaldson, an exceptionally bright 17-year-old living in World War I-era England, has unparalleled skills with languages and ciphers. She was taught by her ambassador father, whose recent disappearance she finds suspicious. Sam is recruited into La Dame Blanche, an organization of spies, mostly women, and told she will be planted in the kaiser's palace to extract Velvet, a spy whose true identity is unknown but is believed to be in danger. Now known as Sophia Therese, Sam must learn to navigate the mores and nuances of royal life in the palace. While trying to locate Velvet, she learns of an additional and even more sinister threat: a deadly chemical weapon. Soon, Sam's understanding of war ceases to be black and white as she learns how far some would go-and how easily they would kill-to further their own agendas. Brown's richly envisioned historical thriller moves at a languid pace, with careful attention to period details. Faced with red herrings and double agents, Sam must use her knowledge and savvy to maneuver through a world rife with ambiguities where lives lurch in a precarious balance. A slow-burning tale of espionage and deceit that explores the complexities and moral uncertainties of war. (Historical fiction. 13-17)

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September 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-A taut and swiftly paced historical spy mystery, filled with suspense and surprising plot twists. Samantha Donaldson, 17, works as a Girl Guide for Great Britain's MI5 during World War I. Her talent catch the attention of the military, who recruit her to join La Dame Blanche, a secret female spy organization, who promise that they will help locate her missing diplomat father. Her mission: impersonate a distant cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm's daughter-in-law, infiltrate the palace in Berlin under the guise of a governess, and locate a missing British spy sent there to find information on a new German weapon. Once she arrives, she must use her intellect and perception to make contact with the spy known only as Velvet. Brown has created a convincing, credible main character who behaves as a teen might under such dramatic circumstances by giving equal weight to her intellect and self-doubt. Her wartime Berlin comes to life, putting readers into the heart of the action. A romantic subplot is woven in without distracting from the main story. VERDICT A great fit for fans of Elizabeth's Wein's Code Name Verity (Disney-Hyperion, 2012) as well as more contemporary spy fare.-Hillary St. George, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2015
Grades 7-10 War looms in Europe, while across the sea, America wavers on the brink of joining the fray. In England, 17-year-old Samantha Donaldson, skilled at science and languages, is recruited to La Dame Blanche, the near-mythical group of women spies. Samantha is hesitanther father, a member of British intelligence, disappeared months agobut eager, and she soon finds herself shipped off to Berlin under an assumed identity on what seems to be an impossible mission. A spy known only by her code name, Velvet, has disappeared without a trace, and Samantha, now Sophia Therese, is tasked with finding her somewhere in Kaiser Wilhelm's palace before German intelligence does. But though she is skilled, Samantha is untested, and the tangled web of subterfuge and shaky alliances may prove too much for her. This well-plotted piece of historical fiction will appeal to those who are burned out on romance and looking instead for a fast-paced thriller with a smart, savvy heroine at its heart.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)