• Age: 12 to 18

When the Germans begin bombing London in World War II, Betty is determined to do her part. Instead of running air raid drills like most girls her age, she lies about her age and trains to become a spy. Now known by her secret agent persona, Adele Blanchard, she finds herself parachuting over German-occupied France under the cover of darkness to join the secret Resistance movement. Prepared to die for her cause, Adele wasn't expecting to make a new best friend in her fellow agent or fall for ahandsome American pilot. With the brutality of war ever present, can Adele dare to dream of a future where the world is at peace and she is free to live and love of her own accord?

Amy McAuley's profile page

AMY McAULEY is the author ofOver and Over You. She likes to read, bake, cycle, camp, garden, and watch movies. She lives in London, Ontario, with her family and two cats.
www.amymacauley.com

Violins of Autumn

Betty Sweeney, an American-born girl who finds herself living in London with relatives when war is declared in Europe, longs to find a meaningful way to contribute to the war effort. So she lies about her age, joins the Special Operations Executive, assumes the name of Adele Blanchard and soon finds herself parachuting out of a plane into the middle of Nazi-occupied France. There she becomes part of the Resistance movement, a courier who bicycles tremendous distances to covertly receive and deliver important messages and supplies. She narrowly avoids capture on numerous occasions and faces terrifying danger daily. She also helps rescue a downed pilot, assists in forming plans to sabotage a factory and performs weapons training for new recruits, all the while growing in confidence in her role as a spy. Yet in the midst of all the danger and the never-ending horrors of war, she kindness and falls in love.

McAuley’s wartime novel has an almost cinematic quality that transports readers into the heart of Paris in the months leading up to D-Day and the Allies’ invasion. It is an intriguing and actionpacked tale that conveys a sense of what daily life had become for the people of France under German occupation. It portrays (albeit somewhat romantically) the bravery of ordinary men and women who worked in myriad ways to support the Resistance as they sought to hasten their liberation. The story is told in the first person in present tense, creating a sense of immediacy and increased urgency. It is at once a thrilling spy story, a dramatic coming-of-age tale and a story that is as much about love and friendship as it is about the hardships of war.