An Unlikely Spy

By Terry Deary

An

Andrew H's review:

Which of the characters they found most interesting and why?

Brigit because she is courageous and is the main character is the story, she never gives up and she comes up with creative solutions to the problems in her path

Which of the characters (if any) they didn’t like and why?

I liked all of the characters

Did they learn anything new about the past from the book?

No.

What made the history or the time it was set in interesting to them?

It was during ww2 and it is what moved the story forwards, it showed how many reacted to the war and provided a reason to become a spy

Was the plot exciting, thought-provoking, serious or light-hearted (or any combination of these)?

The plot was exciting and serious.

What most stands out for them from the book?

The decision when Brigit decides to show her skills to convince them to let her go with her mother

Would they recommend it to other pupils?

Yes.

Did they learn any new words or facts as a result of the story?

Not really but I enjoyed the book.

Elliot G's review:

Which of the characters I found most interesting and why?

Brigit because she was much smarter than all the adults and her Maman for the same reason.

Which of the characters did I not like and why?

The officer at the start who arrested the dad just for being German.

Did I learn anything new about the past from the book?

Police never stopped Germans during Kristallnacht.

What made the history or the time it was set in interesting to me?

Everyone was panicking but Brigit and her maman were calm almost the entire time.

Was the plot exciting, thought-provoking, serious or light-hearted?

Thought provoking.

What most stands out for me from the book?

When it said that Police never stopped Germans during Kristallnacht.

Would I recommend it to other pupils?

I would recommend it to other pupils because it was particularly good.

Did I learn any new words or facts as a result of the story?


Holly S's review:

What I liked about this book:

I loved the description for the setting in the book. It really took me to the village in Wales and the destruction of London in the bombing raids. I also thought the plot was exciting and unusual as the words really made me feel I was there in the middle of all the chaos watching the scenes unfold. In this book the time training in France really stood out for me as well as the missions to set of bombs. My favourite character was Amiee (Brigit’s mum) as she was brave and strong-willed during the war time and helped the French over come the monsters of Germany.

What I disliked about this book:

I believe the evacuation in Wales was too long and less eventful than the rest of the book. I also feel we should have learnt what happened to Brigit’s father in the prison camp in London. I feel the character Winston Churchill did not do too much in the plot.

The Age range:

I would recommend this book to the age 9 and above only, as the plot may be a bit too hard to understand for the younger children. I found it enjoyable and learnt new things about war time (like there were officials then generals in the German army) although I have read a couple of war books.


Jasper C's review:

I enjoyed this book because of the huge amount of characters and the easy to follow story line.

I found the resistance workers in Bray the most interesting characters, as they were critical of the help they were getting from Britain, yet they worked to release France from German control.

The character I liked the least was the head of the Gestapo for his ruthlessness towards the people of Bray.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who like fascinating spy stories.


Jean's review:

Which of the characters did they find most interesting and why?

I think Brigit has to be one of my favourite people but I also quite like Gladys at the end of the book because it’s so nice that old ‘friends’ can get back together and see each other again I know Gladys and Brigit weren’t friends but that’s why I put the ‘’ in the beginning and the end!

Which of the characters (if any) did they not like and why?

I didn’t like Jessie even though she was nice and all that she was really shy and never stood up for herself or did something against Gladys because she was kind of a scaredy cat.

Did they learn anything new about the past from the book?

I learnt that the war wasn’t just fought by the army it was also fought by other people that were too old to fight and I learnt that not all Germans were evil at the time of the war.

What made the history or the time it was set in interesting to you?

It was interesting that the author could change world war II completely and make it into something not at all about the army!

Is the plot exciting, thought provoking, serious or light-hearted?

The plot was thought-provoking because I just couldn’t stop reading and exciting they were going to help in the war and serious because the war is a very big thing!!!

What most stands out for you in the book?

I think like from the other book that the girl is the main character and she does all this cool stuff even if she is not allowed to!!

Would they recommend it to other pupils?

Some pupils might like this book!

Did you learn any new words from the book?

No I don’t think so.

I loved reading this book, I couldn’t put it down so I would give this book 4 and a half stars.


Kjell J's review:

I think this could be an option for Children’s Book of the Year. Also, it’s so amazing with all of its secrecy and wonderful suspense. I think that it is really hard to write good suspense novels that are about World War 2 because everyone who reads these sorts of novels, knows that Germany is going to lose. But, I think this one is really good. I recommend this incredible read to children and adults; it’s just an amazing book.

Things to Improve

I think that it could describe Brigit’s activities in France a bit more so the book would be a bit longer. Also, we don’t really get to know Brigit’s father and finally I think that you could keep the suspense a bit longer about who is working for Germany.

My Opinion

Overall, I think it’s a really good book with suspenseful moments, sad moments and lots more and as I said before I think it is very hard to write about World War 2 and Terry Deary is an excellent writer. 5 stars!



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