A Girl's Guide to Spying by Holly Webb

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✦ BLURB ✦

When Phyl is dragged along to the Girl Guides by her younger sister, Annie, the last thing she expects is the adventure of a lifetime. Then her Guide captain offers her a job as a messenger for MI5. Phyl is desperate to help the war effort and is thrilled to be working with spies.

But she can’t seem to do anything right in the eyes of the grumpy Major Warren. When he suddenly disappears, Phyl and Annie suspect that he may in fact be a double agent. The two sisters must solve the mystery of his whereabouts, before it’s too late. Luckily their friends from the Rose Patrol are ready to help…

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✶ PRE-READING ✶

Holly Webb's puppy and kitten books have been required reading for a while now. I know she's written for older children but I haven't tried any of them, so I was interested to see how it would read.

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✶ POST-READING ✶

As I thought... there's a dog! But beyond that, Holly has woven adventure and history into a gripping adventure. The rules the guides were expected to live by are ridiculous even for the times, and they're straight out of the guide handbook!

It surprised me by... how dark it got. There's an actual body discovered by children who are expected to buck up and get on with things. Accurate for the times, but disturbing nowadays.

✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦

Because sometimes, the heart of a story plays out like a song.

Featured Song:

“We’re Going To Be Friends” – The White Stripes
Sweet, curious, lightly mischievous - it has that young-sleuth charm.

Vibe Album:

The Enola Holmes Soundtrack – Daniel Pemberton
Bright strings, adventure energy, historical flavour, youthful sleuth swagger.

Artist Recommendation:

The Staves
Gentle, warm, sisterly harmonies - a perfect emotional texture for the relationship at the heart of the book.

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🎨 Vibe Check

• Colour Palette: Navy blue, khaki, campfire ember, brass, forest green

• Soundtrack: Whispered plans, rustling uniforms, distant train stations, hurried footsteps on cobblestone

• Season: Late spring - brisk, lively, perfect for adventures on bicycles

• Mood: Determined innocence

• Scent: Beeswax, paper envelopes, the outdoors after guide camp, old wood floors in government offices

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📚 For Fans Of

Book: Peril at End House or really any Christie with secretive military men drifting about
(kids will feel the MMU comp more, adults get the Christie wink)

TV/Movie: Enola Holmes
(young female detective + historical mystery + adults being delightfully useless)

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★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

🔮 8 of Swords (Everyday Witch Tarot)

The 8 of Swords shows a young girl trapped within a circle of swords, looking uncertain but alert. It’s a card of constraint, challenges, and the tension of feeling stuck - but also of discovering that there is a path forward.

For A Girl’s Guide to Spying, it mirrors Phyl’s early struggles: navigating suspicion, solving mysteries, and feeling isolated while trying to figure out what’s really happening. The card captures her initial frustration and uncertainty before she reaches out to the Rose Patrol for help. It’s about cleverness, persistence, and realising that even when trapped, cooperation and ingenuity can unlock solutions - exactly the arc Phyl experiences as she learns, adapts, and begins to take control of her spy adventures.