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Top Secret Files
Top Secret Files: World War II, Spies, Secret Missions, and Hidden Facts From World War II
Spy school, poison pens, exploding muffins, and Night Witches were all a part of World War II, but you won't learn that in your history books! Crack open secret files and read about the mysterious Ghost Army, rat bombs, and doodlebugs. Discover famous spies like the White Mouse, super-agent Garbo, and baseball player and spy, Moe Berg. Then build your own fingerprint kit and crack a spy code. It's all part of the true stories from the Top Secret World War II. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . .
Ages 9-12
Ages 9-12
- GenresNonfictionHistory
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
12 people are currently reading
675 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 18, 2014
World War II is like an iceberg - the parts of it that we read about in history books or even learn in the classroom are really just the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface, hidden from sight, are all kinds of secrets, deceptions and subterfuge that helped win the war. So, what are some of them?
Well, Stpehanie Bearce has culled some of the more interesting aspects of wartime secrets and put them together in this small, but very interesting book. Young readers will learn not only how one became a spy for England, training in the grand estates around the country requisitioned for that purpose, but they will read about the Ghost Army that fought the war with rubber trucks, tanks, planes and weapons. Rubber? That's right. And that's not all they did.
Kids will how read about how an Australian journalist turned spy called The White Mouse became a bane of Nazi existence because of her ability to give them the slip while working with the French resistance. Or how one man, Christopher Hutton, invented the silk map, making life so much easier for Allied pilots and parachutists, because their maps were now so lightweight and indestructible. Hutton went on to invent other useful things for soldiers, including a special Monopoly game that could be sent to POWs and contained escape equipment.
There is lots of interesting information about secret missions, like, exactly what Julia Child was cooking up during the war. Or the secret city that really didn't exist but did exist, and designed to fool the Japanese. And readers will learn all about Rat Bombs, Bat Bombs and Doodlebugs.
But my personal favorite was the section on Code Talkers. I've always liked codes and ciphers, especially the Enigma (one of these days I am hoping to post instructions for making a simplified Enigma out of a Pringles container). And I, like many of you, have heard of the Navajo Code Talkers, but never really understood how the coding worked. Bearce gives a short history about this special group of men, and how they devised their code, and includes a simplified dictionary for solving her Code Talker's Challenge.
In fact, in each of the five sections that the book is divided into there are corresponding projects that kids can do or things they can make, such as a simple spy obstacle course or a fingerprint kit, or even a book safe.
Scattered throughout each chapter are sidebars of even more interesting information or facts that will intrigue readers, such as how Ian Fleming came up with the name Jame Bond for his famous agent 007. And at the back, you will find Bibliography and a list of websites where readers can get additional information on all the topics covered.
Spies, Secret Missions & Hidden Facts from World War II is sure to please budding history buffs and anyone else who just likes a secret.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher
This review was originally posted at The Children's War
Well, Stpehanie Bearce has culled some of the more interesting aspects of wartime secrets and put them together in this small, but very interesting book. Young readers will learn not only how one became a spy for England, training in the grand estates around the country requisitioned for that purpose, but they will read about the Ghost Army that fought the war with rubber trucks, tanks, planes and weapons. Rubber? That's right. And that's not all they did.
Kids will how read about how an Australian journalist turned spy called The White Mouse became a bane of Nazi existence because of her ability to give them the slip while working with the French resistance. Or how one man, Christopher Hutton, invented the silk map, making life so much easier for Allied pilots and parachutists, because their maps were now so lightweight and indestructible. Hutton went on to invent other useful things for soldiers, including a special Monopoly game that could be sent to POWs and contained escape equipment.
There is lots of interesting information about secret missions, like, exactly what Julia Child was cooking up during the war. Or the secret city that really didn't exist but did exist, and designed to fool the Japanese. And readers will learn all about Rat Bombs, Bat Bombs and Doodlebugs.
But my personal favorite was the section on Code Talkers. I've always liked codes and ciphers, especially the Enigma (one of these days I am hoping to post instructions for making a simplified Enigma out of a Pringles container). And I, like many of you, have heard of the Navajo Code Talkers, but never really understood how the coding worked. Bearce gives a short history about this special group of men, and how they devised their code, and includes a simplified dictionary for solving her Code Talker's Challenge.
In fact, in each of the five sections that the book is divided into there are corresponding projects that kids can do or things they can make, such as a simple spy obstacle course or a fingerprint kit, or even a book safe.
