Young Adult Literature; Historical Fiction; War Drama
Code Name Verity is a young adult historical fiction novel set during World War II. We know it's historical fiction and war drama because it deals with themes and issues that come up in war, all within the context of a real historical event (a.k.a. World War II)—as Maddie would say, easy peasy.
But how do we know it's a young adult novel, other than the fact that it's marketed as one? First, let's look at the age of the protagonists. We know Julie left secondary school (a.k.a. high school) and went to college a year early because of the war, and Maddie's about the same age, which places both characters at the traditional age for college students. In other words, we know this is a novel for young adults because it's about young adults. Of course, this doesn't mean not-so-young adults can't read and enjoy it—because they totally can.
We're just glad our study abroad didn't include a trip to Nazi-occupied Europe.