It has been a year since Felicity Bathburn Budwig was dropped off in America to live with family she hadn't met. Flissy, as she came to be known, had a hard time adjusting to Maine, her new family (The Gram, Uncle Gideon, Aunt Miami, and Derek), and being separated from her parents, whom she called Winnie and Danny. But in the past year something amazing happened. Flissy has grown to love Bottlebay, Maine, the eccentric Bathburns, and her buddy and secret crush, Derek. With World War II still in full swing, Flissy can’t help but continue to worry about Winnie and Danny, especially since she hasn’t heard from them in months. Derek has always known that he was taken in by the Bathburns, and has no idea when his real birthday is or who his birth parents are. When Derek starts having secret meetings with a man who claims to be his real father, he makes Flissy promise not to say anything to anyone at the house, because he wants to get to know his dad first. Flissy is torn about what to do. There seems to be something wrong with Derek’s father, and when she overhears conversations about the fact that Uncle Gideon may be going to do something dangerous with the war, she thinks she'll burst. All these secrets are weighing her down, and she isn’t feeling like a child anymore. Is the man claiming to be Derek’s father really who he says he is? Should Flissy keep Derek’s secret? Are Winnie and Danny safe in Europe? Will Uncle Gideon survive his mission? Traveling back in time to Maine with Flissy and family will keep you turning the pages!

Romeo Blue by Phoebe Stone is the sequel to The Romeo and Juliet Code. I had so much fun journeying back to the house by the sea in Maine. My heart went out to Flissy as she waits to hear from her parents and worries about everyone around her. She has a lot on her mind for a young girl, and I felt bad for her that she had to grow up so quickly. I read this book quickly, as I had to find out about Derek’s father and some of the other mysteries that reveal themselves in this book. I loved getting to know more about the characters I have come to adore and can only hope there might be another book involving these characters. I like Flissy’s strong character and the way she really thinks things through and tries to do what is right, even if she isn’t always sure what that is. I know this book will be enjoyed by kids and adults from fourth grade and up. It was such fun to journey back to Maine and learn about life during WWII. ( )

I wasn't thrilled with the writing style, but I also found the plot interesting enough that I couldn't put it down either. I wasn't such a fan that I'll be seeking out the others in this series, but I will confess that I cried (maybe more than once) throughout this novel. So overall, three stars seems just right. ( )

Set in Maine during WWII, the reader is given the perspective of the war from the American front. This book is a sequel to Romeo and Juliet Code which finds our protagonist, Flissy, a year later still living with her "Gram", Uncle Gideon, Aunt Miami and Derek in Bottlebay, ME. Flissy parents are spies and were lastly known to have been in Europe but nobody has heard from them for awhile. This book is full of spies, secrets and young love!

I don't know how to give 4 and a half stars or I would give it that rating also. This book takes place in America during World War 2. The principle family is deeply involved in the war effort right down to entertaining the troops. Even the 12 and 13 year old main characters can't help but be involved. However, there are also normal family things going on - love, loss, humor, mystery - so the war does not totally consume the plot. What I really like about the book is the respect Ms. Stone has for her characters but also for her readers. There are some important issues being discussed here and she never talks do to her young adult readers. My only slight criticism is that every single principle adult has a role in the war effort which perhaps is a tad much. This is apparently part of a series but I have not read the other book but this works very well as a stand alone novel. ( )

This is a delightful book with such an adorable protagonist that you soon forget she is only 12 (albeit, like many tweens, going on 21). Although it apparently continues a story that began with The Romeo and Juliet Code, I had not read that book and had no trouble following this one. I regret not starting with it though, since I loved this one so much!

The setting is 1942 in Bottlebay, Maine, a fictitious place that sounds a bit like Biddeford Pool. There, the U.S. Government put up an observation tower during World War II to patrol Maine waters for German submarines. Citizens on Maine’s coast also had to keep their windows blackened, observe strict curfews, and were exhorted to keep vigilant. And in fact, on April 23, 1945, a U. S. Navy sub-chaser was torpedoed by a German U-boat just three miles off of Cape Elizabeth. Even before that, others had been sunk, and two German spies had come ashore in Frenchman’s Bay. Fortunately, they turned out to be venal and stupid, and ended up giving themselves away. (You can read about them here).

In the book, Flissy (Felicity) Bathburn is living with family members in Bottlebay a year or so after her parents dropped her off there from Great Britain so they could continue their undercover work in Europe. Flissy has not only not heard from “Winnie and Danny” as she calls her parents, but she just found out that her “Uncle” Gideon, with whom she now lives in Maine, is actually her father: after Flissy was born, Winnie fell in love with Gideon’s brother Danny. Flissy never knew Danny wasn’t her real father. Gideon and Danny’s mother, “The Gram,” hates Winnie for how she disrupted the family, but loves having Flissy with her. The big cozy and historic house is also home to The Gram’s daughter Miami, and Gideon’s almost-adopted son Derek.

Derek is a year older than Flissy, and Flissy has a huge crush on him. They are also good friends, but Flissy adores him:

"He seemed a bit moody today, but I rather liked moody. It could be quite dashing when hovering over someone like Derek. I would have followed Derek to the edge of the world, if he had wanted me to. And then perhaps we would have had to hold hands because it must be quite windy at the edge of the world.”

But Flissy’s life is filled with a lot more than preteen angst. So much is going that causes her to feel all mixed up. Derek is trying to find his real father, and keeping it a secret from Gideon and The Gram. Flissy thinks Gideon and The Gram are, like Winnie and Danny, also involved in spying. Aunt Miami is in love with the mailman, and the mailman may be drafted soon. And somehow, the theme of butterflies keeps recurring in a suspicious manner. Of particular significance is the Mazarine Blue, a primarily European butterfly, the male of which, Flissy avers, is also known as the Romeo blue.

As time goes on and the war heats up, so does the tension, since the war brings big changes to all of their lives. Moreover, Flissy is leaving her childhood behind her, and the ways in which she grows are so heartwarming and lovely!

Evaluation: This story does not sugarcoat what happens in war, but as it takes place in the U.S., it isn’t as harrowing as it might have been if set overseas. It's a great way for kids to get a feel for how a war fought by adults could also have an impact on their own lives, even in the relatively isolated United States.

Flissy is such a winning character that I would love to see the author do a whole series of books on her that take us with her on her journey through life, sort of like Anne of Green Gables, of whom she reminds me a lot! ( )