Scattered throughout each chapter are sidebars of even more interesting information or facts that will intrigue readers, such as how Ian Fleming came up with the name Jame Bond for his famous agent 007. And at the back, you will find Bibliography and a list of websites where readers can get additional information on all the topics covered.
Spies, Secret Missions & Hidden Facts from World War II is sure to please budding history buffs and anyone else who just likes a secret.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher
This review was originally posted at The Children's War
January 22, 2022
The information provided by this book in the form of stories and by introducing several characters are amazing. I was fascinated while reading about bat bombs, rat bombs, white mouse, princess spy.... I enjoyed reading it.
Read
September 26, 2014Top Secret Files: World War II
by Stephanie Bearce
Profrock Press
From Josephine Baker to explosive balloons and baseball player Moe Berg. All this and more is in the pages of this book. Bearce has defintely created a series that will hook young readers and make them want to know more about hstory. She's done it by telling them about the things that aren't generally covered in history books or lessons.
Each book in this series has five sections: Secrets, Spies, Special Missions, Secret Weapons and Secret Forces. Since I live in St. Louis, I especially enjoyed reading about Baker who is from just across the river. As a female entertainer, she could move about more freely than other people and soldiers, even officers, often spoke freely in front of her. She became a valuable spy for the French.
Bearce has also written about the secret codes, covering both the Nazi's Enigma machine and the Bletchley Park code breakers who worked so hard to set up a similar device working with a stolen machine. She has also written about a variety of men and women who worked as spies. Many of the successful spies were women simply because soldiers didn't automatically suspect a house wife or cute girl of being an enemy agent.
Another part that I really enjoyed was reading about two secret cities. One was real and located in Tennessee. The other was a fake, used to hide the facilities where air craft were built.
As with other books in this series, Bearce avoids overwhelming her readers by delivering the information in easy digestible chunks. A reluctant reader can stop after reading about Josephine Baker while a more eager reader can devour the entire section on spies.
Readers who are especially intrigued by the topic will find a list of resources in the back of the book.
Bearce presents a wide variety of information, describing the world of Americans, Candadians, British, French, Germans and Russians. She has even included a princess from India. Bearce is a former teacher and she knows both how to hook her readers and how to deliver the facts.
Pick this one up for history buffs, those who aren't sure and even adult enthusiasts. Each will find something new in this book.
--SueBE
by Stephanie Bearce
Profrock Press
From Josephine Baker to explosive balloons and baseball player Moe Berg. All this and more is in the pages of this book. Bearce has defintely created a series that will hook young readers and make them want to know more about hstory. She's done it by telling them about the things that aren't generally covered in history books or lessons.
Each book in this series has five sections: Secrets, Spies, Special Missions, Secret Weapons and Secret Forces. Since I live in St. Louis, I especially enjoyed reading about Baker who is from just across the river. As a female entertainer, she could move about more freely than other people and soldiers, even officers, often spoke freely in front of her. She became a valuable spy for the French.
Bearce has also written about the secret codes, covering both the Nazi's Enigma machine and the Bletchley Park code breakers who worked so hard to set up a similar device working with a stolen machine. She has also written about a variety of men and women who worked as spies. Many of the successful spies were women simply because soldiers didn't automatically suspect a house wife or cute girl of being an enemy agent.
Another part that I really enjoyed was reading about two secret cities. One was real and located in Tennessee. The other was a fake, used to hide the facilities where air craft were built.
As with other books in this series, Bearce avoids overwhelming her readers by delivering the information in easy digestible chunks. A reluctant reader can stop after reading about Josephine Baker while a more eager reader can devour the entire section on spies.
Readers who are especially intrigued by the topic will find a list of resources in the back of the book.
Bearce presents a wide variety of information, describing the world of Americans, Candadians, British, French, Germans and Russians. She has even included a princess from India. Bearce is a former teacher and she knows both how to hook her readers and how to deliver the facts.
Pick this one up for history buffs, those who aren't sure and even adult enthusiasts. Each will find something new in this book.
--SueBE
September 24, 2014
I Love this book! I’ve never been a big fan of reading about history, but a ghost army? a princess who was a spy? and exploding muffins? This book got me from the start! From spy school, where the first test was to find the school, to Camp X, in Top Secret Files: World War II readers will find out how ordinary people learned the spy business. My favorite part of the book was the section about real spies, which included an Australian journalist, an English magician, a French princess, a British children’s author, an American major league baseball player, and a famous African-American dancer. Kids will read about special missions, where even Hollywood got into the act, and secret weapons like rat bombs and doodlebugs, and how a future famous chef mixed up a secret concoction to keep sharks away from the explosives. There were secret forces that made 3-D glasses and flew in pink planes, and talked in code that no one else could figure out. And so much more that kids won’t find in their history books. At the end of each chapter there are special spy projects where readers can try out their own spy skills. Stephanie Bearce’s quick-paced writing draws you in, as do the illustrations and photographs. The reader is sure to be hooked by these true, behind-the-scenes stories of World War II. There is a bibliography, including websites, at the end where readers can find out more. This is an excellent read for students as well as adults who want to know more than just dates and dry facts.
