Skip to content

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin - code breaking activity

A thrilling middle grade historical adventure from bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin.

Remember, you are bound by the official secrets act…

It is the summer of 1940. The world is at war. These days, you don’t know who you can trust or who might be a secret spy…

Maths whizz Jakob Novis has been recruited to the secret codebreaking centre at Bletchley Park. As Jakob works to crack the Nazi’s Enigma cipher, his younger sister Lizzie is busy on an undercover mission of her own: to find their mother.

Filled with codes to decipher and mysteries to unravel, this is the unputdownable historical adventure that will have you on the edge of your seats.

‘A thrilling World War II code-breaking adventure filled with ciphers, secrets, and spies.’_*Alan Gratz*, New York Times_ bestselling author of Refugee.

Download the riddle activity sheets to have some fun with cracking puzzles.

The Bletchley Riddle publishes 10 October from Rock the Boat in paperback, RRP £7.99. Pre-order your copy here.

Join us for a free virtual event on 12 September for schools

This National Reading Group Day (12 September at 1.15pm), your class or child can join award-winning author Ruta Sepetys and global bestselling author Steve Sheinkin for an event like no other!

Talking about their new historical middle-grade adventure The Bletchley Riddle, they’ll introduce them to the story of Jakob and his younger sister Lizzie set amongst the backdrop of real-life code-breaking events at Bletchley Park during World War II. Followed by an interactive puzzle for the audience to unravel and Q&A with the authors, this is an event not to be missed.

Book your spot here.

News

Book clubs – Get Ready to Connect!

The Book Club Hub, formerly known as Reading Groups for Everyone, is packed with amazing features to keep you and your fellow readers connected — not just within your club, but with the entire Book Club Hub community. Find out how to have members join your online book club.

Resources

Book Club Hub - Book Club User Guide

The Book Club Hub is a platform connecting readers and book clubs of all ages across the UK. It is managed by national reading charity, The Reading Agency. The Book Club Hub offers book club leaders access to free offers from publishers and prizes in return for reviews, gives them the chance to read the latest books and author news to help them pick their next read, and allows them to download resources to use with their club. Readers can also share reviews of the books they have read and...

News

Heart Lamp wins the International Booker Prize 2025

Heart Lamp, written by Banu Mushtaq and translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, has been announced as the winner of the International Booker Prize 2025.

View our other programmes