A Girl’s Guide To Spying
Holly Webb
One of the wonderful things about great children’s fiction is that, as well as being able to enjoy an engaging story, the reader learns something new. Such is the case with this new series by Holly Webb who places Girl Guides at the heart of a murder mystery in WWI, perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Katherine Woodfine.
Phyl and her sister Annie decide to join the Girl Guides having seen them marching through town. From there Phyl and her fellow Guide, Ruby, are recruited to run as messengers in the military intelligence office in London. While trying to fill an inkwell, Phyl becomes caught up in a mystery which involves secret codes, a large dog and a dead body.
There is so much to enjoy in this. I never knew about the war work of the Guides (and Scouts) and so the chapter headings with extracts from newspapers, and government announcements at the time add an extra, fascinating dimension to a cast of characters that I will enjoy meeting again in future books. Equally interesting are the scenes about how the German residents in London were treated and the sight of the airships hovering overhead. Finally, the afterword with a cypher to crack makes a perfect ending.
Published by Rock the Boat, 2026