November 24, 2014
I won a copy of this book from the GoodReads First-Reads program.
This was a very interesting little book. I'm going to admit right off the bat that I think I'm a little older than this book's target audience, which I would guess would be in the younger middle school age range (don't quote me on that, though, as I am completely unfamiliar with children and their thinking skills). At one point, it tells you to ask your parents before making a spy obstacle course - I'm 26, and NO ONE tells me that I can't make a spy obstacle course. At first, I wanted to give the book four stars because, while the information was great, I wanted more. While I still think that the author should look into writing similar books but for adult audiences, I decided that it would be unfair to penalize the book for essentially being written for kids.
This book is meant to shed some light on the "secrets" of WWII. Some of these secrets receive less history book time because they were actual secrets, as in formally classified information. Some are stories and people that, for whatever reason (likely, sexism, racism, anti-Soviet sentiment, etc.), are just perennially underappreciated. It's a shame that these stories aren't better known because each and every one of them are fascinating and would make a fantastic movie, and some already have (Ian Fleming's James Bond was inspired by the WWII espionage circuit).
In conclusion - if you buy this book for your kid, you might want to consider reading it yourself. I bet you'll learn something new.
This was a very interesting little book. I'm going to admit right off the bat that I think I'm a little older than this book's target audience, which I would guess would be in the younger middle school age range (don't quote me on that, though, as I am completely unfamiliar with children and their thinking skills). At one point, it tells you to ask your parents before making a spy obstacle course - I'm 26, and NO ONE tells me that I can't make a spy obstacle course. At first, I wanted to give the book four stars because, while the information was great, I wanted more. While I still think that the author should look into writing similar books but for adult audiences, I decided that it would be unfair to penalize the book for essentially being written for kids.
This book is meant to shed some light on the "secrets" of WWII. Some of these secrets receive less history book time because they were actual secrets, as in formally classified information. Some are stories and people that, for whatever reason (likely, sexism, racism, anti-Soviet sentiment, etc.), are just perennially underappreciated. It's a shame that these stories aren't better known because each and every one of them are fascinating and would make a fantastic movie, and some already have (Ian Fleming's James Bond was inspired by the WWII espionage circuit).
In conclusion - if you buy this book for your kid, you might want to consider reading it yourself. I bet you'll learn something new.
March 28, 2015
There are many aspects to war throughout history. The image that first comes to mind is uniformed soldiers battling other uniformed soldiers on some battlefield. The attire, the weaponry, and the surroundings may change over time, but the general description has been the same for thousands of years.
Similarly, there are OTHER aspects to war that may not immediately come to mind when the word is first spoken. These also evolve over time, but are also a constant throughout that interval. In her series, “Top Secret Files”, author Stephanie Bearce explores espionage throughout the ages, and targets a younger audience that may not be familiar with spies and the like.
The book is well written and not only provides a glimpse at the people and techniques that were used – or occasionally designed but rejected – by enemy combatants to learn what their opponent was doing and planning, while simultaneously attempting to disguise their own actions and plans. PLUS, the author attempts to allow the audience to learn by doing – each chapter ends with a suggested activity.
The best thing one can ever say about a series is “I'd like to read the next one.” That is definitely true in this case. My compliments to the author.
RATING: 5 stars.
DISCLOSURE: The book was provided free of charge via the Goodreads Firstread program. The hope of the program is that all recipients will read and promptly post honest reviews of the material, although no actual requirement or commitment exists.
Similarly, there are OTHER aspects to war that may not immediately come to mind when the word is first spoken. These also evolve over time, but are also a constant throughout that interval. In her series, “Top Secret Files”, author Stephanie Bearce explores espionage throughout the ages, and targets a younger audience that may not be familiar with spies and the like.
The book is well written and not only provides a glimpse at the people and techniques that were used – or occasionally designed but rejected – by enemy combatants to learn what their opponent was doing and planning, while simultaneously attempting to disguise their own actions and plans. PLUS, the author attempts to allow the audience to learn by doing – each chapter ends with a suggested activity.
