Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  It is World War II, so Felicity hears of ships being sunk, London (her home town) being bombed, and people being killed in the war. A passenger ship full of Americans is sunk by a German U-boat. Felicity reads newspaper articles of war officers being killed or taken hostage and Nazis doing terrible things to civilians and Jews. All of these things are only briefly mentioned or touched on, but the war is a central theme in the book.

Sexual Content:  Felicity daydreams that she could be Juliet, and Derek could be Romeo so that he might kiss her.

Adult Themes:  Felicity’s parents are spies in Europe during the war. Felicity later learns that her father and mother met while her mother was already married to another man (her Uncle Gideon); her mother then left Gideon and ran away with his brother, Danny.

Synopsis

Felicity Bathburn Budwig is eleven when World War II breaks out in Europe. Her parents, anxious to remove her from the bombing in London, decide to place Felicity in Bottlebay, Maine with her father’s estranged family. Then her parents simply leave, with little explanation, telling her they will return to get her when they can, or as soon as the war ends, whichever comes first. Now the reluctant Felicity must adapt to living with a family she’s never met: her grandmother, a.k.a. “the Gram”, Aunt Miami, Uncle Gideon, and 12-year-old Derek, an adopted orphan who has recently suffered a bout with polio. But there are secrets swirling in this old Victorian house on the bay, such as: why is Uncle Gideon so angry with her father, Danny? Why doesn’t anyone tell her when her parents are coming back? Why do they say unkind things about her mother? And why won’t Derek ever come out of his bedroom? As she slowly unravels the quirky mysteries of the Bathburn household, more secrets land in her lap. Suddenly Uncle Gideon begins receiving letters postmarked from Portugal–and Felicity is certain the letters are written in her father Danny’s handwriting. But her parents are in London (aren’t they?), and the letters are in secret code, and Uncle Gideon is hiding something.  Are her parents in trouble? Felicity decides the only way to solve the mystery is to enlist the reclusive (and handsome) Derek’s help. Perhaps with Derek’s assistance, she will be able to save her parents, mend the rift in the Bathburn family, and manage her first big crush, all at the same time.

Though the title may convince young readers that this book belongs in the romance genre, it is actually more a mixture of WWII history, family drama, and some secret code deciphering. There is a connection to Romeo and Juliet, however, and Felicity learns that her Auntie Miami’s obsession with the play is the link to deciphering the letters written in secret code. There is also Felicity’s secret crush on Derek, but of course, no one is supposed to know about that! This is an utterly charming story told through Felicity’s 11-year-old eyes, and though war rages in the background, this story is kept light by the wit and humor of its narrator and her spot-on observations about the quirky people in her family. The author does an excellent job of sounding like a young girl. Here are a few of my favorite lines:

It gets tiresome just sitting properly in a chair all the time. I think it makes things exciting once in a while to just fall over like you got struck by lightning or something.

Not belonging is a terrible feeling. It feels awkward and it hurts, as if you were wearing someone else’s shoes.

Recommended for grades 4 and up.