Top Secret Files: The Cold War: Secrets, Special Missions, and Hidden Facts about the CIA, KGB, and MI6

by Stephanie Bearce

Overview

Poison dart umbrellas, lipstick pistols, and cyanide guns were all a part of the arsenal of tools used by spies of the Soviet KGB, American CIA, and British MI6, but you won't learn that in your history books! Learn the true stories of the Cold War and how spies used listening devices planted in live cats and wristwatch cameras. Discover how East Germans tried to ride zip lines to freedom, while the Cambridge Four infiltrated Britain and master spy catchers like Charles Elwell were celebrated. Then make your own secret codes and practice sending shoe messages. It's all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: The Cold War. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781618215086
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	08/01/2015
Series:	Reise - Amerika 02
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	125
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Stephanie Bearce is a writer, teacher, and history detective. She loves tracking down spies and uncovering secret missions from the comfort of her library in St. Charles, MO. When she isn't writing or teaching, Stephanie loves to travel the world and go on adventures with her husband, Darrell.

Table of Contents

Secrets

First Lightning 2

Venona 6

They Built a Wall 9

Spy Training: Venona-Style Codes 13

Spy Traning: Rocket Launch 15

Spies

The Cambridge Spies 18

Clever Girl 22

Spy Disaster 24

The Scholar Spy 29

Grandma Was a Spy 33

The Spy Who Shied 36

The Magician Spy 40

Animal Agents 44

Spy Training Ski Team Race 47

Spy Training Parachute Men 49

Special Missions

Tunnels to Freedom 52

Operation Blue Peacock 56

Last Tram to Freedom 58

Project Iceworm 61

The Race for Space 64

Operation Ivy Bells 69

The Canadian Caper 71

Girrmann Escape Group 76

Spy Training: Carrot Submarine 81

Spy Training: Glaciers Move 83

Secret Weapons

Gadgets and Gizmos 89

Spy in the Sky 89

Take Shelter 91

The Thing 95

Space Needles 98

UFOs 101

Spy Training: Flying Saucer 101 105

Spy Training: Your Own UFO 107

Bibliography 109

About the Author 117

Editorial Reviews

"Bearce's latest installment in the Top Secret Files series introduces young readers to the Cold War. Following the design and format of the previous titles in the series, reading this book is rather like opening a filing cabinet, reaching in, and pulling out a file. Any file will do. Skip around; every file contains something interesting: stories of the CIA operative who made an escape dressed as a dog; the Cambridge University students who became KGB spies; the 87-year-old "grey-haired granny" who became a spy. Suggested activities have readers making up secret codes, creating parachutes, making "glacier goo," and creating UFOs. The "carrot submarine" activity even refers budding vegetable sculptors to a YouTube video if they need help. Interesting tidbits about poop-shaped transmitters, animal agents, U-2 spy planes, the space race, and even Dr. Seuss' The Butter Battle Book add to the fun. The writing style of the longer chapters-such as "Tunnels to Freedom" and "They Built a Wall"-is direct and matter-of-fact, imparting information clearly. Most entries have lead sentences designed to pull readers in: "What do a raven, a cat, and a dolphin have in common? They were all trained as agents for the CIA." Particularly valuable for young researchers is a lengthy guide to relevant websites. A nifty supplement to traditional nonfiction and fiction on the period. " - Kirkus

From the Publisher

Tools used by spies of the Soviet KGB, American CIA, and British M16 are explained in this book. A table of contents lists the topics covered including Secrets, Spies, Special Missions, and Secret Weapons. Sepia and black-and-white photographs supplement the text. Sidebars provide relevant data. Readers will learn that ravens, cats, and dolphins were trained as agents for the CIA! A bibliography lists pertinent books, while references pages note information found online. Student activities include: developing a super-secret code with number substitutions, making a flying saucer and an unidentified flying object (UFO). This book is an excellent resource about the Cold War, and part of the “Top Secret Files Series.” Other books include: The American Revolution, The Civil War, Gangsters and Bootleggers, Pirates and Buried Treasure, The Wild West. World War I, and World War II. Although all of these books address unknown facts of history, each book covers a respective topic, and would be an excellent addition to school libraries for historical reference. Reviewer: Annie Laura Smith; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Annie Laura Smith

2015-05-16
Bearce's latest installment in the Top Secret Files series introduces young readers to the Cold War. Following the design and format of the previous titles in the series, reading this book is rather like opening a filing cabinet, reaching in, and pulling out a file. Any file will do. Skip around; every file contains something interesting: stories of the CIA operative who made an escape dressed as a dog; the Cambridge University students who became KGB spies; the 87-year-old "grey-haired granny" who became a spy. Suggested activities have readers making up secret codes, creating parachutes, making "glacier goo," and creating UFOs. The "carrot submarine" activity even refers budding vegetable sculptors to a YouTube video if they need help. Interesting tidbits about poop-shaped transmitters, animal agents, U-2 spy planes, the space race, and even Dr. Seuss' The Butter Battle Book add to the fun. The writing style of the longer chapters—such as "Tunnels to Freedom" and "They Built a Wall"—is direct and matter-of-fact, imparting information clearly. Most entries have lead sentences designed to pull readers in: "What do a raven, a cat, and a dolphin have in common? They were all trained as agents for the CIA." Particularly valuable for young researchers is a lengthy guide to relevant websites. A nifty supplement to traditional nonfiction and fiction on the period. (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews