Asha and Baz Meet Mary Sherman Morgan

October 2, 2023
Fernandez’s time-crossed, STEM-minded series continues with bright young learners Asha and Baz being assigned a codebreaking challenge by their teacher, Mrs. Wilson, and once again using their "magic stick" to travel through time and space to train with an historical expert. This third entry’s notable: Elizebeth Friedman, the 20th century codebreaker who, among other career milestones, cracked Nazi communications for the Navy. In 1942, Asha and Baz pass themselves off as “trainees” on Friedman’s team, learning all about the secret patterns, letters, alphabets, and languages spies and governments used when sending secret correspondences. While Asha and Baz are trying to win a class reward by breaking their teacher's code challenge, their task and training with Elizebeth is much more pressing and important—helping the war effort and even protecting the Queen Mary from being sunk.
This historical adventure blends exciting fiction with real-life figures in a way that is entertaining, educational, and even inspiring—adults, too, will be roused by Friedman’s accomplishments ("worked for a lot of government departments, broke up crime rings, and helped capture spies”) and how she stands up for herself to a grumpy superior officer. Asha is an adventurous, smart young girl and her best friend, Baz, is a shy, intelligent boy that young readers will find relatable and endearing. Best of all, as always, are the puzzles that Fernandez weaves into the narrative, giving readers the same information that the heroes have … and every opportunity to solve them.
With crisp, appealing prose and dialogue, plus fascinating references to historical events, Fernandez has again created an engaging and informative story that invites readers to participate in the heroes’ success by demonstrating the very skills Asha and Baz are learning. Backmatter includes the facts behind codes and their usage, biographical information, and—best of all—examples of ciphers and encoded messages, perfect for sending secret messages. These think-along adventures will please readers interested in history, math, language, and friendships.
Takeaway: Appealing think-along adventure in codebreaking for young readers.
Comparable Titles: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman’s The Unbreakable Code, Laurie Wallmark’s Code Breaker, Spy Hunter.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

June 15, 2022
Time-traveling lab partners Asha and Baz get a firsthand lesson from famed rocket scientist Mary Sherman Morgan. Clever lab partners and best friends Asha and Baz are determined to win the science class rocket contest in order to meet beloved astronaut Chris Hadfield. While brainstorming how to propel their rocket, Asha accidentally transports them back to North American Aviation in 1957. Inside, they encounter lone female scientist Mary Sherman Morgan, who is working on another propulsion problem--launching a satellite into space to compete with the Soviet Union in the space race. Asha and Baz witness Mary's invention of the liquid rocket fuel known as Hydyne. While they're discouraged by the sexism Mary encounters, she perseveres and pushes them to keep working on their own project. Despite an abrupt time shift and a lack of background information about the main characters, the story is engaging and the vocabulary is appropriate for both the age group and the subject matter. Illustrations are emotive, lively, and well placed, and robust backmatter adds much value to this promising new series. Though the protagonists' race and ethnicity aren't specified in the text, illustrations depict Asha as brown-skinned and Mary and Baz as light-skinned. Spunky protagonists get a realistic look at a historical female scientist in an accessible series opener. (timeline of the U.S.-Soviet Union space race; information on Mary Sherman Morgan, Chris Hadfield, and the Soviet Union; resources on space) (Science fiction. 6-9)

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Starred review from August 1, 2022

Gr 1-4-Asha and Baz go on a magical adventure meeting Mary Sherman Morgan. Asha and Baz are two best friends who couldn't be more different. Outgoing Asha is friendly and likes to talk, while shy Baz is quiet and does not like being in a crowd or talking in public. Ms. Wilson, their teacher, has come up with an assignment for her class. They are to create a rocket that can take off using only paper, straws, tape scissors, pencils, cardboard rolls, and markers. The winning team will meet astronaut Chris Hadfield. While Asha and Baz are on the playground eating their lunch, Asha notices an unusual stick. As both children are awed by the pecuilarity of the stick, Asha decides to draw their rocket all around them. Before they know it, they are transported to 1957 California. They end up at North American Aviation where they met Mary Sherman Morgan, who invented liquid rocket fuel. Seeing how Mary created the first satellite explorer allows the children to brainstorm with her; they come up with the solution of their rocket by using straws and blowing into their rocket creating wind power. They successfully return to school using their magical wand and win the rocket challenge! This story interweaves a time-traveling adventure with real-life historical figures. Fernandez skillfully features a period of U.S. history when societal restrictions on women changed because of war. This is a great way to introduce STEM concepts to young minds. Asha is depicted with brown skin and long brown hair, while Baz is white with light brown hair. VERDICT A wonderful start to a new series centering STEM and history; great for any children's library collection.-Annmarie Braithwaite

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