Agent Most Wanted by Sonia Purnell (Nonfiction)

Books In the Middle Podcast

Agent Most Wanted by Sonia Purnell
Virginia Hall never wanted a simple or traditional life for herself, even if that was what her mother wanted.The life of a society wife moving in high circles in Baltimore and even better if she married into money was her mother's fondest hope! But Virginia's father was always supportive of her doing what she wanted - including riding horses bareback and going hunting. So when it was time to head off to college or get married, you can guess which way Virginia decided to go. But at first, college didn't really help her adventurous spirit. It wasn't until she went to Paris to study abroad that she realized how much she loved being in France.

Virginia was in Europe when things were starting to really go south in terms of the dictators who were coming to power, including Hitler. She was able to see all the politics and thought she could be helpful in the foreign office, perhaps working somehow for the state department. However, right away it became obvious that as much as she wanted to help her country, that they didn't really see the benefit of a woman working for them, other than as a secretary. Virginia became disillusioned after several posts of just doing clerical work when she knew she could do so much more.
Recommended for grades 7 and up.