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Victor Dowd was an illustrator and sergeant in the 603rd Camouflage Engineers, who along with other visual artists used his creative talents to fool the Nazi Army and help win the war in Europe. Readers can use codes hidden in the book and the spycraft materials provided in an envelope inside to solve the mystery of Dowd's missing sketchbook. Full color.
About the author
Enigma Alberti is the nom de plume of a group of successful children’s book authors whose first book was Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring.
Scott Wegener is a comic book artist and co-creator of Atomic Robo.
Summary
Your Mission: Find Victor’s missing sketchbook using spycraft tools to uncover hidden codes!
It’s a true story of deception: Meet the top-secret Ghost Army, a group of artists and sound engineers trained to fake out the Germans in World War II with inflatable rubber tanks and loudspeakers broadcasting the sound of marching troops. And meet real-life Sergeant Victor Dowd, who served in the fight for Normandy, through France, and across the Rhine.
It’s a mystery to solve: There are clues embedded in the story’s text and illustrations, and Spycraft materials come in an envelope at the beginning of the book. Now put on your own spy thinking cap and find out what happened to Victor Dowd’s missing sketchbook.
Additional text
"With interestingly written, approachable text, black-and-white illustrations, and varied fonts, this second in the Spy on History series will captivate a wide range of readers." — Booklist
"This is a fascinating story and one kids and adults will find interesting." — The Write Stuff
"If you have a history or spy buff in your life, hand this book to him or her." — Prose and Kahn
"I absolutely loved this book. If you like WWII history or little known history, you should check this book out!" — Rattle the Pages
"It's literally an interactive experience that even my middle school kids thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, they've both voiced their anticipation for the next installment." — Kidliterati
"This series is a fun way to introduce readers to codes and codebreaking without making it too difficult. Even readers who have cracked a few codes in their time will enjoy one more opportunity to spin a cipher wheel and work out a message. Maybe they'll even be inspired to create their own!" — Mad About MG History
"Exciting, entertaining, and educational...this unique and clever book is all these things! Middle-grade readers will be captivated by the fascinating history of the Ghost Army and will have a blast deciphering puzzles and clues using the tools provided within the book." — Word Spelunker
"There are a lot of tensions in the book --- between art as passion and art as a war tactic, excitement over the Germans aiming their guns at the Ghost Army and fear at the army’s defenselessness --- which makes this book a true page-turner. This perfectly paced tale of bravery and deception is perfect for any lover of history and wannabe spy!" — Kidsreads.com
