Hide and Seek: A Bletchley Park Mystery

by Rhian Tracey

Prior to the war's onset, Ned was destined to work in his family's funeral parlor. However, when covert operations commenced at Bletchley Park, his life took an unexpected turn. Ned and his mother embarked on a crucial wartime mission to the remote Welsh countryside, tasked with safeguarding priceless artwork hidden in a slate mine in the village of Manod. As long as the artwork's location remained secret, they could prevent it from falling into enemy hands. However, when it seemed that someone in the village was attempting to reveal the truth, suspicion fell upon the newcomers - Ned, his mother, and a young Jewish refugee, Anni. Could Ned, Anni, and their friend Harri demonstrate their loyalty to the mission and keep the secret safe?

288 pages, Paperback

Published February 29, 2024

About the author

TRUE COLOURS is Rhian Tracey's fourth book for Bloomsbury, and the first for a younger readership. Rhian has a BA in English Literature from Aberystwyth University and a PGCE in English and Drama Teaching from Cheltenham and Gloucester University. She works as an English and Drama teacher in Brackley. She has written stories since she was five years old.

Reviews

[Elliott Trickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his second adventure, Ned has left Bletchley Park with his Mum to go to work on storing the National Gallery's paintings in a top-secret quarry in Wales. Although the newest workers there, they get involved straight away, despite it being a rocky start for Ned as he finds it hard to know where his place is. But, as he slowly makes friends with the people he and his Mum are staying with, as well as the workers in the quarry, secrets arise in the town about the project that causes a stir. So it's down to Ned and his new friends, Harri and Anni, to make it better. However, when it all looks set to be ok again, something happens closer to home that changes everything, and suddenly, it's down to Ned to step up to the plate. Being the first book I finished this year, I really enjoyed it. For a middle grade book, the writing had a mix of techniques and sentences that created a good variation for the reader throughout the book. The balance between simplicity and difficulty for the genre was perfect as well. In terms of the characters, I really enjoyed finding out more about Ned and delving deeper into his opinions and thoughts; but, it was also nice to meet some new characters along the way and to see their progression as characters throughout the book - especially Harri. The plot of this book was a great encapsulation of war and history together, with the events that took place in the book. There was action, adventure, friendships, and fun all bunched together, which made for a lovely read. It was nail-biting at times, but heartfelt at others. And a book I liked a lot.

[Tamsin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second WWII mystery from Rhian Tracey. Starting at Bletchley Park, we follow Ned and his mother as they travel Wales to hide and protect the priceless paintings from the National Gallery collection.

Ned is a great character; full of bravery and interest. He makes lots of mistakes but in reading about his errors, we learn more about the relationship between the Welsh and the English during WWII and the lengths people went to to hide the valuable paintings. The adventure was really well written and the host of characters - Harry, Anni and guide dog Kip - were all really fascinating, adding extra layers to the story. In particular, learning the background story of Anni who is an Austrian Jew who has come as a refugee to Wales was a really valuable part of the story. Being set in Wales also made it stand out from the other WWII middle grade fiction that is mainly centred around London.

A great story, full of fascinating characters..