Throughout history women have played a crucial role in conflicts and wars as spies. Women experienced just as much danger as men, and sometimes they were able to flush out secrets even better than men could, because they were not suspected or were thought to be incapable of understanding the information.

In Disguise! Undercover with Real Women Spies by Ryan Ann Hunter highlights the stories of some of these heroic women and also provides a bit of history about the wars they were part of. Readers will also learn about some of the techniques used in spying over the years and learn how to try a few of them out. For instance, there are instructions on how to make a Cardano Grille and a Skytale Cipher, as well as an activity on being observant. Tidbits labeled “Spy Files” are also interesting, providing such trivia as the fact that fake tiger doo made a good hiding place for messages in the Vietnam War.

Women’s roles in the American Revolution, the Civil War, World Wars I and II as well as the Cold War are highlighted along with a few others. In Disguise! lets both moms and daughters in mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12 learn a little history, celebrate the role that women played in it, and have some fun along the way.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.