The best thing one can ever say about a series is “I'd like to read the next one.” That is definitely true in this case. My compliments to the author.
RATING: 5 stars.
DISCLOSURE: The book was provided free of charge via the Goodreads Firstread program. The hope of the program is that all recipients will read and promptly post honest reviews of the material, although no actual requirement or commitment exists.
December 9, 2014
It contains amazing trivia about WWII that is only found in this book!
Top Secret Files: World War II is a book about WWII and the spies that went on top secret missions. It includes everything that you want to know about how the military selected their spies and how they trained them. You can also learn about their super-secret weapons and famous people that you never knew were spies!
This book is amazing! It gives information you`ll never find anywhere else. It is unique to any other historical fact book that I have ever read and nothing like your regular old history book! Did you know that one spy was the most photographed woman of 1926? Read the book to find out who she was. In this book, there are also arts and crafts projects you can do. What are you waiting for? Go buy it now! I’d rate this book 5 stars because it gives amazing trivia about World War II that is only found in this book.
Review by Young Mensan Scott W., age 9, Central South Carolina Mensa
Top Secret Files: World War II is a book about WWII and the spies that went on top secret missions. It includes everything that you want to know about how the military selected their spies and how they trained them. You can also learn about their super-secret weapons and famous people that you never knew were spies!
This book is amazing! It gives information you`ll never find anywhere else. It is unique to any other historical fact book that I have ever read and nothing like your regular old history book! Did you know that one spy was the most photographed woman of 1926? Read the book to find out who she was. In this book, there are also arts and crafts projects you can do. What are you waiting for? Go buy it now! I’d rate this book 5 stars because it gives amazing trivia about World War II that is only found in this book.
Review by Young Mensan Scott W., age 9, Central South Carolina Mensa
November 18, 2014
Goodreads winner.
History made fun. What we didn't learn in history classes but wished we had. This short book is broken into 5 segments: Secrets, Spies, Special Missions , Secret Weapons and Secret Forces . Each segments ends with a couple activities for kids to enjoy, some with the help of an adult assistant. Entertaining and fact-filled. Easy to read, provides information about several famous spies from World War II and their secret tricks and techniques. Explores a large area of spy related topics.
History made fun. What we didn't learn in history classes but wished we had. This short book is broken into 5 segments: Secrets, Spies, Special Missions , Secret Weapons and Secret Forces . Each segments ends with a couple activities for kids to enjoy, some with the help of an adult assistant. Entertaining and fact-filled. Easy to read, provides information about several famous spies from World War II and their secret tricks and techniques. Explores a large area of spy related topics.
November 17, 2014
I really enjoyed this story that brought to life the secret stories from World War II. The information is presented in an entertaining and easy-to-understand manner. The individual stories are quite enlightening and packed with behind-the-scenes information. I received this boo through the Goodreads Firstreads program and it is a welcome addition to my library and a book that I will be able to draw upon often in the future.
February 11, 2016
Man, I love these books! They are so clever and interesting. I know that they are written for kids but they are so interesting that even as an adult I find myself getting sucked in. I even find myself wanting to experiment with the games and things that she puts in. I learned a ton of stuff that even as a history buff I just had know idea about. This is a must read if you want to get your child into the thrill of history.
December 22, 2014
A nifty little book with some things I'd heard about and others I'd not (Muffin & Rat Bombs). Easy to read, long enough to stir your interest, with activities you can work on with your kids or possibly a history class you're taking, and cause a reader to look for a more in-depth book on any of stories included. Very enjoyable little book.
September 26, 2014
Author Stephanie Bearce has hit another home run with this fascinating compilation of sidebar facts,(Barefoot Boots, Death by Noise, and Operation Sardine were my personal favorites) articles,(Ghost Army and The White Mouse kept me on the edge of my seat)and projects kids can make for themselves. Teachers: you need this book!
January 29, 2016
Read his book in 3 hours. I was especially happy to see them include a story of great-great-great granddaughter of Tipu Sultan acting as a spy. It gives me an Indian connection to the book. Its a good book. Should be read once.
February 28, 2015
Enjoyed this book very much. Loved learning about the unknown details you don't get in history books. My favorite parts were regarding the secret weapons. Great read for any history or war buff.
June 15, 2015
facts on world war 2 that u wouldn't learn at school... i am amazed with the efforts done to win the war.
April 25, 2016
Great reads sometimes come in little packages
February 3, 2017
A quite interesting quick read.This books mostly revolves around secrets of Allied forces.It would be better if author added some more interesting secrets of Axis forces
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews