Ming & Marie Spy for Freedom Book Review

Ming and Marie Spy for Freedom is the second book in the Girls who changed the World Series by Jackie French. Thank you to Harper Collins for the review copy.

BLURB

Ming Qong is convinced that girls have changed the world throughout history.

So when Ming is thrust back in time to Belgium during WWI, only to be rescued from a burning cellar by Marie — an experienced spy at only twelve years of age — she finally has her proof. Marie is involved with a female secret resistance group who risk their lives to outwit the German troops.

But Ming now faces a tough choice: will she send coded messages and risk her own life in this war on which the future depends?

As Ming learns, change is never easy, so how can one girl change the world?

REVIEW

I absolutely loved Ming and Marie Spy for Freedom as we jump straight back into the action after the cliffhanger of book 1. Ming and her brother Tuan are thrown back in time to World War 1 in Ypres by Herstory.

Ming is shocked and horrified by she is seeing and experiencing being sent back in time as reading history is one thing, experiencing it is another thing entirely.

Ming wants to see world changers and over the course of the book through impactful events, she begins to see the impact of small decisions and choices can change the world.

“A tiny action, but with enormous consequences”

The book deals with important themes such as found families and time of crisis as well as reasons why people stand up and fight for their country. It is through bravery and love of country that gives everyday people the strength to stand up. I loved reading about the female resistance during the First World War as we typically see in media the male resistance such as Hogans Heroes.

“Grandmothers or many times great-grandmothers faced disaster with courage and determination. They might have been ignored in books about the last, but they weren’t helpless.”

The whole book is fast paced and a call to realisation that there are many stories of that have been lost and forgotten, especially as history -his story- typically focus on the men who succeed and not those who support as well as play an important part that is not told.

Hard hitting call to actions of all children and adults to be world changers. Follow in the footsteps of the stories untold of the past and those brave who are already fighting to change the world. 

“Today’s world faces the greatest challenges humanity has known: the survival of every species on a planet facing pandemics, vast pollution, storms, wildfires, floods, the vast deserts of accelerating climate change- not to mention the weapons that humans have made to kill each other and which might destroy all life on earth too.”

Jackie French emphasises that young people will one day change the world and we need to empower them to do so.

“Those who work together to change the world will never be bored. And they can win.”

I truely hope there are more books that call to action young people to help change our world for the better. I recommend this book for readers who are 10 years old and older.

5/5 stars